Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Four Steps Required to Keep Monsanto OUT of Your Garden


The Four Steps Required to Keep Monsanto OUT of Your Garden

by Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist on January 23, 2013
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Seed catalogs are starting to arrive 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 seed companies faster than a caterpillar can munch a tomato plant!

This means that a home gardener could purchase organic and/or heirloom seeds and unknowingly be supporting the development and proliferation of genetically modified crops because Monsanto now owns many of the names of the seeds themselves!
Planting a sustainable home garden is much more than just choosing certified organic seeds and seedlings because Monsanto has cleverly positioned itself to make money off the home gardening trend whenever and wherever the seeds whose names they own are purchased.
Does this mean that even if you buy organic or heirloom seeds from a completely independent company but Monsanto owns the name of that seed, some of your purchase is going into the pockets of the bad guys?
Yes, it does.
Surprise!
In addition, Monsanto has quietly been gobbling up many of the organic seed companies so home gardeners would do well to bone up on where to purchase their seeds so they aren’t inadvertently doing business with companies that maintain a working relationship with Monsanto-Seminis or were acquired by them.
My friend Beth in Minnesota, an avid food researcher, has been digging around to figure out the best ways to buy seeds and seedlings for your home garden without one red cent going to Monsanto.

Buying Organic or Heirloom Seeds Without Supporting Monsanto

Beth has done her very best to make sure the information she has uncovered is current and pertinent with updated listings for the 2013 growing season.  Here are the steps she recommends for those who want to truly strike a blow for sustainability in every way with their home gardens:
  1. Avoid buying from the seed companies Monsanto has devoured. Here’s a list of the seed companies they bought out: http://www.seminis.com/global/us/products/Pages/Home-Garden.aspx
  2. Buy from this list of companies Monsanto HASN’T bought:  http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/03/06/monsanto-free-seed-companies/
  3. Avoid certain heirloom varieties because Monsanto now owns the names of these seeds.  A short article explaining this issue: http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/03/17/monsanto-owned-seednames/
  4. Ask seed companies if they have taken the Safe Seed Pledge.  Here’s a list of companies that have done so:  http://www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org/ViewPage.aspx?pageId=261

More Background on Monsanto’s Quest for World Seed Domination

Monsanto’s corporate quest is clearly to make money on each and every one of us whether we choose to eat supermarket frankenfoods produced with abominable, patented GM crops or carefully plant and tend an organic garden at home.  Here’s some background information on the subject you may find interesting as well as enlightening:
http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/02/forewarned-is-forearmed-veggie-varieties-owned-by-monsanto/
http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/02/keep-monsanto-out-of-your-veggie-patch/
http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/keep-monsanto-out-of-your-garden-this-spring.html
If you are a home gardener and have information to contribute regarding these steps, please add to the discussion in the comments section.  Also, please spread the word via gardening forums you may participate in that folks need to be very careful when seed sourcing for their spring gardens this year else they might be unknowingly supporting Monsanto.
Let’s make this the year when Monsanto’s grip on the worldwide seed market loosens and the movement to seed sustainability gains momentum!

Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
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{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
Shana Mc via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 12:37 pm
Charlotte Lee via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 12:38 pm
seeds of change was actually bought :( no longer the original company.
Maria Walton Jones via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 12:39 pm
What do you know about Jung?
Audrey January 24, 2013 at 11:48 am
Lisa January 24, 2013 at 12:42 pm
I order from Jung. They had a note on an e-mail recently that they are NOT owned by Monsanto.
Dick Zondag,
President & Owner of
J. W. Jung Seed Co.
Dear Lisa Brinker ,
It has come to my attention that there have been blogs and websites stating that J. W. Jung Seed Company is owned by Monsanto. This is not true. We are being confused with a farm seed company by the name of Jung Seed Genetics that is owned by Monsanto, but there is no affiliation between us.
A little company history may be helpful in clearing up the confusion. J. W. Jung Seed Company and its garden centers are still family owned and operated. My name is Dick Zondag and my grandfather, J. W. Jung, started the business here in Randolph over 106 years ago. For a number of years the Jung family operated both a home garden company known as J. W. Jung Seed Company and a farm seed company called Jung Farms. Over 15 years ago, the 2 companies split, with the Seed Company becoming solely owned by the Zondag family (my mother was J. W. Jung’s daughter). Jung Farms became solely owned by my uncle and cousin, the name was changed to Jung Seed Genetics and several years ago they sold this farm seed company to Monsanto.
1-800-247-5864
M-F 7:30am-5:30pm CST
Please add specials@jungseed.com to your address book or safe senders list. If you wish to unsubscribe, please follow the link at the top or bottom of this email.
Quick Links
• Digital Catalog
• Gift Certificates
• Account Sign-up
• Web Specials
J. W. Jung Seed Company has been independent and family owned and operated since its beginnings in 1907. There is no desire to sell it to another company. In fact, my son Nathan has been working here for the last 5 years and is in training to take over upon my retirement, but I have no desire to sell the company my grandfather started in his mother’s kitchen. We have added additional niche-type catalog titles over the years to expand the home-garden business. We also own and operate 5 successful garden centers in Wisconsin which were started under my dad’s direction.
Another source of confusion is that under the Monsanto umbrella is a very small home-garden division called Seminis Gardens that produces and sells some well-known, time-proven, non-GMO varieties, including many varieties that are All-America Selections Winners. These were developed and introduced long before Monsanto owned Seminis and were originally sold under the Petoseed brand. Many of our customers have grown to love these vegetables and would be very disappointed if we no longer offered them. We recognize there are strong anti-Monsanto sentiments by some consumers, so we will publish a list of Seminis varieties we offer on our website in the event they wish to avoid purchasing them.
It’s my wish that bloggers and journalists would do more fact checking before they publish untruths so that letters like this are not necessary. But instead, they hide behind the anonymity of the internet and spread their vicious untruths. If any of you wish to speak with me directly regarding this matter, please call. If I am not available, leave your phone number and I will contact you with the correct facts.
Sincerely,
Dick Zondag, President and Owner of J. W. Jung Seed Company
and Grandson of the founder
Leslie Oliver Hardy via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 12:46 pm
I love this! So informative! If the common man only knew what Monsanto was doing to jeopardize our agriculture! Can’t wait for my garden this year!
Vanessa Ingole via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 12:47 pm
Vanessa Ingole via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 12:47 pm
If you’re going to plant heirloom seeds, you may as well learn how to make the most of your garden!
Alexandros Agelastos via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 12:48 pm
If your crops get contaminated by GMOs, sue Monsanto,
Dow Chemical, Bayer, Syngenta, Dupont, and BASF. It’s not only Monsanto out there, for some reason we’ve all been focusing on only one of Lernaean Hydra’s heads.
Sue them, or they will sue you. The more of us that sue, the better for everyone.
Denver Tina via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 12:50 pm
Thank you for this information. I had no idea Monsanto has bought organic/heirloom seed companies. Wow.
Tracy January 23, 2013 at 12:56 pm
Here is a site that has a good list of seed companies–not owned by monsanto or seminis–but carry seed and or products from those two companies.
http://www.garden-of-eatin.com/how-to-avoid-monsanto/
Tracy January 23, 2013 at 1:00 pm
You can buy heirloom seeds from (lets use Baker Creek as an example) and not support monsanto/seminis. Just because a seed company also sells a variety that monsanto owns the name of the variety, does not mean they are buying seed from monsanto/seminis. Many of the heirloom companies also have their own garden plots for growing their own seed.
You can also try saving your own seed and swapping with others. There is a good book on seed saving on the Baker Creek site, rareseeds.com It is worth buying. I found it to contain a lot of helpful hints and suggestions as well as being easy to follow. Their cookbook isn’t bad either.
April Croker via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 1:01 pm
while its important not to support monsanto its also important to make it clear that just because you have seeds or buy seeds from monsanto you are still casting a vote that you want “organic” and your seeds that are “organic” will not be GMO seeds and not produce GMO plants even if they come form a branched of company owned by monsanto. some of those companies are trying to branch away from monsanto but everything takes money and time.
