Garden Week Ten 6/4/2018

What's all the Hype About?

What’s all the hype about? We’ve heard the terms, GMO (Genetically Modified Organism), Hybrid, and Heirloom.

But what does it mean to you and me? Let’s define each and look at some pros and cons.

GM foods: define by the WHO (World Health Organization); “are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g. through the introduction of a gene from a different organism.”

• Pros: May produce higher quantities, disease resistant, and be more draught resistant, See the history of corn in America and Rice in India.

• Cons: May loose flavor, cause illness, See Diabetes and other obesity related disease research, effect indigenous plant and animal life, and may be a factor in Colony Collapse Disorder a major problem for bees, will not reproduce.

• GMO plants include: Tomatoes, Squash, Potatoes, Soybeans, Corn, Rice, Sugar beets, Canola and more.

Hybrid: As the name indicates, hybrids are the product of cross breeding two plants, which may or may not be of the same variety. As long as there have been farmers, people have experimented with taking the best of two things to make a better one. Mother nature also does this and that is how we have plants today. This process produces features like seedless fruits and longer shelf life.

• Pros: Fun!

• Cons: will not reproduce.

• Common Hybrid Plants: Grapple (one of my daughter’s favorites), Mandarin Orange, Boysenberry, Grapefruit, Loganberry, Broccoflower.

Heirloom, Heritage, Open-pollinated or Standard: Basically, to me anyways, a plant must be able to reproduce itself. Some people treat heirlooms like it has to be historically documented between time A and time B. I do not. I believe that a plant that has developed the ability to reproduce itself is legit. People have been saving the seeds of the healthiest, tastiest, best producing plants for millennia. For that reason and through my own gardening experience, I know the value, strength, flavor and production I have gotten from heirlooms.

• Pros: Flavor, disease resistant, climate tolerant (when you buy seeds from your hardiness zone), abundance, color, texture, smells, they reproduce.

• Cons: Can cost more for rarer varietals.

• Common plants: Everything!

No matter what you choose, fresh vegetables make everything better!!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Inspiration!

When I was a little girl, my class went to the Edison & Ford Winter Estates, located in Ft. Myers, Florida. I can still vividly recall Mr. Edison’s laboratory, with all the workbenches, tools, and experiments. The houses and buildings were of the old Florida style with big porches and high open ceilings. But what I remember the most were the gardens.

Either side of the paths were more plants than I could ever have imagined. The colors, textures and smells were nearly impossible to consume and made me feel small in the giant garden.

Living in Florida, walking through botanical gardens is a pretty regular experience, but there was something special about the gardens that day. Nearly every year; when I begin to ready the garden, as the season carries on and just about every time I find a new plant or flower, I recall that walk through the garden.

Since then I have made it a point to visit gardens, whether public or private. I love learning from other gardeners and seeing what they have growing and listening to their stories. If you have a special gardener or garden, plant you would like to share, please call, text, mail, or snail mail me. My info is listed below.