In search of heirloom seeds

Howdy Dimondalebergs.

The saying about gmo being more productive than heirlooms is vastly generalized.

Main thing is, with gmo things all patented up by a company that hires lawyers and buys politicians, you don't get to save seed from them, and if you do, you''d be likely to have a whole world of lawyers against you. Generally gardeners are opposed to that kind of thing, but a few seem to like it. Those who don't mind having roundup by products to feed their kids.

Anyway, heirlooms are a great way to go. Those seed companies mentioned already are good for sure.

Another one is Bountiful Gardens. They do a lot of selections for growing under organic conditions, so generally their varieties carry pretty good resistance to disease and pests.
 
@marshallsmyth is right on the money - GMOs are backed by big companies with lots of advertising $ and big profits (over anything else) in mind. They often need chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides to yield well. Talk about chemical dependence!

Heirlooms just have us! And often a proud history, good productivity, disease resistance, and great taste. They may require a bit more work, but you will not only be feeding your family good food - you will be helping preserve and pass along our garden heritage.

It's a seedy business, but someone has to do it! Welcome aboard!
 
Dimondalebergs,

Here is that list of seed sources that So Lucky mentioned, I've just expanded it! Some companies are based in Canada but will ship to the U.S. (Double check on that.) The Koanga Institute is actually based in New Zealand but will ship to "foreign" countries, just thought that some of you may be interested. Most companies that I listed are based in the U.S. some are actually pretty darn close; The Secret Seed Cartel is actually pretty close to me (Ohio), Happy Cat is based in Pennsylvania, and Sandhill is based in Iowa. This is great for us because much of there seeds have been grown in this good ole midwestern soil of ours for multiple generations - they're adapted to our growing conditions in general and seed bought from those companies may do better than seed bought from, let's say - the southwest. A few of the companies like Cultivariable Seeds are really just website for the odd stuff, I've added them anyway.

So here's the list, the seed companies are in no particular order. Take your time, this list is long! (The list being long doesn't mean that these are all of the seed companies out there - there are many more!) If a link doesn't work for you, copy and paste it into your web browser.

http://www.adaptiveseeds.com/ - Adaptive Seeds

http://www.rareseeds.com/ - Baker Creek

http://www.victoryseeds.com/ - Victory Seeds

http://www.uprisingorganics.com/ - Uprising Organics

http://www.southernexposure.com/ - Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

http://www.seedsavers.org/ - Seed Saver’s Exchange

http://shop.nativeseeds.org/pages/seeds - Native Seed

http://www.mypatriotsupply.com/ - My Patriot Supply

http://www.azuredandelion.com/ - Azure Dandelion

http://www.newhopeseed.com/vegetable.html - New Hope Seed

http://www.landrethseeds.com/ D. Landreth Seed

http://www.stclareseeds.com/ - St. Clare Seeds

http://www.highmowingseeds.com/ - High Mowing

http://www.heirlooms.org/ - Sustainable Mountain Ag. Center

http://wrightsheirlooms.com/Home.html - Wrights Heirlooms

http://www.fedcoseeds.com/ - Fedco

http://www.seedsofchange.com/ - Seeds Of Change

http://www.reneesgarden.com/ - Renee’s

http://irisheyesgardenseeds.com/ - Irish Eye’s Garden Seed

http://www.hopeseed.com/home - Hope Seed

http://www.kitchengardenseeds.com/ - Kitchen Garden Seeds

http://www.bountifulgardens.org/ - Bountiful Gardens

http://www.shop.tomatobob.com – Tomatobob

http://www.hopeseed.com/ordering-info - Hope Seeds

http://www.kitazawaseed.com/index.html - Kitazawa Seed

http://www.secret-seedcartel.com/index.asp - Secret - Seed Cartel

http://store.happycatorganics.com/ - Happy Cat

http://doublehelixfarms.com/ - Double Helix Farms

http://www.sevenacreseeds.com/main.sc - Seven Acre Seeds

http://www.bountifulgardens.org/Vegetables/departments/1/ - Bountiful Gardens

http://www.cottagegardener.com/ - The Cottage Gardener

http://www.sampleseeds.com/?page_id=75 – Sample Seed Shop

http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/catalog/seed_menu.html - Sandhill Preservation Center

http://www.backyardbeansandgrains.com/ - Backyard Beans & Grain Project

http://www.amishlandseeds.com – Amishland

http://koanga.org.nz/shop/ - Koanga Institute

http://www.cultivariable.com/ - Cultivariable Seeds

http://sherckseeds.com/pages/seeds/ - Sherck's Seeds
 
Great thread - I learned a lot too! I have never saved seeds in the past but after reading a blog post a few days ago, I was thinking this year I might try to save seeds. In the blog post, the blogger saves seeds from every single veggie she cuts up. After cooking and eating, if it was a particularly good specimen, she labels the seeds to be used for sowing in the following season. If the veggie was a so-so specimen, the saved seeds are fed to the chickens. That way she is perpetually trying to "better" her yield in subsequent years. Sounds like a good plan, though would require discipline and organization.
 
Welcome DimondaleBergs! Glad to have you join us. Can't wait to hear more about you and getting to know you. I can't really help you as to which to choose. I would just recommend to plant whatever your heart desires. I hope you have a great gardening season.

Mary
 
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