Thursday, February 5, 2009

Why choosing where you buy your seeds matters

Hello, hello!

It's garden-dreaming, seed-buying, row-sketching, and early planting time! If you haven't already bought your seeds, let me encourage you to read this article. It's very important to support the good guys when it comes to where your seed dollars go. Our food supply has been forced into exponential reduction in richness, quality, and diversity by a few, huge, deep-pocketed members of the agribusiness industry. At one point there were thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of varieties of vegetables and flowers. Now, most people are offered a few types which are largely specialized and barren hybrids, incapable of reproducing on their own. Instead of being able to save the seeds from these plants growers have to buy new seeds and plants each year. It makes great fiscal sense for the devious minds and moneyholders involved. It gives the average farmer the shaft, not to mention the dangerous ramifications involved when some of these seeds are genetically modified to produce their own pesticide or resist certain herbicides (which we're subsidizing, by the way). If you buy your seeds at your local garden center, chances are you're supporting that ecological genocide.

Diversity = complexity = richness = safety. You can find a treasure trove of gorgeous, safe, open-pollinated (ie "savable") seed stock from such modern seed heroes as Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, The Seed Savers Exchange, Seeds of Change, Native Seeds, Pinetree, and the Sand Hill Preservation Center. Do you know of other good companies you'd recommend?

Please read the article and be thoughtful when you make your purchases. There are waaaaaaaaayyyyyyy better tomatoes than Better Boy and Early Girl. Go grow some heirlooms or open-pollinated varities and give Monsanto et al. the big, fat financial finger!

5 comments:

Peak Oil Hausfrau said...

Great point! I read an article recently about how Monsanto and other behemoths are trying to buy out the "seed cleaners" that work for the few remaining seed savers left so that they will have NO CHOICE but to buy from the industrial system. Then they would, basically, completely control our food supply.

Lewru said...

Those jerks! I can't believe such a giant act of financial tyranny is happening beneath our very noses. How come it doesn't violate anti-trust law?

Bee said...

Augh...I didn't read the article before I ordered my seeds. I will say though that I've tried a couple of time with Seeds of Change and not had great luck with them. =(

It's kind of depressing that we have to think this much about planting a garden. Oh to be back in the time of my grandmother who had the BEST garden ever!

Lewru said...

I had some trouble with one packet of Seeds of Change seeds. I don't know if it was the seed or just me or the soil or what!

And yes, it's depressing and it seems like a truly evil scheme...

Nonetheless, I'm sure your garden will be another success and you can think about other seed sources next time. I can't wait to see your beautiful garden pics again!

Unknown said...

Heidi, this is the info I need. After the bar I"m gonna clear out a couple of sections of earth in my tiny court yard and plant some seed. I was unsure where I could find a reputable seed guy.

Thanks!