Monsanto seeds

Is anyone concerned about the use of Monsanto seeds? I usually do not plant seeds but was not sure where to get them if I did. A little help?

Thanks

Monsanto owns Seminis Seeds

GMO seed is under tight control, difficult to get if you are not approved by Monsanto BUT everytime you buy garden seed owned by Monsanto's seed company you are putting money into their pocket.

They own the beloved Packman broccoli, Marketmore 76 cucumbers, Big Boy, Burpee's Better Boy and Patio Tomatoes.

It is really easy to avoid them.

What is difficult is not buying products that are GMO made. Just about anything with corn, beet sugar (cane sugar coming soon), soy and wheat are nearly, without much risk of exaggerating, all made with GMO produce. There is no reason to use GMO in organic food because the whole reason for growing organic is NOT using the real Monsanto money maker, Round-up. You are about 75% safe if you just buy organic..... and anything else I have to say should probably go on the private page.

Just a reminder: hybrid seeds are not the same as GMO seeds.

Wasn't there a list on the forum of organic seed sources?

Thanks for the info. I have the No GMO app and know about food products but am now researching plants. I am trying to not "put any money into Monsanto's pocket."

hjfulg wrote:Thanks for the info. I have the No GMO app and know about food products but am now researching plants. I am trying to not "put any money into Monsanto's pocket."

I also have chosen the "no money to biotech" road.

At this moment the most difficult to obtain home garden seed that has not been tainted is corn. Because it is wind pollinated a massive amount of the seed crop has been cross pollinated by the GMO corn, or derived from plants that were. Yes sweet corn is affected. Popcorn is not, and as I understand it there is something about Hopi Blue that prevents it from cross pollinating. Some of the very early and very late varieties are less likely to be contaminated. Testing is the only way to be sure, and I know of exactly one company that actually tests their corn seed stock.

Other than corn there are few other seeds you would worry about actually carrying the gene in a home garden, save perhaps soy.

So far as other seed and products that may be paying these companies, I do mourn the loss of Burpee, and Semanis being acquired makes things difficult. I have elected to plant almost entirely heirlooms and old hybrids whose patents have run out, buying my seed from smallish independent places, and saving and swapping. I have not had the problems with pests and disease that so many people warn about. YMMV, and I suspect that in a varied home garden that is responsibly tended those problems are not so common save in years when an entire region is affected.
Being as the biotech places now seem to own most of the companies that put out home gardening chemicals, I am gardening mostly organically. It is easy enough to mix up some simple and useful anti things safely at home, bordeux mixture, as an antifungal for example, and there are a gracious plenty safe home remedies to use on insect pests. The iron phosphate pellets that I use for slugs are about the only thing I actually buy outright anymore.

Thank you for all of this information everyone. I had no idea that Burpee is now controlled by Monsanto. Sigh. I planted several seeds from Burpee... I'm not a happy camper at the moment.

NightMist, what is the bordeux mixture ? I have never heard of it. I've been using a neem oil and liquid soap mixture with great success. But, of course, I'd like to use anything organic that is effective.

Be careful of "information" on the internet.

http://www.burpee.com/gygg/content.jsp?contentId=about-burpee-seeds

If you follow the Seminis link from Lavender Deb, it will show you what companies do business with Seminis. I didn't see Burpee's name on any of the lists.

Since GMO crops tend to pass on their "taint", it's going to become more difficult to get "GMO free" seeds for any of the crops that are GMOs. That might sound defeatist, but there are plenty of things to eat that aren't also a GMO product.

Have any countries banned Monsanto and GMO seeds. We may have to import our seeds to stay GMO free.

Kay

Windmere wrote:Thank you for all of this information everyone. I had no idea that Burpee is now controlled by Monsanto. Sigh. I planted several seeds from Burpee... I'm not a happy camper at the moment.

NightMist, what is the bordeux mixture ? I have never heard of it. I've been using a neem oil and liquid soap mixture with great success. But, of course, I'd like to use anything organic that is effective.

In Mel's book garden answers there are numerous home made remedies

This is the recipe I have from a 52 yr old English gardening book .

It's not organic far from it but it is a very effective fungicide to prevent diseases of a fungal origin .

5 oz hydrated lime , 7 oz copper sulphate dissolved in warm water taken from 5 gallons Imperial gallons of water in a wooden or plastic container , don't use a metal one.
Then stir the solution into the remaining water in a plastic or wooden container with a clean stick

Perhaps turn it into grams and litres for smaller easier to calculate amounts.

