With the coming of January, New England has finally had cold weather. It’s an excuse (like I needed one!) for an extra mug of java, burrowing down under my comforter, while holding my coffee mug in one hand and flipping through pages with the other. Cold weather means I make more time to read. While most days reading is code for researching, some days I get to imbibe in other options, like catalogs. The other day my friend mentioned she was going to snuggle under her quilt with her seed catalogs. January used to mean tax forms and seed catalogs in our mailbox. Today, gardeners can still rely on seed catalogs. They are a symbol of hope and mark the passage of seasons.
Going back several decades, selecting seeds to grow was fairly easy. Today, with growing “zones” in mind, many gardeners are concerned with “heirloom”, “hybrid” and “GMO”. These terms can be confusing. Hopefully, this primer is a useful start, but I also recommend searching out area experts, as they are knowledgeable in knowing what grows in your area, able to provide tips on fighting plant disease, unwelcome insects and importantly, which options are easiest to start. Case in point, a friend who was new to gardening, tried growing beets. Note, I said tried. Beets are not easy to grow. If you are a newbie, start with green beans, not beets. Green beans are friendlier and more versatile.
So let’s start with zones. Zones are regions determined geographically on plant hardiness based on temperatures. This is really important when considering growing any plant life. I know some gardeners have tried to grow plants not meant for their zones, and even I have been guilty of this. It most often does not end well and is not worth the effort. Ove the years, boundaries have changed. Don’t think this supports an argument for climate change, which is based on 50-100 year data. Zones are based on 30 years.
GMO stands for “genetically modified organisms”. They are not organic, nor support genetic diversity. There are heated discussions over the upsides and downsides of GMO seeds. I stick with companies with which I’ve gained confidence their seeds are reliable and not GMO. Growing non-GMO is a dedication to preserving and protecting a safe and genetically stable seed supply. If buying non-GMO is important to you, check seed companies for “The Safe Seed Pledge”. While it is not an infallible list, the companies who sign this pledge do not knowingly sell non-GMO seeds. The list includes companies from Europe, United States, and Canada. It is a voluntary pledge with the list of signers growing steadily since 2013. I suggest checking with www.highmowingseeds.com/the-safe-seed-pledge.html for more information.
“Heirloom” sounds as nice as it is. The taste and quality is beyond compare. Heirloom traits are based on age, pollination and quality. They are almost all open-pollinated, which means they are pollinated by the wind, birds, and insects. Some experts say they are those varieties grown before 1950, when hybrids were introduced. Heirlooms support genetic diversity. They are essential to protecting our food supply. This is important, because if we only grow a few crop varieties and they get wiped out by drought or disease, what do you have left? Nothing to eat, that’s what! This is what happened with the Irish Potato Famine and the Gros Michel banana.
Heirlooms help the farming economy. To be assured of a variety and preserve lineage, you have to have a market for variety. This means eaters need to eat varieties of fruits and vegetables. This can be of benefit nutritionally, as well, and can also add a bit of food adventure with lots of textures and colors. You aren’t likely to find them in grocery stores. Your best bet is growing your own, donations from friends, or farmer’s markets.
Hybrids are cross-pollinated using two parent plants. Generally, the ones you find in catalogs are grown from a controlled process, but this happens in nature, as well. They are formed from different, but related plants. Hybrids can better stand disease, insect attack and be adapted to climate change. However, you don’t preserve the initial parent. In just the first generation, you may not have preserved the trait you wished. Over the course of several generations, you have created an entirely different plant.
I recommend buying from local growers and seed savers. Note SNAP benefits can be used for seed and edible plant purchases.
Hi Lillian,
Thanks for inviting me to your page; I can see you know a lot about home gardening! My mom actually just bought a plot in a community garden a few months ago to start growing her own produce and she has absolutely loved it! She’s growing broccoli, onions, cilantro, parsley, and several kinds of lettuce. I must say, when I was home for Christmas I really enjoyed the homemade salads we had!
My experience is in row crop production with Monsanto on the commercial scale – soybeans to be exact. I can see that heirloom seeds are definitely beneficial and are surely a great option to consider when home gardeners are choosing what seeds to grow! However, just like home gardeners have to consider zones and what seeds will work best for their given situations, farmers have to make their choices based off maturity groups that will perform in their location and what’s best for their business.
I think our differences of opinion on Twitter last night simply stemmed from our different perspectives and fields of work. Home gardeners don’t experience the same hurdles that commercial farmers who are growing thousands of acres of crops do, so their seed and management choices differ greatly. For the most part, there’s no real need for hobby gardeners like my mom to have GMO technology and likewise, heirloom varieties of row-crops wouldn’t perform as well for farmers in commercial production conditions. There are so many seed choices for all types of gardeners and farmers and I don’t think any one is inherently better than the other – it just depends on what works best for the individual.
I appreciate you sharing your insight and information with me! I’ve sent a link of your site to my mom because I think she would be interested in some of your other posts as well! If you have any questions about the work I do in large scale farming, feel free to ask.
Hi Hannah,
I do think you missed the point of this particular post. It actually wasn’t specifically about gardens, but about the differences in seeds relative to GMO, heirloom and heritage. I do grow and process food for my family, as well as buy from farmer’s markets, and grew up surrounded by farms. At that time most everyone grew their own food.
I actually work a great deal with farmers – locally, nationally and internationally. It is one part of my career. I know a great deal about GMO’s, specifically, Monsanto. I was instrumental in passing the Maine GMO labeling bill and consulted on the VT bill. The Maine bill is weak and presently under re-advisement, but it was a step. I wanted a stronger one. Patience. We differed the other evening on GMO’s. A year ago I spent four months with farmers in DE who raise GMO corn and soy. Their idea of crop rotation is growing corn one year and soy the next, in alternate fields, with little resting of the fields.
No, home gardeners generally don’t have need for GMO seeds. The main issue here is GMOs lack diversity. Diversity is essential for the welfare of balance in nature. If non-GMO gardeners like your mom, live near those who do grow GMO, they are at risk of having their crops contaminated, however, by those who do grow GMO crops.Are you aware that their are organic gardeners that grow food for entire communities, out of the goodness of their heart, and yet have had those gardens contaminated. Funny thing about that situation. While they cannot sue Monsanto for contamination of THEIR seeds nor for overspray of pesticides, Monsanto can sue them for growing GMO seeds without permission. I happen to think that’s ethically wrong. When someone buys Monsanto products, they are supporting that situation.Do you think it’s fair that you can make a profit with GMO seeds and someone else’s livelihood is ruined by cross-pollination by GMO seeds or Roundup and they have no recourse?
Often those farmers who grow GMO crops (and the options are becoming more numerous, as I’m sure you are aware), are interested in profit and give little thought to people or environment. It’s fine to want to make a profit, that’s why we develop a business. The thing is we grow PLENTY of food to feed the world and we don’t need GMO crops to make that happen. In the US alone we throw away enough food to more than feed the hungry. There are many alternatives to growing crops that thwart insects ruination as well as blight (potatoes) without genetic-editing or GMO seeds.
I’m sure you know most of this and choose to grow GMO anyway. My choice is not to support GMO’s pertaining to food and the climate (pesticide runoff that contaminates groundwater, streams, and rivers – ultimately the ocean) That doesn’t mean I am across the board against biotechnology. My son is a biotechnologist and working largely with bacteria and genes.
So thanks for the share. Although, I suspect your mother knows the difference of the various types of seeds. Glad you can enjoy and appreciate her love of providing fresh food. Do you know why she goes through so much effort?
You grow commercial soy. You might consider why a growing number of people are needing to avoid soy. Myself for instance. It’s the process, not “soy”. That’s why 62 countries other than the US have banned GMO’s from their countries and/or require labeling.
By the way, I have no issue with differing opinions. That’s how learning happens. I sincerely appreciate you responding. Here AND on twitter. 🙂 Overall, farming and fishing is not easy and should be better appreciated. Making sure that happens, is a piece of what I do. And I’m really good at it. Saying I love my farmers and fishers aren’t just words to me. I live them.