colleen January 23, 2013 at 2:51 pm
Okay, are you crazy? You can not buy seeds from any compnay that is owned by Mansanto! THEY DO NOT CARE IF YOU WANT ORGANIC OR NON-ORGANIC. They will sell you what you want and tell you they are organic and they aren’t. Please don’t get me wroing, but you need to view a few of the youtubes and documentaries about MANSANTO. Please, please, please do so. See what they have done to Hawaii. Please see what they have done to the family farmer. Please just please do your homework on this. The small family business selling GMO free seeds take pride in their product, and they won’t steer you wrong.
Sue Sullivan via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 1:03 pm
Monsanto’s company motto is: “Nothing will be grown that isn’t our own” and they mean it. They want to destroy everything including bee colonies. :(
Marcee January 23, 2013 at 1:05 pm
Thanks Sarah for posting this. I JUST recieved my heirloom seeds from Baker Creek seeds. So excited!!! I shared on Facebook too, but my farmer friends probably will turn their nose up at this. Oh, well, truth is TRUTH!!
Tracy January 23, 2013 at 1:06 pm
And here is a link of the heirloom types that monsanto/seminis own. They only own the name and can not force anyone who keeps their own seed to pay them for it. At least for now.
http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/03/17/monsanto-owned-seednames/
Beth already posted that above. There used to be a purse size copy of it so you could take it with you if you wanted to avoid those types altogether. Anyone know where that is?
I would avoid any of the big box stores–wally world, Menards, Home Depot, local Groceries, etc. To find good heirloom seeds you will have to either find smaller companies or ones like Baker Creek who have taken a strong stand against Monsanto and GMO’s.
Penny Sp via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 1:43 pm
Thank you for another fantastic article.
Amber Russell via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 2:02 pm
Love Baker Creek, just got the new catalog and had to wrestle my teens for it! Biggest problem is that we want to order every variety though we have nowhere near the money or space for that lol.
Michal January 23, 2013 at 2:05 pm
I remember my grandfather saving his seeds out of his garden every year. I remember getting in trouble for touchin his drying okra pods.
Michal\’s last post: Mothering With Warmth
Jeanne Walker McNeal via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 2:06 pm
Gratified to learn that Territorial Seed Company is part of the uncompromising group (though I’m not surprised). My family has supported them exclusively for a quarter of a century (though we may have to get more picky about varieties).
Rachel Kirsch via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 2:28 pm
I want to do a vegetable garden this summer, but I feel kind of lost. I’ve done a little bit of gardening in the past, but not with a great amount of success. I want to do it right this time. Does anyone have any blogs or books you recommend for beginner organic home gardening? I’m in Michigan, if you have any recommendations for this particular region. Thanks!
Lisa S January 24, 2013 at 1:58 pm
Rachel, I used Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening book last year and did 1 plot. I am notorious for having a “black thumb”, but Mel’s instructions were so easy to follow. Using a special mix of compost, peat moss and coarse vermiuculite, the plot thrived. We had such a harvest out of 1 4′ x 4′ plot. I still have food that I canned out of that garden. And so easy to take care of. I want to do 3 more squares this summer. Good luck & happy gardening.
Angela Le via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 2:29 pm
Very frightening! I hadn’t thought about Monsanto buying organic and heirloom seed companies!
Bella Issakova via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 2:46 pm
Thank you for posting.
Jenna Flemal via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 2:58 pm
Aaron Meyer look into this. <3 p="">
Mandie January 23, 2013 at 3:00 pm
I had no idea! I sent an email to our CSA farmers to ask if they were aware of this. I love buying local from farmers I can actally talk to and ask questions of :)
Kimberly January 23, 2013 at 3:48 pm
Thank you so much for this info. My fiancee & I are going to be starting our own garden this year and I want to do everything in my power to make sure anything to do with Monsanto stays out of it.
Abby Lawson via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 4:36 pm
thanks!
Libby January 23, 2013 at 5:23 pm
Why am I continuously surprised by what these guys are willing to do? There is nothing sacred to Monsanto and articles like yours Sarah will help transition those who are still in the dark about the evils of corporations like Monsanto, to seeing the importance behind the quality of the basic seed. It is the collective mind that will change the world. :)
Libby\’s last post: Home Made Play Dough Fun
Katie January 23, 2013 at 5:53 pm
Great information especially for people starting a garden for the first time! Will keep this in mind when I start a garden! :)
Thanks,
Katie
Terry England via Facebook January 23, 2013 at 6:24 pm
Monsanto has very much stacked the deck against us, with every member of the fda and other federal agencies, having a direct tie to their company. I’ve heard that they even are passing legislation to regulate an individuals personal garden on their own property through the world health organization. “O what times we live in.”
Kelli January 23, 2013 at 7:15 pm
Interesting. I’ve been buying my seeds from Burpee for my garden and I’ll have to check out who owns them.
Kelli\’s last post: 6 Under-Hyped Foods
Tracy January 24, 2013 at 12:50 pm
Burpee is its own company, not owned by Monsanto/Seminis but does sell seed owned by them.
Rosa January 24, 2013 at 1:47 pm
I was told a long time ago that Burpee Seeds was bought out by Monsanto a long time ago.
Claudia January 23, 2013 at 8:06 pm
What happened to Monday mania??? Please bring it back!!

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