Plantoid, I was hoping you'd answer Kay's question in the post right above yours.

I think that GMO plants were kicked out of Europe maybe 10 years ago, but Monsanto is still trying to get the door open, and I've heard that they're making some progress.

Is that pretty close to what's going on?

There's a big hoo har over here , our government paid scientists against university funded ones or those funded by the likes of PEW .
Our government scientists are saying no proveable problems yet found , those against are quoting all sorts of pseudo science as far as I can see .

I understand that there are crops in the ground that are GM , but wether they are monsato / round up associated I don't know .
I can't remember the correct name .. Nicotinoids ??? It's just crossed my mind that it is these type of insect resisting GM plants that are in the ground . These are being blamed for bee losses but Hungry also uses them has a great dependency on bees 7 hiney inits GDP yet does not suffer such bee losses , kind of disproving things from the outset .

I've not used up half of my life trying to find out either ..yet ..... but as my birth certificate starts to run out faster I might .

Unmutual wrote:Be careful of "information" on the internet.

http://www.burpee.com/gygg/content.jsp?contentId=about-burpee-seeds

If you follow the Seminis link from Lavender Deb, it will show you what companies do business with Seminis. I didn't see Burpee's name on any of the lists.

Since GMO crops tend to pass on their "taint", it's going to become more difficult to get "GMO free" seeds for any of the crops that are GMOs. That might sound defeatist, but there are plenty of things to eat that aren't also a GMO product.

It is so hard to understand the Burpee/Monsanto/Seminis relationship. I read about it on the Burpee website. It was buried in an article denying GMO seed. It was about folks with ideas, working for Burpee, Seminis, then maybe Burpee again. It's more of a reputation issue, with some greed mixed in for good measure.
Jo

]

Windmere wrote:

In Mel's book garden answers there are numerous home made remedies

This is the recipe I have
5 oz hydrated lime , 7 oz copper sulphate dissolved in warm water taken from 5 gaallons Imperial gallons of water then stir into the remaining water with a clean stick

Perhaps turn it into grams and litres for smaller easier to calculate amounts.

That is the stuff, I am not sure it qualifies as organic, but it is effective.
I live in grape country so it is the first thing anyone thinks of for fungal problems.

As for Burpee, I had been involved in a conversation about them some years ago and had been informed that Mr. Ball had sold up, though he was still running the place. I recalled researching this and finding it true. Now however it seems there is not a scrap of evidence to support this. So apparently they are not connected to anyone I refuse to do business with. I'm still not especially keen on them because of poor germination rates I got from their seed for a few years running prior to that conversation, but perhaps I will give them another shot when I buy seed for next year. There is no question that the company developed some fine varieties during their first century.

Here is are a couple of links to information about GMO

http://gmoinside.org/about/

and

http://justlabelit.org/

hjfulg wrote:Thanks for the info. I have the No GMO app and know about food products but am now researching plants. I am trying to not "put any money into Monsanto's pocket."

Here is a new app that may be helpful.
Here is the thread that has a list of seed companies.

camprn wrote:...Here is the thread that has a list of seed companies.

Thanks, camp, I think that's the list I was thinking of. But it doesn't say anywhere in the post if they are organic. Do we know?

I think the reader will have to do their own research on that.

I haven't had a chance to read the articles but I bought a lot of Burpee organic seeds this year. Is the consensus for or against Burpee having GMO tainted seeds. I am not trying to be lazy, I just over did yard stuff and should have been wearing my ankle brace.

Windmere wrote:Thank you for all of this information everyone. I had no idea that Burpee is now controlled by Monsanto. Sigh. I planted several seeds from Burpee... I'm not a happy camper at the moment.

NightMist, what is the bordeux mixture ? I have never heard of it. I've been using a neem oil and liquid soap mixture with great success. But, of course, I'd like to use anything organic that is effective.

Just FYI Burpee is NOT owned by Monsanto nor do they sell GMO seeds. From their page:



Burpee, GMO And Monsanto Rumors Put To Rest
By George Ball - Burpee Chairman and CEO

I and others at Burpee are asked occassionally about our alleged connection to Monsanto and whether we sell GMO seed. We have even been accused of being owned by Monsanto on the Internet. I’ve decided to address these questions and false allegations formally with the hopes that someone out there in cyberspace may refer back to this post for information on these issues—straight from the source.

