How do I know the herb seeds I have bought are organic ?

[Capricorn]

I recently bought some thyme, basil and oregano, seeds . Is there supposed to be something on the package that could tell me if they are organic or not?
I would also like to know what good organic fertilizres should I use to grow corriander, mint and green cillies. I would appreciate if someone gave me some home made made fertilizer tips ( i saw egg shells and coffee bieng disscussed on the forums as good fertizers . will they work for my herbs?)

[JoeThumb]

Dear Capricorn: There certainly is a way to determine if your organic seeds are certified as organic. All seeds companies that sell organic seed must be registered with their state. The state then gives them a certification number to use for each batch of seeds. This number must follow the seed all the way to the end user. If your seed does not have a certification number, there is no way to guarantee it as organic. I would recommend staying away from seed companies that are not certified.

[Capricorn]

thank you for the information

[applestar]

Out of curiosity -- how much does it matter whether seeds are organic or not? I mean, yeah, I think it matters for sprouting seeds since you're going to eat what comes out of the seed almost immediately, MAYBE some herbs, like the OP's asking about, since one might start harvesting leaves rather soon after growth, but other edibles that you're going to harvest after they are fully mature? Ah! Genetically modified selections? (would they be called selections?) would NOT qualify as organic, right? So that would be one way to avoid them.

While I ask this, I HAVE chosen organic garlic bulbs/cloves and seed potatoes over not organic in the past....

Oh, so as not to hi-jack this thread -- I don't think mint and coriander really need fertilizing. Other than the random compost that falls on or near them while taking care of flowers in the same area, I don't add anything. Oh, I do let vetch grow in the same bed (nitrogen fixer), then pull them up and use them for mulch. "green cillies" -- did you mean "green chillies" -- are you talking about the spicy ones or not spicy ones -- i.e. green peppers? Oh well, I'll leave this to the more experienced folks, but I would think they like extra potassium -- I usually use greensand with my compost. I believe banana peels and veggie scraps add extra potassium to the compost too. You might want to ask this in the vegetable gardening forum -- I bet there are some SERIOUS hot green chillie experts over there.

[Capricorn]

Thanks