Organic seeds for the vegetable garden: why choose them for your green space

Organic seeds have been for years subject of initiatives aimed at promoting its usage both inside home gardens and intensive production aimed at selling. In fact, even in organic agriculture there is always the possibility of employing conventional seeds and consequently, the products cannot be considered biologically certified. This happens even if the directive CE 98/92 requires that certified organic seeds be used in order to be able to talk about real organic farming. However, the same ruling provides for the possibility of derogations if the certified organic seeds of the requested variety are finished or if you want to sow varieties for which there is no organic seed.

Consequently, it is calculated that in Italy the seeds used in the organic horticulture sector exploit the aforementioned derogation, in 80% of the cases, i.e. they use conventional seeds. It can be said, therefore, that the derogation regime has become the rule. This has a negative impact on the production of organic seeds and, at the same time, the usage of F1 hybrid seeds has spread more and more. Instead , using organic seeds ensures a greater guarantee for the products properties and for the clients themselves. To better the offers of organic seed available to organic farmers, several projects are put in place by various European research centers: for instance, the goal set is to select the green manure species. At the same time, the techniques to select the organic cereal and vegetables varieties currently available.

Why choose organic seeds

The usage of organic seeds is particularly advised because these varieties have been selected in an accurate manner so that they will be particularly adapted to the organic farming method. Consequently, they are more resistant and are characterised for having a greater productivity if you put into practice a natural fertilization of the soil. On the contrary, conventional seeds can be cultivated in pre determined soils, by employing conventional farming methods and techniques: only in these circumstances the production will reach its highest levels.

Secondly organic seeds guarantee respect for the environment. This circumstance is determined by the fact that seeds are not food products: consequently, the conventional varieties are treated using chemical agents in bigger quantities and with a stronger concentration compared to what is expected for vegetable food crops. The seeds ,therefore, release in the environment a huge quantity of residues. On the other hand, because they do not use pesticides, organic seeds crops are more difficult to cultivate compared to horticultural plants: more attention must be paid to insects and the problem of weeds. However, the usage of natural and ecological fertilizers allows to protect the seeds and the plants from the fungal and moulds action and from the attack of various pests because organic seeds are resistant and healthy. The choice of 100% organic seeds, that do not benefit from the EU ruling derogation, guarantees a completely organic production chain: this translates into great advantages for the consumer and the final consumer.

Types of organic seeds

The types of organic vegetable seeds differ in biodynamic and organic varieties: both allow you to obtain a large number of advantages compared to the conventional ones. They can be useful to grow aromatic herbs, to practice green manure or to plant a vegetable; in any case, these are elements that do not use genetic hybridization techniques, i.e. those identified by abbreviations F2 and F1.

The organic seeds are not only the best controlled and safest varieties on the market, as they do not contain GMOs, but they also have much lower prices compared to traditional seeds. As a matter of fact, their production is shorter and does not require difficult septs. Completely devoid of chemical agents, fertilizers and pesticides, they do not release ,in the ground or in the air, any polluting substances and they are produced in a natural way: in fact they are generated by the spontaneous pollination of the plant. Consequently, the greens, the vegetables and all the other plant that sprout from these seeds, are 100% natural and guaranteed by the manufacturer as organic products.