In search of Roma's

Shoreline's Sky Nursery recently expanded, and I've been eager to check it out. But it's not on my beaten path and I didn't want to make a special trip. Today I ran some errands in the north end, so I dropped in to find organic Roma starts.

From the highway, it's a giant greenhouse, adjacent to a funky little store that's housed the garden center for a half century or so. Stepping inside, the plant choices seem endless.

And out of hundreds of tables and display areas filled with plants, only one - count 'em, one! - offered organic vegetable and herb starts. That's it, just one. I asked a staff person if I was missing something and maybe there were more somewhere else, but she, and not very friendly, mind you, said no, that was all they had.

With all the information available to the public now about our barely-regulated food supply, the harm to land and body from chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides (and the need to lessen our dependence on petroleum-based products), and the ever-growing interest in organic food, how could so little space be devoted to organic plants?

To their credit, they have organic fertilizers, seeds and other materials that support organic gardening. But I'm surprised that demand for organics isn't higher - after all, we live in a pocket of the country that's environmentally savvy, supportive of local farms and food, and we're fervent recyclers.

If it's a matter of supply, the number of organic growers in the Northwest increases every year; surely there must be other sources. These starts came from Rent's Due Ranch, a Skagit County farm that also supplies PCC Natural Markets.

But PCC didn't have tomato starts, nor did my neighborhood grocery, despite great choices in herbs and other plants. I'm sure the weekly farmers market has them, but I don't go often.

I'm not an organic purist. I can't afford to be. But since I'm now growing my own, I'm aiming for organic as much as possible. Growing organic makes sense - it's cheaper, better for the planet, and more nutritious than conventionally grown.

Perhaps the thing to do is help create demand by voicing my concerns in a letter to the nursery. If enough of us use our voice to express the things we care about, change happens. Or... I'll just shop elsewhere.

(Photo: Skagit Valley's Rent's Due Ranch "Roma's Best" tomato plant, purchased at Sky Nursery, 5/09)