The Safe Seed Pledge

 

 

Time to plan my garden for this year. As always we will have lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, squash, onions and of course my beloved kale. There is a corner just for herbs, and another spot is reserved for some newcomers, that we just have to try.

I have a garden because I prefer to know what I am eating. I like organic food. No GMO in our house -Monsanto can kiss me where the sun doesn’t shine.

Years ago, I just went to a garden center or a home improvement store, and there I bought uncontrolled everything they offered. Black tomatoes…never heard of it, had to give it a try. And how much fun was the tomato-potato plant? Tomatoes during the summer time, forgotten potatoes in fall, that we only found by accident when we ripped the plants out.

Times have changed. We are older, we have some health issues, and nowadays I want to know what I am eating. I prefer organic, GMO-free food. No MSG’s, hardly any produced food, even our meat comes from a farm close by.

Homegrown organic vegetables start with GMO-free seeds:

Safe Seed Pledge

Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners, and consumers who want an alternative,

We pledge that we do not knowingly buy, sell, or trade genetically-engineered seeds or plants.

ThGMO-freeical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families, or kingdoms, poses great biological risks as well as economic, political, and cultural threats. We feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release. More research and testing are necessary to further assess the potential risks of genetically-engineered seeds. Further, we wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems, and ultimately healthy people and communities.

In 1999, a group of seed companies got together and they wrote a pledge. The pledge and the list of the businesses that signed so far can be found >>>here<<<at the GRC (Council for Responsible Genetics).

It is a voluntary pledge, companies may take, if they wish to be recognized by the consuming public as a company, who sells non-genetically modified organism (GMO) seeds. Seed companies all over the world have joined.

Before you order or buy plants for your garden, make sure that you really get the healthy organic plants and seeds you are looking for. Even the small family-owned little garden center right around the corner has heard of the “Safe Seed Pledge”  and most likely has even signed it. Ask questions. Order from the Seed Exchange or similar places that will guarantee you seeds and plants that haven’t been modified.

And while you are at, don’t just ask about the seeds, ask about the soil they are using as well. Come to find out that Monsanto, the company that blessed us with all the GMO seeds, to begin with, is in bed with Miracle Grow -what might explain the miraculous growth we get when using their products. What good does it do, if you buy an organic plant when you let it grow in soil that contains chemicals and pesticides.

Same goes for the seed starter kids with compressed soil. DON’T even think about it. Use egg cartons or empty toilet paper rolls, fill it up with healthy soil and voila, there is your homemade seed starter kit.

Organic plants, in the right soil, fertilized with organic products. That should be your garden!