Developing an Organically Approved Soil Mix for Use in Vegetable Transplant Production

Developing an Organically Approved Soil Mix for Use in Vegetable Transplant Production

Summary

A constraint to the production of vegetable transplants that meet organic regulations is the lack of a locally available, organically approved commercial soil mix or a specific and reliable formulation and methodology for a mix that could be produced on-farm. Certified organic growers currently must adhere to regulations established by their certifying agency and, in the South, there are few regional certifying agencies.

Once national organic standards are adopted, all organic producers will be required to adhere to them. This could adversely affect organic producers in the Southern region because some of the regulations may not consider constraints faced by Southern producers. In Florida, as in much of the Southern region, there is no locally available, organically approved commercial soil mix. Because of this, many local certifying agencies have not prohibited the use of standard mixes with synthetic components. It is likely that once the national organic standards have been adopted, the use of such materials will be prohibited regardless of the lack of alternative organic materials. In this project, the producer will develop a soil mix that can be used by southern farmers and also be approved as organic.

The producer, working with researchers, extension personnel and a graduate student, from the University of Florida, will attempt to develop soil mixes from readily available local and regional products. She will also design an organic fertility management system for vegetable transplant production.

Collaborators: