Guest post by Sarah from Renaissance Mama!
Did you know that the majority of seeds on the market today are actually genetically modified? They have been modified to grow faster, produce more, and… only be used once. More on that later.
Personally, I’m suspicious of genetically modified foods. That’s not the point of this post, so I won’t spend any more time there, but if the idea that our food is genetically modified is new to you, I encourage you to look into it. Science can be really helpful – and cool!, but messing with genetics can wreak havoc on our bodies.
Because of the genetic modification, more and more gardeners are turning to heirloom seeds for their planting needs. Heirloom seeds are seeds that have not been genetically modified. I’m a fan of heirloom seeds for several reasons. First, I try not to eat genetically modified foods from the store, so why would I want to grow them?
Second, most seeds that have been genetically modified can’t be reused. You plant them once, and then you’re done. If you save your seeds that the plants produce to use again next year, you’ve sadly wasted your energy. They won’t grow and you will need to buy new ones. I think this is a dirty ploy by the seed companies to get you to spend more money by buying new seeds each year. And since one reason to garden is to save money, cutting down on seed costs helps a lot!
Third, we are quickly losing our variety in plants. Have you noticed that we really don’t have that many choices in varieties of seeds from the store? Check out this graphic from National Geographic:
In only 80 years, we have lost 93% of our food variety. No wonder I feel like I eat the same thing over and over again! 🙂
Where To Find Heirloom Seeds
Since heirloom seeds are growing in popurlarity, they are becoming easier to find. Many gardening stores carry them, and you can often get special rates by ordering them online. You *may* even be able to find them at Walmart!
A few of the companies that are recommended often are Tomato Growers Supply, Sand Hill Preservation Center, Marianna’s Heirloom Tomatoes, Victory Seed Company, and Baker Creek.
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Sarah graduated from Baylor with a major in bioinformatics and is now making that degree work hard by raising her two kiddos and keeping her husband relatively well fed. In her quieter moments, she can be found enjoying a homemade chai latte and reading on her Nook. You can also find her over at Renaissance Mama, on Facebook, and on Twitter! |
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