Garden Seeds: Organic, Conventional, or GMO?

Kelly the Kitchen Kop asked a number of questions about gardening in this week’s Real Food Wednesday Blog Carnival including this one:

Do You Buy All Organic Seeds? When it comes to just the seeds, I might not be as stuck on buying organic if not for the GMO concern, but since that IS an issue, it’s only organic for us.  I’m curious what your thoughts are on this.

My answer to Kelly’s question is “no”, I do not buy all organic seeds. Am I concerned about GMO foods? Sure. But I am not concerned when it comes to my garden seeds. Here’s why:

1. Not all the seeds I wish to grow are available “Certified Organic”.
2. “Certified Organic” only indicates how the plants that produced the seeds were grown. How I grow the seeds in my own garden has far more influence on the outcome of the food quality. And often times the seed growers are growing with organic methods. They just cannot afford the cost to be officially certified.
3. Since the USDA took over “Certified Organic”, the standards have been watered down. I am no longer assured the original standards will be in place in the future.
4. An heirloom seed, by definition, cannot be genetically modified. It is an old variety, not something created by “Big Ag” in a laboratory. So if you are buying heirloom seeds, they will be GMO-free.
5. I know who I buy my seeds from. All the seed suppliers I purchase from have either taken the Safe Seed Pledge or have stated in written form in their catalog or website that they will not knowingly sell GMO seeds.

The main seeds available in the U.S that are Genetically Modified are Corn, Soybean, Cotton, Sugar Beet, and Canola. Last I checked, there is a ban on the growing of GMO Alfalfa in the U.S. but that may change. There are other GMO seeds as well but most are not what you would typically grow in your home garden. And by knowing your seed source, you can avoid the few foods that may be of the garden variety.

Note that all seed suppliers that take the pledge or have written “No-GMO” policies cannot guarantee GMO free seeds. This is because pollen drifts. There is no way to prevent contamination if a neighboring farm is growing a GMO crop. Sadly, even purchasing “Certified Organic” does not mean GMO-free.

The best things you can do to ensure GMO-free seed for your home garden are:

1. Know your seed source,
2. Buy heirloom seeds, and
3. Save and grow your own seeds.

So start here with the list of seed suppliers that have taken the Council for Responsible Genetic’s Safe Seed Pledge. Then get planting!

March 26th, 2009