For the record, I own W. Atlee Burpee & Co. Burpee is NOT owned by Monsanto. We do purchase a small number of seeds from the garden seed department of Seminis, a Monsanto subsidiary, and so do our biggest competitors. We do NOT sell GMO seed, never have in the past, and will not sell it in the future. ...

Chopper thank you so much for posting about Burpee! I have always felt Burpee is a high quality seed company!

Chopper wrote:

Windmere wrote:Thank you for all of this information everyone. I had no idea that Burpee is now controlled by Monsanto. Sigh. I planted several seeds from Burpee... I'm not a happy camper at the moment.

NightMist, what is the bordeux mixture ? I have never heard of it. I've been using a neem oil and liquid soap mixture with great success. But, of course, I'd like to use anything organic that is effective.

Just FYI Burpee is NOT owned by Monsanto nor do they sell GMO seeds. From their page:



Burpee, GMO And Monsanto Rumors Put To Rest
By George Ball - Burpee Chairman and CEO

I and others at Burpee are asked occassionally about our alleged connection to Monsanto and whether we sell GMO seed. We have even been accused of being owned by Monsanto on the Internet. I’ve decided to address these questions and false allegations formally with the hopes that someone out there in cyberspace may refer back to this post for information on these issues—straight from the source.

For the record, I own W. Atlee Burpee & Co. Burpee is NOT owned by Monsanto. We do purchase a small number of seeds from the garden seed department of Seminis, a Monsanto subsidiary, and so do our biggest competitors. We do NOT sell GMO seed, never have in the past, and will not sell it in the future. ...

the last paragraph... I wonder what they do with those seeds, if they don't sell them? If they grow plants from them and then sell those seeds, it's the same thing (and I didn't think they were allowed to do that with Monsanto seeds). Personally, I want nothing to do with any seed that comes from a company that even remotely has anything to do with Monsanto. I do not trust Monsanto, or their motives.

jazzycat wrote: I wonder what they do with those seeds, if they don't sell them? If they grow plants from them and then sell those seeds, it's the same thing (and I didn't think they were allowed to do that with Monsanto seeds). Personally, I want nothing to do with any seed that comes from a company that even remotely has anything to do with Monsanto. I do not trust Monsanto, or their motives.

Burpee does not buy or sell GMO seed. They sell heirloom seed (like Marketmore 76 cucumber) and highbred seed (like Burpee's Better Boy Tomato). The plant patents for those named heirlooms and highbreds are owned by Seminis Seed company which is owned by Monsanto. When you buy seeds that are owned by Seminis..... no matter who you send your money to (like Burpee, who is NOT owned by Seminis or Monsanto), you are putting money in Monsanto's pocket. It is like buying Del Monty canned pineapple from Safeway. Del Monty is making money even though you shop at Safeway.

It is still nearly impossible for a home gardener to get GMO seed. If in doubt, go buy yourself a jug of Monsanto's main money maker, Round-up weed killer. Spray it on your plants. If they not only survive, but thrive, then you can convince me you have GMO seed. The whole point of GMO is to survive shots of Round-up.

There are no patents on heirloom seeds... that's what heirloom means.

No one owns the old seed varieties. Anyone at all can grow the fruit, process the seeds and then sell them to whoever wants to buy them. No money goes to anyone else.

Drix, It's not as simple as that. I believe there is a patent on a tomato that has a trademark name 'Heirloom', which doesn't make it an heirloom tomato, but they do have the word trademarked in relation to their tomato.

http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/02/forewarned-is-forearmed-veggie-varieties-owned-by-monsanto/

READ THIS BLOG POST!

http://suburbanvegetablegardening.com/gmo-and-the-gardener-should-we-be-afraid/
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Hybrid seed is not GMO. Semenis grows all kinds of seed. I do not trust Monsanto but the ways I can think of to push them toward what I want is to avoid their GMO seed products and buy some normal seed from Semenis.

A little aside about hybrid seed. I have mentioned before about a local seed grower seller here in my valley. They have been here for around a100 years now. The old man developed a hybrid tomato by crossing 2 of his OP varieties. He taught his niece how to do the hybridizing when he got to old and shaky to be a pollinator. During financial hard times she sold that tomato hybrid. Now a company that is frankly more professional and consistently better at it is continuing that hybrid tomato. And she used the money to improve her own operation. The down side on this story is that the company she sold it too has now discontinued the seed. But she is still raising, as are other growers, the varieties it was crossed from so the possibility is still there. It is like a recipe,,,,