Best place to buy seeds online?

10 years ago

I'm sure there is a post in here somewhere, but searching for "seeds" is a lost cause on a forum like this. I assume right about now is the time I need to buy seeds online. I do not have space to start anything indoors, so if it can't be planted by seed, I'll be getting it from the nursery (like tomatoes, basil and hot peppers).

Here is what I know I want to grow:
SPRING:
Spinach (have already), lettuce, carrots (have some seeds still, I think), peas. Not sure what else, the slugs attacked the other root veggies last year so I'm not even going to try.
SUMMER:
Ruby corn (I saw a note on one site saying to grow another SE type with it, what kind should I get?)
Green beans (something I can pickle, I think I did the blue lake last year, which was fine)
Cucumber, both slicking and pickling (I may have seeds, but the slicing ones never came up last year and the pickling ones were a bit big, I'd love smaller pickling ones)

I don't want any squashes, eggplant, anything squishy. We have permanent apples, strawberries, grapes and artichoke. Sweet peppers didn't grow well last summer so I'll skip those.

So I need to know where the best place to buy seeds are (best quality, non-GMO). And I'd love suggestions on what else to plant.

Featured Answer

elisa_z5

10 years ago

I would think it's a valid question to hope for your vegetable seeds (of at risk crops) to be checked for GM contamination.

But apparently, it is legally not advisable for a company to say that their seeds are "GMO free"

Why? Because the GMO genes are spreading and while companies can test their seed stock for transgenic contamination, they cannot be assured that all of their seed is free of this contamination.

The only seed company I know of that routinely tests their seed (corn, beets, and chard) for transgenic contamination is Fedco. And yes, they do have to dispose of seed that tests positive -- so yes, if some seeds slip through the cracks of the testing process, you could potentially buy seed that contains transgenic contamination. It's not as though the company is saying "buy our GMO Zucchini and Tomatoes and then you can spray your entire plot with round up and your veggies will survive!" It is unintentional contamination.

Fedco states, "A negative test result, while not *guaranteeing* genetic purity, improves your chances that the seed is uncontaminated."

What does this say about companies that are labeling their chard seeds "Non-GMO"? Maybe only that they have opened themselves up to having to compensate farmers for loss of crop in the event that someone tests their seed or the crops grown from them and finds transgenic contamination. For more information see the article below.

And yeah, I guess labeling, say, tomato seeds (not at risk) "non-GMO" is like putting a sign above the apples declaring "no cholesterol!" But that doesn't make it a dumb question in general.

Here is a link that might be useful: article from Seed Today

This post was edited by elisa_Z5 on Wed, Jan 16, 13 at 20:33

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