fertilizers made with sewage sludge. Many people who believe that they are growing their fruits and vegetables organically because they are using reduced chemical inputs and sustainable agricultural practices do not meet the Federal requirements for food or produce sold as organic.
The National Organic Program (NOP) Standards are confusing, but if you want to grow a crop and sell it as ‘organic’ you must follow the NOP standards. The standards are quite complicated (see the USDA site at http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/NOP), but a wealth of detailed, readable, and useful information for growers on organic certification, organic production of vegetables, fruits, flowers and livestock, organic pest management, organic fertility management, and organic marketing can be found at Organic Farming Resources from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service at: http://attra.ncat.org/organic.html and the Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK) web site at: http://oak-ky.org. Before a product can be labeled ‘organic’, a government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Organic producers should verify with the appropriate certification bodies that their practices and any materials they intend to use are compliant with applicable standards for their intended markets. In Kentucky, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture has established an organic certification program (http://www.kyagr.com/marketing/plantm-ktg/orga-nic/index.htm contact: Mike Fitzgerald at 502-564-4983 or michael.fitzgerald@ky.gov). To have a growing area certified as organic, detailed records must be kept for at least three years prior to certification, and after certification, on all organic and conventional growing practices. No synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or other restricted items can be applied at least 3 years before certification. A farm management plan covering all aspects of agricultural production or handling must be agreed to by the producer or handler and the certifying agent. Crop rotation is required. A buffer zone must exist between organically and conventionally grown crops and must be sufficient in size or other features (e.g., windbreaks or a diversion ditch) to prevent the possibility of unintended contact by prohibited substances applied to adjacent land areas with an area that is part of a certified operation. The certifying agent
Wabash fruit.
determines if conventional water runoff, pesticide drift, etc., are far enough away from the organic area to prevent contamination. The standards contain a list of certain synthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production and nonsynthetic substances prohibited for use in organic crop production. The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) provides certifiers, growers, manufacturers and suppliers an independent review of products intended for use in certified organic production, handling, and processing (http://www.omri.org) based on the NOP standards. The OMRI Products List represents OMRI's recommendations regarding the acceptability of brand name products for organic production, processing, and handling. During production, all equipment and tools must be cleaned when they are moved from a conventional field to an organic area. After harvest, physical contact, or commingling, between unpackaged organically produced and conventionally produced products must be prevented. If an operation knowingly sells or labels a product as organic that is not, it can be subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation.
So how does this all relate to the small pawpaw grower who wants to sell organically grown pawpaws? There is an exception clause that states that: “A production
Pawpaw fruit at a farmers market in Frankfort, Ky.
or handling operation that sells agricultural products as ‘organic’ but whose gross agricultural income from organic sales totals $5,000 or less annually is exempt from certification…but must comply with the applicable organic production and handling requirements.” Products from such operations cannot be used as ingredients in processed organic products produced by another handling operation. So growers who have small pawpaw operations whose gross agricultural income from organic sales totals $5,000 or less annually can sell organically grown pawpaws at farmers’ markets, to restaurants, and via the Internet without going through the certification process, but must still comply with the organic production and handling requirements. Wild pawpaws labeled and sold as organic must be harvested from an area that has had no prohibited substance in the standards applied for a period of 3 years preceding harvest. The wild pawpaw fruit must be harvested in a manner that will not be destructive to the environment and will sustain continued growth and production.
The main problems faced in organic production of pawpaw are: weed control, nutrient management, and to a lesser extent, disease and pest control. Pawpaw is a unique native tree fruit that is resistant to many diseases and insect pests, making this crop attractive to organic growers. Here are some items to keep mind before you start planting your trees: ESTABLISHING AN ORCHARD. An orchard site that would be suitable for growing pawpaw or other tree fruits includes good air drainage for frost protection, a deep, fertile, well-drained soil, with a pH 5.5-7.0, and a water source for irrigation. Low areas should be avoided, since cold air will pool in these areas and increase the risk of spring frost damage to flowers and vegetation. Site preparation is extremely important for any organic operation. The presence of certain weed species is of particular concern to the organic grower. Bermuda grass, Johnson grass, quack grass, Canadian thistle, and several other species can be serious problems to growers and are difficult to control with organic methods once an orchard is established. It is important that organic orchard sites are chosen that do not have these weed species at the start. If these weed species are at your orchard site and you do not want to resort to conventional approaches prior to beginning a three year transition period, there are several options. One organic option is soil solarization. Soil solarization is using transparent plastic on moist soil and sun light to capture solar heat energy. Solarization takes 4 to 8 weeks to heat the soil to a temperature and depth that will kill harmful fungi, bacteria, nematodes, weeds, and certain insects in the soil. Solarization can be effective in areas such as Kentucky with many sunny days and high temperatures, but it is not effective where lower temperatures, clouds, or fog limit soil heating. Another option to eliminate weeds in fields before they are used in organic production is the use of repeated cultivation and cover crops. More information on this approach can be found at the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) web site at http://www.attra.org.
ESTABLISHING AN ORCHARD. An orchard site that would be suitable for growing pawpaw or other tree fruits includes good air drainage for frost protection, a deep, fertile, well-drained soil, with a pH 5.5-7.0, and a water source for irrigation. Low areas should be avoided, since cold air will pool in these areas and increase the risk of spring frost damage to flowers and vegetation. Site preparation is extremely important for any organic operation. The presence of certain weed species is of particular concern to the organic grower. Bermuda grass, Johnson grass, quack grass, Canadian thistle, and several other species can be serious problems to growers and are difficult to control with organic methods once an orchard is established. It is important that organic orchard sites are chosen that do not have these weed species at the start. If these weed species are at your orchard site and you do not want to resort to conventional approaches prior to beginning a three year transition period, there are several options. One organic option is soil solarization. Soil solarization is using transparent plastic on moist soil and sun light to capture solar heat energy. Solarization takes 4 to 8 weeks to heat the soil to a temperature and depth that will kill harmful fungi, bacteria, nematodes, weeds, and certain insects in the soil. Solarization can be effective in areas such as Kentucky with many sunny days and high temperatures, but it is not effective where lower temperatures, clouds, or fog limit soil heating. Another option to eliminate weeds in fields before they are used in organic production is the use of repeated cultivation and cover crops. More information on this approach can be found at the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) web site at http://www.attra.org.
PLANTING STOCK. According to the NOP standards, nonorganically produced planting stock is considered organic after it has been maintained under a system of organic management for a year. It usually takes about 4 years for grafted pawpaw trees to produce fruit. We presently recommend that trees be planted at a spacing of 8 feet within rows and 12 to 18 feet between rows. For the first two years, top growth is slow as the root system establishes itself, but thereafter it accelerates substantially given proper fertility and soil moisture. Shading of small pawpaw trees in the field the first year is recommended and can be accomplished by installing translucent double-walled polyethylene “tree-tubes” around each tree, securing them with bamboo stakes. However, trees taller than 45