too much free info available on the net to pay for a 'niche' sort of forum - you can google your problem, adding the term organic, and find dozens of good sites for the particular thing, especially university sites - this organic forum gets so little traffic I wouldn't be suprised to see it 'sacrificed' to expand more heavily used forums at GW - in just 3 pages here you go back nearly a month - some forums use a couple pages in a day, so something that only covered a portion of the organic topic .....

if you've got a bug control problem, google for a solution, then ask about it here and you'll usually find someone who's had a similar problem and can advise - ATTRA is a good site

Bill

Here is a link that might be useful: sample google search - note the .edu sites

I agree with Bill.

The entire internet is available for individual pest control measures. For example, I would type in : 'organic control aphids', and come up with a deluge of sites to investigate. A site such as the one you are suggesting would simply be one more of thousands.

You have to ask yourself: why would anyone pay a membership for information that is widely available from a huge assortment of reputable resources? They wouldn't.

The GardenWeb is strictly a venue for those who may not understand how to research on the web, or those who need some more information before they can begin to search something. Image posting has become key in helping folks with identification. Most of the time, when I answer a question, I include a good link to show the person that there is plenty of great information out there.

Squeeze, I agree that the traffic here has slowed down a great deal. I think it's because there is a strong tendency towards alternative pest control methods in the Garden Clinic (aka Pests and Diseases). That forum stays busy with folks obtaining proper ID of their problems (for the most part), and with smart and effective non chemical solutions for common pest problems.

Heck, even the Lawn Forum has a strong organic lean!

Here is my reasoning for why such as site is needed. If you are determined, you can find an organic solution for pest problems somewhere on the internet. But take the example of the person who is only toying with the idea of using organic methods. They may take a look -- as I did just now under "ants and aphids and squash" -- and the solutions are only somewhat helpful. One site suggested companion planting: that will solve next year's problems but not this year's. Another gave several recipes to deter ants -- but there is not confirmation by any other users as to its effectiveness in particular with squash. The "undetermined" person might look at these ideas and say, "Well, I want something that will definitely work" and "I want it to work now. I think I'd just as soon go to Wal-Mart and get some *whatever toxin*" These people don't have the patience that people who are committed to organic methodology do -- it is for these "undetermined" people that I think we need such a site. However, it will need to be supported with the aid of persons like ourselves who are committed and willing to help others looking for organic solutions. Not everyone is like US -- willing to search and look and try and experiment and maybe in the end lose our crops and flowers anyway for the sake of going organic. It is the lazy, busy person I am concerned for. I think that as it becomes more and more clear that pesticides are poisons, "those" people will come looking for answers -- but their level of commitment will be much lower: we've got to make it easy for them and gradually, I think we'll bring them round to our way of thinking.

if you find some great articles.. or better yet.. write some of your tips and secrets in 2-3 paragraphs, i'll start collecting them and putting them on my http://organic-living.blogspot.com website... feel free to send me your article submissions to evdo.hsdpa@gmail.com

Here is a link that might be useful: organic gardening

or create a collection of things and write another entry for the FAQ here on the organic forum

Bill

A web site with consistently good, reliable information is always needed but with thousands already out there, for free, any new one would need to be really good and free. The Our Garden Pests web site probably already has most of what you are porposing anyway.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Garden Pests

Your idea is good, I would love a site like that (ATTRA is good) but if your really out to target the "undetermined" people ... It is the lazy, busy person I am concerned for" Those people, in my opinion, would not pay anything for that site. I wouldn't (and I'm neither undetermined nor lazy, though I am busy). Expecially, and this isn't a bash (I strictly garden/lawn/house organic), but a lot of organic information currently available is anecdotal, based on experience of others. There is SOME but not lots of scientifically proven techniques (those tend to be more along the lines of the chemicals). While the scientific studies are increasing, it's not like the things you would put up (like molassas deters fire ants) is in the literature. So your asking people to pay for a source of information that is not scientifically proven but is based on the experience of others and could be nothin more than wives-tales.

The other point I would make is that info is quite area specific. I'm learning about TX gardening as we speak since I'm from the east coast. I never had seen a june bug before. And I'm fairly certain that most northerner's haven't seen love-bugs or the special FL roaches that I swear will talk to you:) before they fly in your face.

These are just my opinons though.

Thanks for helping me think this through. I think that you are right, Kris, that one could not get people to pay upfront for such advice, though if there was a way to have them pay if it worked??!! that might be the ticket. And I am not talking about an incredible amount of money: just a token to keep the site functioning.

What I would also hope to develop with such a site is a means to have people rate and review solutions. I don't know if you have ever checked out AllRecipes -- but they have a system of reviews and ratings that help you feel very comfortable in selecting a particular recipe. Further, the reviews provide an opportunity for recipe-guinea-pigs to talk about their experience and suggest small or large changes to the recipe. If there was a way to contact a person after they tried a recipe/organic solution, and encourage them to write a review, then one could quickly develop a very good database about a particular solution. Hopefully, it would be "driven" by the public.

Oh, and by the by, which ATTRA site are some of you referring to?? Googling, I see some sites related to commercial farming. Could somebody post the particular site y'all have in mind?

MBAT

Any of the ATTRA selections will lead you to the Nattional Sustainable Agriculture web sites, a large number of them but all related.

Here is a link that might be useful: ATTRA