As CNG farmers, we all know that seed sourcing matters. Growers must purchase organic or CNG seed unless the variety they need is not available in an organic form, after checking with at least three viable organic seed suppliers. We also know that we need to grow our transplants using organic inputs.
But what about other types of planting stock? Onions? Garlic? Sweet potatoes? Flower bulbs? Perennials? Do these need to be sourced from an organic or CNG supplier too?
In short, YES!
There has been a fair amount of confusion in our community around CNG’s requirements regarding the sourcing of conventional plant material. Hopefully we can clear up some of this confusion here.
Any plant material that a CNG farmer uses that will be marketed as a CNG crop should be obtained from an organic source whenever possible. So the pansies in the front yard of a CNG livestock producer who does not sell flowers can get ’em wherever! But the onion transplants and seed potatoes of a CNG produce farmer, those should be organic.
We’ll go into detail about a few of the most commonly confused crops and then outline some options for growers struggling to find organic sources.
Onions
Onions are annual crops grown from transplants or seed. Therefore, like all annual transplants, onion plants must be purchased from an organic or verified naturally grown source.
Hot tip—if you’re not sure if a plant or seed is organic based on the company’s website (i.e. it doesn’t clearly say “organic”) the plant or seed is very likely conventional. Companies work hard to source organic plant materials and get to charge more, so they are motivated to label their products accordingly. If you’re not sure, ask!
Onion transplants are different from onion sets which are tiny, cured onion bulbs that were grown out the previous year. Very few commercial growers use onions sets as the variety selection is very limited and suppliers are few and far between. CNG does have an exception for growers planting true onion sets—they are covered under the seed standard.
Most CNG and organic farmers choose to grow their onion transplants from seed since sourcing organic plants can be difficult and pricy. Large-scale growers in some areas even direct seed their onions.
Garlic, Potatoes, and More
Garlic and seed potatoes are considered seed and therefore covered under the CNG seed standard. (Remember how we were saying earlier that everyone knows the seed standard)? Well, here’s a recap.
- No GMOs ever.
- No chemically-treated seeds.
- Seed (and other crops covered under the seed standard) must be CNG, organic, or confirmed naturally grown whenever they are commercially available. So if you check with at least three major seed sources and still can’t find the variety you need, you can use conventionally grown seed.
These rules apply to regular seeds, plus these crops when they are grown as annuals: seed potatoes, sweet potato slips, day-neutral strawberry slips, ginger, turmeric, garlic and flower bulbs.
Garlic and seed potatoes should be pretty straightforward to find naturally grown, depending on your scale. If you are using conventional garlic seed or seed potatoes, you probably can find an organic source, even if you have to pay extra for shipping.
Sorry, cost is not a justification for using conventional plant material. We want to be supported as producers of CNG crops, so it’s important for us to support organic seed growers too! These folks are breeding and selecting their seed crops in organic conditions, which can make a big difference in the resiliency, yield, uniformity, and even flavor of your crops.
Happily, you can save your own seed, garlic, seed potatoes, etc., saving money and selecting for the traits you want on your farm.
Dahlias tubers are getting easier to find organically as well, so look around! For more details on flower bulb sourcing and other tips, flower farmers should check out our Considerations for Flower Growers page.
Perennials
Sourcing naturally grown plants for perennial crops (including flowers, herbs, fruit trees, berries, etc.) can be very challenging and even impossible in some cases. Therefore CNG and the NOP (National Organic Program) allow growers to source conventional perennial plants if a naturally grown source cannot be found. Growers using conventional perennial plants should document the other suppliers they checked with, just like in a seed search.
The caveat is that the conventional perennial plants cannot be represented or sold as a CNG crop until a year from the planting date. So the CNG farmer needs to grow the plants out and manage them according to CNG guidelines for at least a year before selling them as CNG.
For a great story about a CNG farmer who turned her plant-sourcing snafu into an awesome learning experience for both fellow farmers and customers, check out Kat the Farmer’s blog, “An Herb Debacle.”
Labeling
What can I do if I can’t find (or don’t want to pay for) organic/CNG planting stock?
Ideally, all the products produced on your farm should be included in your CNG certification, but this is not always possible. The most common way to deal with this issue is to exclude the crop or product from certification. This is a relatively common practice especially for:
- flower growers who are sourcing lots of perennial transplants that may start producing within the first year;
- livestock producers who certify their broilers, but not their hogs due to livestock sourcing issues;
- produce growers who need to use treated seed for their sweet corn;
- or larger scale, multi-enterprise operations (e.g. a vineyard with lavender fields, sheep, and cut flowers).
The key here is clear labeling. Any crops excluded from certification must be labeled as “not CNG” when marketed. Some growers just have a chalkboard at market that they write any products that are not CNG. For example: “This week, all the flowers in your bouquet are CNG, except the foxgloves.” Folks online marketing or selling wholesale can communicate this on their websites or through marketing emails. The important thing is that farms are being transparent with their customers, and labeling is the ticket!
Resources
The crew at CNG realizes that these are tricky, sticky issues and that it can be confusing to navigate the standards and discover appropriate plant material sources. We are here to help! Please reach out to the certification specialist by email or use the contact form below.
Though this is by no means a complete list, we’ve included a couple of the most common suppliers of organic planting stock for some of the trickier crops. For a list of seed suppliers, visit our Seed Suppliers page.
Here are a few sources we like:
Ginger & turmeric: Biker Dude Puna Organics, Kolokai Organic Farm
Seed potatoes: Wood Prairie Family Farm, Mythic Farm, Grand Teton Organics, Nature’s Circle Farm, Sprout Mountain Farms
Onions and other annual transplants: Banner Greenhouse, Windcrest Organics, Sunbelt Transplants
Perennial transplants: Hillcrest Nursery
Strawberries: Peaceful Valley, Innovative Organic Nursery
Garlic: Your favorite organic seed company, contact a CNG garlic farmer, Keene Organic Garlic
We are working on creating a more complete list of suppliers to add to our website, so please send your favorite sources our way!
