The Four Steps Required to Keep Monsanto OUT of Your Garden Seed catalogs for the 2014 growing season are arriving in mailboxes across the Northern Hemisphere with home gardeners everywhere starting to plan which seeds they will sow in their spring gardens. A positive trend in recent years is the growing number of gardening enthusiasts choosing to plant gardens using organic and/or heirloom seeds. What most of these home gardeners don’t realize is that corporate behemoth and GMO titan Monsanto has been gobbling up the seed market faster than a caterpillar can munch a tomato plant! With one fell swoop in 2005, Monsanto grabbed approximately 40% of the US vegetable seed market with its acquisition of Seminis. This means that a home gardener could unknowingly be supporting the development and proliferation of genetically modified crops if the seeds used are from Seminis. Does this mean that even if you buy organic or heirloom seeds from a completely independent company some of your purchase might be supporting the bad guys? Yes, it does. Surprise!
Veseys Olga Suvorova Olga Suvorova "Olga Suvorova was born in St Petersburg in 1966 and studied monumental composition at the famous Repin Institute of Fine Arts in St Petersburg. She has been influenced by her parents, Igor and Natalya, both highly praised artists in St Petersburg. Other influences include Gustav Klimt, Piero della Francesca, and traditional Russian icons. Olga's talent was rewarded with a unique exhibition in the Institute in the spring of 1990; in 1993 she was awarded first prize for her year. Her paintings of the players in "Comedia de arte" have a haunting quality that sets her apart from the many young talented artists emerging from the Institute.
Sources for Buying Non-GMO Seeds One of the questions that I often get and have had myself for a while is where can you buy non-gmo seeds or seeds from companies that aren’t owned by Monsanto. Monsanto owns something like 90-95% of the seed companies out there. So the company might not be selling genetically engineered seeds, the money is still going into the pockets of Monsanto. I’m not down with that. Here are some seed companies that I’ve either worked with or have been highly recommended by others. SeedsNow.com A family owned operation right outside of Los Angeles, provides 100% non-gmo, open-pollinated and non-hybrid seeds. At SeedsNow.com, we are on a mission to help families and communities understand the importance of growing their own Organic/NON-GMO food – wherever they might live. UOG fans get 10% off their SeedsNow.com order just by using the code: URBAN10. Botanical Interests I also contacted, Botanical Interests to find out where they source their seeds from and their stance on genetically engineered seeds.
Family Farmers Seed Cooperative Natural Fertilizers for Citrus Trees Citrus trees are beneficial for gardeners--not only for the delicious harvest, but also for the shade, fragrance and splashes of color they provide. In order to produce top quality citrus fruit, these trees must be fertilized often and heavily with high levels of nitrogen. The most ideal time to fertilize citrus trees in frost free areas is in January, to encourage February blossoming. In areas where frost may occur until March, fertilize the trees after the last frost. Feed one- to two-year old trees every month, and older trees quarterly. Manure Manure not only refers to the fertile excrement that comes from animals after they eat plant matter, but also an addition of other materials mixed with the excrement. Blood Meal As one of the most prized single natural fertilizers available, blood meal, also called dried blood, is known for containing a quickly soluble form of every element that is needed for quality plant growth. Fish Emulsion
Owning It. Peddling a product that consumers can duplicate for free is a tricky business. With affordable consumer technology, you can now copy a song a hundred times, with no degradation in the sound quality—and most people seem to immediately recognize why that’s gonna make it harder to get paid for songs. But my first experiences with lossless, duplicable technology didn’t have anything to do with my career as a rapper. Seeds, quite obviously, are the mechanism of plant duplication. So if farmers can just save seeds from previous crops, why would they still buy them from seed companies? Monsanto is probably a familiar name to most readers. A lot of people are concerned about Monsanto. At these summer events, gardeners and naturalists traded heirloom seeds, which is perfectly legal because there’s no patent to infringe upon—it’s just a tomato. Monsanto seeds, as I mentioned, you’re not allowed to save. Both companies are employing similar strategies to respond to the challenge.
Great Vegetable Seeds from The Real Seed Catalogue Passionnante littérature!