I got to trade basil for.....

[mupcycledcouture]

fresh tomatoes and fresh eggs today. So fresh, in fact, that they were still warm! I love having neighbors who garden and raise chickens!

On another note, while on the way home from camping yesterday I saw a seed exchange bank in a small town we drove through. We have been through this town many times and this is the first time I have seen it so I know it is newer.

I always knew they existed but had never seen one in person.

[val2525]

What is a seed exchange bank? I know it's not what I'm thinking, LOL.

[mupcycledcouture]

LMAO! Not that.

Hybrid seeds can not be saved year to year as they wont grow true.

Heirloom seeds though can be saved year to year and cant be patented. In an effort to preserve heirloom seeds the seed savers exchange was created. You can read more about that here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed_Savers_Exchange

It has gained steam recently because Monsanto is patenting the hybrid and GMO seeds they create and making farmers worldwide pay royalties for using seeds year to year. Argentina is one of the worst affected by this practice right now, though India is also working to reduce royalties. Gardeners and farmers are now looking to use more heirloom seeds because 1) the organic and non GMO trend and 2) they wont have to pay royalties.

(apparently I know to much about gardening.... LOL)

[val2525]

That totally sucks about the royalties!

[mupcycledcouture]

It is horrible. Farmers in Argentina are going bankrupt.

Personally, I don't WA t to eat GMO food. I know there is no scientific evidence Yada yada, but the more natural the better for me. Though I do buy non organic and GMO food at the grocery store, I only grow heirloom at home so I can save the seeds. Most of what I grow is organic but if I have a seed starting failure I will buy plants at my local garden center that may not be organic.

I saw our stores had marked some plants as being sprayed with neonectiods when I was looking month ago. I didn't buy them because of it. It kills the bees, butterflies and birds.

My neighbor was cracking up at me last week because she had aphids and didn't K ow what to do with them. I had all the items needed to make an organic insecticide soap in my food stock closet.

10 years ago I wouldn't have ever thought I would be a gardening guru concerned about bee populations and seed saving. Lol

[Dawn R]

I do the same thing and will only use heirloom seeds. I get some from a friend but buy most from seedsavers.

[Desire]

I wanted to understand better about Monsanto and the royalties so checked google on it - read several different articles. I never even knew this type of thing was going on. Here is a good story to read about a farming couple in Canada that stood up to Monsanto against royalties and won in court. They never used Monsanto seeds, but somehow their crops got contaminated by neighbors that did. Still, Monsanto said they owed.

thegranddisillusion.wordpress.com/monsanto-vs-farmer/

[val2525]

Wow, good article, Desire. I loved this part:

On the important issue of “Who owns life?” the Supreme Court ruled in 2004 that “Monsanto’s patent on a gene is valid and wherever that gene arrives in any higher life form they own or control that higher life form.” That was considered to be a major victory for Monsanto at the time, but is a decision that has come home to roost in the form of corporate liability for GMOs. Percy explained that if a corporation owns and controls a higher life form and they put it into the environment where everyone knows it cannot be controlled or contained and co-existence is impossible, then the corporation should be liable for the damages done to an organic farmer or a conventional farmer, as well as for the negative impacts on biodiversity.

You own it, then you're responsible for it's actions. Love it.