Marianne's Response

Non Organic Veggies planted next to Organic Veggies

When non organic veggies are planted next to Organic Veggies do the non organic vegetables or their flower blooms cross contaminate the organic vegetables turning them into non organic vegetables?
Also currently are Bonnie Plants Division and Home Depot Vegetable plants officially organic and bee safe? I live in a 4 plex and the tenants want to plant a vegetable garden. I bought some Home Depot Vegetable plants and one of the tenants is refusing to let me to plant the Home Depot vegetables in the garden because she said they are not organic and bee safe. She is stating if you plant an inorganically raised plant next to a organic plant that the inorganic plant itself will contaminate the organic plant. How? By the roots in the soils or the flower bloom pollen transferred from bees pollenating? The Home Depot staff stated the vegetables I purchased were organic. Please give some insight if Home Depot’s veggies are organic and can be planted next to the other tenants plants. Thank you for your time.

Posted by Bernadette Lopes on April 19, 2022

Marianne's Response

What a wonderful project you have adding vegetables for the renters. Confusion of over organic and non-organic is common but the easy answer is that it is safe to plant vegetables grown with fertilizer from a non-organic source next to vegetables fertilized with organic sources and they will not "cross" in any way. Home Depot and Bonnie Plants both grow "Organic" vegetables. The issue of being "Bee Safe" is due to a pesticide (not a fertilizer) called Neonicotinoids (or Neonics) that is now rarely used. In 2016 Ortho and Scotts began to phase out using or selling that product as it had been linked to a possible decline in bumble bees in agricultural areas. Buying vegetable plants from Home Depot has no connection to pesticides that could harm bees. I would suggest you limit the use of insect killing sprays (insecticides) on edible crops and then just enjoy gardening. There is a lot of scary misinformation out there but as I am a speaker on "Gardening for Pollinators" with a degree in Horticulture I do keep up on university backed research on this topic. I can assure you that your vegetable and flower garden will be a great asset to not just you and your tenants but to all the pollinating bees, flies, birds and bats in the area as well. The more plants and flowers we grow the better for every living thing. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti