Organic vs Non-organic

I'm struggling a bit with the results of my fair test so far. I was really expecting that the organic lettuce would do just as well, if not better, than the non-organic one. But the one I have been feeding the chemical fertiliser is doing twice as well as the other two.

It looks healthier, greener, bigger and more appealing. If I was just going on looks to suggest which method of gardening was better - I'd have to go with the non-organic one. But that just doesn't feel right to me. The lettuce may look fantastic, but the fertiliser I've been putting on it to help it get there is not quite so appealing. It's bright blue! It looks like something you would find in the bottom of a plastic fish tank.   I can't imagine eating something that colour, but it's things like that that go into the food that I eat.

I have gone through stages of trying to eat only organic because I have read that it's better for me and I don't like the idea of putting chemicals in my body. But until I started this experiment, I didn't fully understand how the use of chemicals could actually make things that may not be good for you, look so good. It's amazing  how doing something yourself helps you to understand a concept.

That's why doing Inquiry-based activities are so good for kids' learning, I guess!