You don't need organic seeds or plants to be organic unless you need a certification.

I guess it depends how you define organic.

In terms of purchased plants I could personally care less how they were taken care of before I got them as long as they are in good shape.

There is no pesticide, herbicide or fungicide that is going to transfer in the pollen and 'infect' other plants.

You might be thinking of GMO - Genentically modified. I don't know enough about GMO plants to know if you'd get them yet in your local nursery.

I'm with heathen in thiking that you're talking about GMO's. As to if the pollen will "change" them, that will only happen if you're saving your own seeds (the genes from the pollen don't affect the mother plant, just the offspring).

For the most part, the only GMO's out there are the major row crops (corn, soybeans, cotton, etc). I don't believe there are any GMO veggies on the market (the Flavr-Savr tomato turned out to be a flop) and the only fruit I know of is papaya.

If you are really worried about it, buy organic seeds and start your own plants. Organic seeds are pretty easy to get, either on line or in stores. Johnny's Select Seeds, Seeds of Change, etc., etc. all have certified organic seeds. Even Ferry Morse has a line of organic seeds, carried in a local Lowe's along with the conventional ones!

Even Burpee has some organic seed out now.

Thanks for all the info..I was thinking of GMO plants and worried they could cross with my Organic plants and some how change the status of my Organic plants. so, just by the non Organic plants being in my garden will not affect my Cert Organic plants or the veggies correct?

If you have GMO plants capable of cross breeding with your certified organic plants then yes, they will contaminate THE SEED of the organic plant, but not the plant itself.

For example if you have GMO corn and another patch of organic corn you would not want to save seed.

May I ask what GMO plants you are growing and are you really looking to get/maintain an organic certification?

Most all of the seed that has been Genetically Engineered, Modified, is for large farms that use large quantities of "weed" poisons, not the average backyard garden. However, we also know that some of these have GE(M) plants have pollinated even the open pollinated plants organic growers use so most likely some of what you want to buy has been contaminated by this very specious experiment, and because there is no testing for this we will not know that.
When you buy seed seek out suppliers that are committed to selling only non GE(M) seed and stay clear of those companies that either cannot commit to that or will not.

For Justaguy2.. no i am not growing GMO plants. I am a Organic kinda girl but i thought that all plants could cross pollin in my garden and ruin my organic veggies! I am so aginst GMO. my landlord wants to put plants in the garden that are not Organic and i was worried they would have some effect on my Organic veggies..I really know nothing about what plants are GMO anyway
B

According to Scientific American:
Quote:British scientists have come up with a new test that determines the organic pedigree of products on store shelves by measuring the amount of nitrogen (sic) [I believe this should read "nitrogen-15".] they hold.

Bworley, who maintains the garden? I don't know if you have organic nurseries over there but here I assume that plants from nurseries may have been sprayed. Once they're in my garden they don't get sprayed. Has your landlord actually said he wants to use non-organic plants? Is he talking about ornamentals? I think the important thing is what happens once they are planted. Hopefully you are responsible for the maintenance of the whole garden, not just your veggies, and you can choose not to use chemicals.

I am against GMO's too. I thought, like some people have said, the GMO plants are crop plants for large farms not people's gardens. I would hope if they start releasing GMO plants for the home gardener they would be required to label them as such so people can choose whether they want to buy them. Perhaps you could find out what the labelling laws are in your area.

Plants that have been sprayed in the nursery will become organic if you treat them as such. Plants that are GMO, well, hopefully between labelling laws and the test mentioned in Scientific American, consumers will be able to send a clear message by not buying them.