Chemical or organic fertilizers?

[farmerlon]

...I hope I don't get anyone's Irish up but "the time it takes" is a pretty big factor in my choosing of methods and materials. "The time it takes" should have some weight in any fair discussion I think. I only have a limited time. Time is precious. For a lot a folks "time is money" and survival of their families for that matter. The time involved to garden organically with organic fertilizers MAY be greater then working with chemical fertilizers....

I have to agree with others who already stated that is does not take more time to garden with Organic methods. Once the biology of the soil is restored and/or improved through Organic methods, the gardening is much easier. It takes a lot less effort to work with nature, instead of trying to fight it with chemicals.

Also, don't neglect to look at time "in the long run". How much longer might you and your family members live, if you consume healthy Organic fruits and vegetables from your garden? Organic, nutrient-rich produce that's free of chemical residues ... that's the choice that works for me!

[Molokai_Bernie]

Thank you rainbowgardener for your delightful, encouraging comments and the books and authors to explore. Thanks also john gault for the links, recommendations and perspective. I am learning a lot. I appreciate soil, Mary Ann and farmerlon sharing what they've learned as well. Your real life experiences with real gardens makes compelling reading. Thanks to all.

[tomc]

I must react to the 'time is money' statement.

Money is also money. The only other venue for the organic mateial (kitchen and yard waste) that I use as compost, I would have to pay to have hauled away. After composting it, I neither have to buy fertilizer or pay to have that portion of my trash stream taken to a landfill.

I do not spend much time facilitaing its decomposition, and it smells better. The microherd that does this heavy lifting for me, works for free.

A new garden and a just designated compost area, might get bridged by an impatient gardener with chemical fertilizers. This [s]tightwad[/s] frugal yankee is too cheep to pay for the same thing twice for long.

[toddheft]

[quote="Molokai_Bernie"]The basic concepts of organic farming seem solid but on one point I have some questions. A horticulture professor and friend of mine taught me that plants need to take up nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in their chemical forms to grow. The plant’s roots can't tell if these chemical are derived from chemical fertilizers or organic sources, like manure. They utilize chemical molecules only. If so, I am compelled to ask, “What is better about using Bat Guano versus using Miracle Grow on my vegetables?â€

[johnnortredamme]

I personally prefer a vegetable that has been eaten on by bugs than the perfect vegetable with has been sprayed with chemicals. But thats just my opinion.