Seed Companies Safe from Monsanto Ties - Page 7

[FarmerCathy]

Originally Posted by cachet

To the OP--I received this comment on my blog and wanted to repost here for all reading. Perhaps you could consider removing that comment from the list as well.

This was from personal experience (others on here had a similar experience) and I'm pretty sure it was because they don't ship in bubble pack. I stored them the same way I stored all my other seeds and had almost 100% germination from my baker creek tomato seeds. I think Sacramento PO where all my mail comes from gets squished by some new process they started to use the last couple years. So always ask them to use bubble pack when shipping seeds to you. Several others on here had the same problem with their seeds. One packet of seeds I got had 0% germination. Treated them the same as all my other seeds. I know on their part its probably cheaper to send them without bubble pack. So, I will take this off and put on there to make sure to ask for bubble pack packaging to make sure of seed viability. Thanks for posting this.

[Raw Maven]

Is This Site Safe?

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

I love heirloom varieties and, it would seem, that an heirloom seed would be out of Monsanto's reach but, one never knows, does one?

Thank you.

Raw Maven

P. S. I've found that, there are times, when a small company does not realize it is buying for resale from Monsanto

[amandajean191]

I've had really good results from Seeds of Change. I had heirloom and standard regular size and cherry size tomatoes that grew fabulously... pretty much everything grew (with the exception of things that I put in poor lighting or am experimenting with and don't really know how to grow to their potential.)

[sowtrueseed]

Add us to the good seed list!

Sow True Seed, Asheville, NC We're a family owned business that sells only open-pollinated heirloom and organic vegetable, herb and flower seed.

Sow True Seed
146 Church St.
Asheville, NC 28801
828-254-0708
www.sowtrue.com

[FarmerCathy]

Originally Posted by sowtrueseed

Sow True Seed, Asheville, NC We're a family owned business that sells only open-pollinated heirloom and organic vegetable, herb and flower seed.

Sow True Seed
146 Church St.
Asheville, NC 28801
828-254-0708
www.sowtrue.com

Wow, great! I've seen your seeds here in Greensboro in the Earth Fare. I brought your info home, but haven't gotten around to looking at your site. Thanks for posting your info.

[MaJoie]

Johnny's has also signed the safe seed pledge according to their catalog. Thank you for this list.It has not only helped me avoid Monsanto supportive seed companies, but gave me several sources of locally grown seeds. I want to support local family farms as much as possible.

[FarmerCathy]

Originally Posted by MaJoie 

Johnny's has also signed the safe seed pledge according to their catalog. Thank you for this list.It has not only helped me avoid Monsanto supportive seed companies, but gave me several sources of locally grown seeds. I want to support local family farms as much as possible.

They do sell seeds though that they buy from Siminis that is owned by Monsanto, so they are still linked to Monsanto.  HTH :)

[swd12422]

Native Seeds/Search (www.nativeseeds.org) is a non-profit seed-saving operation in the Southwest. B/c of the nature of their focus, the selection is probably much more limited than other seed catalogs (for instance, I think they only have 2 or 3 varieties of tomato) but all are heirloom varieties native to the Southwest and Mexico. Since the terrain is so varied, many of the seeds do just fine in colder climates/higher elevations, so it's not just desert plants. They are very helpful there, and IMO a worthy cause, and they have lots of information and knowledge of what to plant when and where.

[wemoon]

I made the original post into a wiki here: http://www.mothering.com/community/wiki/non-monsanto-seed-companies

Anyone can go in an edit or add companies. Maybe even add your experience ordering through companies, what you love, don't love ect.

[FarmerCathy]

Very cool.

[sunnysandiegan]

Wow. I have been on MDC and poking around in this forum for a couple years and I just saw this thread now. I am thankful to have this information now!

[sunnysandiegan]

I clicked on every link in the original list and found all the seed companies local to me. YIPPEE!!!

I also grabbed my most recent batch of store-bought seeds and checked the company names. I buy mostly from a locally owned nursery. Right now, I have Botanical Interests, Livingston Seed Co, and Ferry-Morse. I won't be buying Ferry-Morse again because I don't want to support the French version of Monsanto anymore than I want to support Monsanto. Thanks for all this information!

Now, I am going to bookmark all the seed companies local to me in the original list. I have them all open in tabs.

[daisymommy]

Hi,

I have never had a garden before.  I'm kind of scared to death of the topic actually!  But I have decided to try the Square Foot Gardening Method this year.  With a list that long, how on Earth do I decide where to order catalogs from?  Should I order from a company local to me?  Does that matter?  How do I narrow down the field?

Thanks!

[FarmerCathy]

Originally Posted by daisymommy 

Hi,

I have never had a garden before.  I'm kind of scared to death of the topic actually!  But I have decided to try the Square Foot Gardening Method this year.  With a list that long, how on Earth do I decide where to order catalogs from?  Should I order from a company local to me?  Does that matter?  How do I narrow down the field?

