[hummingbird]

Thanks for adding me to ping list!

"I grow heirlooms to avoid GMO’s."

How do you do this? GMOs really spook me.

[greeneyes]

Bakers Creek Seeds is one company that sells heirloom seeds. They test them to make sure they are not GMO.

There are other companies too that you can google. I like Baker’s Creek because they are headquartered in a Missouri town near where I grew up. Plus, they sell only non GMO and are serious about preserving the heritage.

You will pay a little more, maybe but you can save your seed for the next year. GMO free corn is getting harder to come by, so I only get my corn seeds from them now.

[Ellendra]

"I grow heirlooms to avoid GMO’s."

How do you do this? GMOs really spook me.

In the seed description, watch for terms like "heirloom" or "open-pollinated", some will also have stories in the description, like with Mortgage Lifter tomatoes, which were developed in the 1930's by a man desperate not to lose his house.

The majority of hybrids are *not* GMO, but if you save your own seed it's a bit of a gamble, because the characeristics aren't stable beyond the first generation. So, a plant from a hybrid tomato seed will match what it says on the packet, but seeds saved from that plant might be different. If you're just thinking about saving your own seed from year to year, it would probably be best to start with heirlooms. They're more reliable.

Be aware that most corn is contaminated with GMO genes, even if the seed producer didn't intend it. That's because corn is one of the most popular GMO plants, and the pollen can travel for miles, getting to plants several fields away. If you want to try an heirloom corn, check to make sure it's been tested for the presence of GMO's first.

[Black Agnes]

Another non GMO seed company is Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

I got 3 varieties of non GMO corn, 2 for my chickens and 1 for us humans. One of the varieties, Jellicorse, supposedly sets ears in extreme heat temps.

Another good company that sells hybrids and open pollinated varieties but NOT GMO stuff is Johnny's Seeds.

Johnny's Seeds

A lot of the hybrids that Johnny's does sell are ones they've developed in house. They're your grandmother's hybrids. All the tomato hybrids parents were tomato plants. All the pepper hybrids parents were peppers. And so forth. There are other similar companies such as Territorial Seed.

We're going to try to grow chicken feed this year. I've got the corn seed from Southern Exposure (Jellicorse and Texas Gourdseed), some grain sorghum varieties, and some millet ordered from R. H. Shumway.

Look for companies that have at least signed the 'safe seed pledge'.