locally grown over organic if the organic food is coming more than 500 miles. The distance traveled can ex out the benefits of growing it organically.

Additionally, buying local strengthens the local economy and supports local agriculture. Buying organic at a national chain does not.

Of course best, is local and organic

If i were to grow a garden in my new back yard (in pots though, ground is too hard) is the vegetable considered organic if grown in organic soil and I dont use pesticides on it? Or does the ACTUAL SEED have to be organic?

You would only need organic seed if you were going to sell the produce and wanted to sell it as 'certified'. For your own use, most organic growers and magazines for the home grower consider the'growing' as organic, in other words,no pesticides or artificial fertilizers. Incidently, if you add some compost and leaf mold or humus to that hard back yard for a year or two you will be able to grow great plants in the ground with much less water and care. If you want organic seed go to seedsofchange.com

My neighbor bought a chipper. He's gathering pine and cedar needles, chipping up elderberry branches and other yard debris and wants to know the best way to compost and make good rich soil for growing organic vegetables and flowers.

He's well on his way to making garden gold. Now he'll want to add some green to all that brown, and pile it up. Here's the formula.

50% Brown Material (the chipper stuff)-Carbon
25% Green Material (fresh grass clips, green leaves, weeds without seeds, fruit
and vegetable peels, coffee grounds)-Nitrogen
25% Soil or compost. This will introduce micro-organisms to the pile and speed the decay
process.
Water. Keep the pile as moist as a wrung out sponge.

Never add meat or fish scraps, dairy products, or cooked food.

Building Your Compost Pile
Layer the brown (carbon), green (nitrogen) and soil. Add water to dampen as your build your pile. Continue your layers of brown, green and soil like layers of a lasagna. Build your pile until it is 3-4’ high.

The more time you put into your bin, the faster the results will be. You may want to turn your compost pile once a week to speed the decay process, but you don’t have to.

Composting does not smell if it is done properly. If your pile is creating odors, add more carbon material.

Now, maybe he'll share with you, if you share this info with him!!

Happy Gardening!