Thanks!

I would try to find seed companies locally first.  I do love Baker Creek though.  :)

[lunarlady]

Does anyone know about Rocky Mountian Seed Company? I looked at their website, but can't tell if they have connections to Monsanto and/or if their seeds are GMO. They are local for me, and the price is right, so i would like to support them if they are good.

I tried Heirloom Acres Seeds last year. Ordered in February and didn't receive my stuff until June after disputing the payment through PayPal. Horrible germination and customer service. Bleh. Need to find something better this year!

[FarmerCathy]

Originally Posted by lunarlady 

Does anyone know about Rocky Mountian Seed Company? I looked at their website, but can't tell if they have connections to Monsanto and/or if their seeds are GMO. They are local for me, and the price is right, so i would like to support them if they are good.

I tried Heirloom Acres Seeds last year. Ordered in February and didn't receive my stuff until June after disputing the payment through PayPal. Horrible germination and customer service. Bleh. Need to find something better this year!

Here are the reviews I found on-line about them: http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/3429/

[mumm]

I'm going to ask a monsanto related but not necessarily seed related question here.  If this isn't the place just yell at me!

I too have tried to keep my seeds monsanto free.  But, why bother?  The small amount of seed purchased for individual use isn't even a drop in the bucket.  It is less.

Shouldn't the focus be on where the majority of our food comes from?  Even if I grow all our produce from June- October (which I don't)  and have 200lb of food set aside in October the vast majority of my family's food comes from......??  So I get stuff from the local farms.  Where do their seeds come from?  I get stuff from the grocery store from, I don't know where.  I don't know what the pigs are feed during the winter months at my local farm.  I buy raw milk at the local dairy, but what are the cows supplemented with during the grass free seasons?  I have my own chickens but I feed them store-bought grain that is grown ?somewhere? with who know what type of seeds, kwim?

To me that would have more of an impact, yet it feels so overwhelming.  Am I just lost here or are you able to track down where your food really comes from? 

[lunarlady]

I hear what you are saying about the level of impact, but we can all do what we can. If customers demand ethically produced seed, there will be a market for that and a living for people who are trying to run their small business in an ethical and environmentally friendly manner.

I grow much of my family's produce, but not all. I also buy a farm share (CSA) from a local organic farm. The meat I buy from them is fed with scrap food and corn grown on their farm. Since Montasamo does not allow seed saving, I figure I'm most likely getting veggies and meats that are raised according to my personal ethical beliefs. My milk comes from grass and hay fed cows.

That said, I do not know where the rest of my food is from. I do sometimes go to Kroger, or another big box store, and I'm certain that many of the products I purchase there are produced in ways I would not approve of. But I figure that millions of people taking small steps to do what they can sends a big message to big business about what people want.

[sunnysandiegan]

I do what I can and feel the same way as lunarlady. We have a farm share (CSA) and we buy what we can from organic local small businesses.

I also speak up and talk to others about these issues and ask for what I want at stores. In big box stores, I am probably wasting my time so I only do it when I have time to spare. In small stores, where I try to spend more time anyway, I feel my wishes/concerns are more often heard and taken seriously.

When more people speak up and use their dollars to voice their opinions, then change will occur. It takes time and education is really the key, IMO.

[swd12422]

I am just starting to grow our food, so I hear you, mumm...

I am lucky enough to have a local seed-saving organization right in my town. They have a pretty limited catalog, though, b/c we are in the desert southwest and they only save/sell seeds that are native to the area. What's great about this particular place (and IDK if there are others like it elsewhere) is that they also sell locally-made items that make terrific gifts. So this year, I shopped there for a large portion of my holiday gifts, and you know what? Several of my mainstream friends not only loved their gifts, but asked for details on the place and thought it was great. So now when two more people I know need gifts for someone, they will be shopping there and supporting the local seed-saving effort just by buying books or baskets or whatever. It IS a tiny drop in the bucket, but that's a few more dollars here and there that aren't being spent on plastic from China instead. And it's helping push the idea of thinking and acting locally.

As for big box stores, I was shocked to see local produce at Costco! I order from a CSA a couple of times a month, but during the holidays there was no delivery so I went to Costco for a few things. I saw tomatoes that looked amazing and bought them, and when I got them home I saw that they were from a farm in the next town. Since the info is on the package, I can call (if I want to) and ask about their farming practices. I know lots of the farms in the area welcome visitors and are proud to share their processes.

The tomatoes and other produce were a huge find for me, b/c our CSA claims to be "regional" but that means anywhere from local-in-town to any state in the West to Mexico and sometimes as far as Peru. That, to me, is NOT local! I find it sad that I can get more local produce in Costco than from my CSA....