Seed: The untold story

[Skinny rooster]

I'm kinda hoping that the lost seed varieties is like the lost chicken breeds. People are being told that the only birds left are meat birds, leghorns and the white turkeys, we know different, I am hoping there are people out there who have been keeping seeds.

It's not the same but I have been keeping my grandmother's coleus plant going and the old self seeding petunias going as well. The cool thing about the petunias is they are dominant so even if modern flowers mix in, they always revert back. The green houses always argue that the store bought flowers are larger which is true but the difference is the natural ones have five times the flowers and cover more ground. Two years ago in the middle of summer, some type of plant rot killed my store bought coleus, same for some as my friends; however the old variety I have was not affected. Even now I noticed some store bought coleus will not allow you to make cuttings, they will not form roots.

[muffin57]

I compared this show to chickens too.

[Ontario Chick]

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It's not the same but I have been keeping my grandmother's coleus plant going and the old self seeding petunias going as well. The cool thing about the petunias is they are dominant so even if modern flowers mix in, they always revert back. The green houses always argue that the store bought flowers are larger which is true but the difference is the natural ones have five times the flowers and cover more ground. Two years ago in the middle of summer, some type of plant rot killed my store bought coleus, same for some as my friends; however the old variety I have was not affected. Even now I noticed some store bought coleus will not allow you to make cuttings, they will not form roots.

In some ways it's very much the same.
When my aunt passed away, we dug out a peony from her garden, which she established sometime in the forties and I planted them in a row of other fancy schmancy peonies at our place. After they recovered from our rude disruption, they have been by far the most healthy steady bloomers and whilst all around them have been eaten on regular basis by one thing or another, this bunch is mostly untouched.
The same with Hostas, my first plant purchased sometime in the seventies when they were just call either Hosta or variegated Hosta as far as I can determine it's probably Frances Williams.
I now have 50 varieties, at least half of them named "hosta of the year" not one of them as indestructible as the old one.
All the hybridization might have given as the latest sparkly new thing, to the detriment of the old and steady.

[Killerbunny]

I just watched this show (taped). I checked out my tomato seeds and yes, I have a tomato called Abu Rawan which was named after the caretaker of the greenhouses at Al Ghraib Agricultural College in Iraq. It was saved and I got mine from Baker Creek - www.rareseeds.com It is delicious although not high yield and handles heat very well.

[thegawd]

I just recieved my package from rare seeds... 38 different rare and heirloom varieties! A dozen different tomatos! Still waiting for the cool old squash though. I really like how they throw in free packets of seed and a big bonus was no duty!!! Wooohooo I'm super excited. Come back spring!!!

[Shnookie]

There's an article in the Western Producer this week that says "Bayer's potential merger with Monsanto should accelerate work with hybrid wheat varieties". Monsanto is going to get so big that no one will be able to challenge them. A scary thought.