Plant Yourselves Some Tomatoes ASAP

[MikeBjerum]

CR,

I'm not definding where Monsanto, Pioneer, ADM, Cargil ... are taking us, but the seed issue is not intentional for the most part.  Hybreds that have been used in ag for years have been poor producers when saving seed.  We noticed it first in corn due to the extensive crossing in it, it has slowly moved through soy, alfalfa, oats and wheat.  They more they cross them the fewer generations they can be used.

Anyone that has a good resource for heirlooms has it best.  Those are the producers with the best flavor and nutrition.  The only down side is that most crossbreeding programs help give uniformity that your guests won't wrinkle their noses at, and add strength against weather.

Time to go back to planning this years garden!

[ericire12]

Do those upside down hanging tomato baskets from on TV work?

Thanks,

They dont really retain much moisture..... they will either dry out or you have to water way too much. If you cant plant directly into mother earth, use a large bucket.

[fightingquaker13]

CR,

I'm not definding where Monsanto, Pioneer, ADM, Cargil ... are taking us, but the seed issue is not intentional for the most part.  Hybreds that have been used in ag for years have been poor producers when saving seed.  We noticed it first in corn due to the extensive crossing in it, it has slowly moved through soy, alfalfa, oats and wheat.  They more they cross them the fewer generations they can be used.

Anyone that has a good resource for heirlooms has it best.  Those are the producers with the best flavor and nutrition.  The only down side is that most crossbreeding programs help give uniformity that your guests won't wrinkle their noses at, and add strength against weather.

Time to go back to planning this years garden!

I disagree about it not being intentional. After all, these guys spend millions developing this stuff, what happens if one year you devote half your crop to seed? The next year you won't be back. Fair enough. Two problems though. The first is that they make seeds that are easy to farm, look pretty and have a long shelf life. Taste is an after thought. After all, its not the diner that pays thei bills, its the farmer and the grocery chains. We lose. The second problem is more serious. What happens when the grid goes down? The heirlooms are not only better tasting, but you can plant a seed plot. No need for the feed store. What happens when Monsanto can't produce and ship? To my mind it ain't pretty.
FQ13

[MikeBjerum]

FQ -

You ever farmed or handled seed?

I'll leave it there for now.

[fightingquaker13]

FQ -

You ever farmed or handled seed?

I'll leave it there for now.

"Farm" yes, handled seed from the feed store, again yes. Process my own, no. To explain, my grandad had a hobby ranch. 10 acres owned, grazing rights on another 150. I'm better with cows and horses than plants. He did have a 4 acre "garden" that I was the do boy for. I get your point about having no clue about having the knowledge to turn an ear of corn into a row of corn. Still, it can, and obviously was, done. It may be a lot of work, but it is a doable thing. My fear, and this isn't me beating on you, is what happens when or if we have to relearn that skill? It would be nice if the seeds cooperated. Thats all I'm saying.
FQ13

[Sponsor]

[Pathfinder]

Monsanto is an evil corporation.

1. They have gone around the world collecting genetic strains and pulling patents on them. This includes areas of Iraq where the farmers now have to either buy from Monsanto, or pay fees for descendants of the same genetic strains of grain their ancestors were growing thousands of years ago.

2. They have successfully sued farmers in the US who unknowingly grew "heirloom" plants that have been cross-fertilized with pollen from Monsanto plants from a neighbor's field. Monsanto has agents across the country sampling produce (by going into your fields and collecting samples without your knowledge or permission BTW) so they can sue anyone who is found with "their" propriety genetic strains.

3. Monsanto all but owns the FDA, which has allowed Monsanto's GMO (genetically modified organisms) to be introduced to the world-wide consumers without adequate testing - or even independent testing. Think about the incidence of diseases such as autism, obesity, cancer, etc. that have skyrocketed within the past decade. No one knows if there is a connection - and no one is looking thanks to the FDA - and Monsanto.

M58 - good, and appropriate, question.

[MikeBjerum]

Good, your a farmer, than you will understand why companies like Monsanto have to pay big bucks to enforce the agreements that say you can not save seed from their modified crops.  For those that don't understand, they need to use seed sales reps and the courts to enforce the contracts that they have to use, because you can use much of this seed (outside of corn) for many generations while only losing yield potential.  Many farmers have learned how much yield potential they can afford to lose when comparing new seed prices to bin run costs (whatever the market is for the grain).

These agreements state that if you purchase their seed they have the right to collect samples of your crop next year and do DNA testing to see if you are breaking the contract.  If you are caught breaking the contract there are huge costs in your lap!  These companies take this serious, and their enforcement makes copy write enforcement look like a walk in the park.

[Ulmus]

If you want some nice heirloom seeds, try seed savers exchange.

http://www.seedsavers.org/

The only thing that annoys me is that their catalog doesn't have a zone map to see what grows best where.

[twyacht]

Home Depot, Lowe's have zone charts on most of their seed packets for zone. My strawberries are kicking nicely right now, too bad I didn;t get enough from my son in law who owns a farm in NC. He gets his strawberry seedlings from Canada. Really nice flavor.

Peppers as well work, jalapeno, thai, poblano, bell, work as well where tomatoes work. Same with herbs. I re-seed Basil, and really enjoy it. Oregano, Thyme, and Rosemary are perennial and grow in any well drained soil.

As for tomatoes, I just get the quart pots and give them a loving home for the season. Wife picks off the sucker stems, I try to avoid any pesticides, and resort to soapy water in a bottle with a little cayenne as a light spray. Also plant next to my Rosemary and Basil, they are naturally slightly carcinogenic  and repel bugs.

I just really enjoy working on my small garden, had a large one in NC and went all out, and its my way of sticking it to the produce man. Mint works well also to repel bugs, and works great for Spring Mojitos.

Grow what you can guys/gals, however you can, they taste better and aren't that hard to get going. If someone has a apecific question, PM me, my wife and I are closet herbalists, and home grown organic farmers, albeit on a moderate scale.

[tombogan03884]

While I admit that it stinks, Monsanto's actions are the INTENDED result of the body of the Constitution, which was written to offer protections to the investments of Europeans who had financed the revolution, but also to the ones who would finance the coming Industrial revolution.
One of the first duties of The Government, was to set up a patent office. Monsanto has only to say "Patent Rights" and few courts in the world will go against them.
Many countries refuse American food imports because of the things Path was saying .
Here's another thought, The Soviets bought HUGE amounts of grain from us over the years.
You think those Bulshy A hole's weren't trying like the devil to cross breed it to increase their own production ?
But every year they had to come crawling back to the "Main Adversary", Hat in hand, "But Sir, I just want a little more."

I'm of an age where I have been hearing about "oopses" like Thalidomide all my life, plus, I'm a Yankee (  we call it "Frugal"  )
So I not only do not want to get the same plastic crap that I could have got out of a package, with out all the work, I also like the idea of only buying seed once.

TW, you guys should start Tip thread.