The logical beginning of organic gardening is organic seeds. But what exactly are organic seeds? How can a plant seed can be anything but organic? The terms organic and natural are often used synonymously, the Department of Agriculture and numerous other authorities and literature point out, but not accurately so. When you're looking at food and product labels, bear this in mind. Free-range chicken, for example, or free-range beef might well be raised without hormones or steroids. Crops may be grown with natural rather than engineered pesticides. Neither instance, however, is necessarily USDA organic.

Organic Labeling and Certification

Legislation in the United States related to organic foods and farming dates to 1990 and 2002. The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 covers agricultural production and handling. USDA inspections are annual, and once a production facility is certified, that "certification remains valid until surrendered, suspended, or revoked." On October 21, 2002, the USDA began implementing its national standard for labeling food products.

The definition of organic in the case of plant products--whether seed, flower, or fruit--has to do with the conditions in which the plant that produced the seed, flower, or fruit was grown. Specifically, the U.S. Department language refers specifically to the absence of conventional pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, sewage sludge-based fertilizers, bio-engineering, or ionizing radiation. USDA certification as organic comes only after government inspection.

As far as processed food products are concerned, there are four USDA categories allowing use of the word "organic" on animal and plant products. The first is 100 percent organic, which can consist of only organically produced ingredients. The second--"organic"--must be at least 95 percent organic. A third--"made with organic ingredients"--refers to processed foods, which must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. A fourth--less than 70 percent organic--may not feature the word "organic" on the primary display, but may cite specific ingredients as organically produced.