Garden Box Assignments

Calling all gardeners!

Having your own source of good vegetables is more and more important these days.  And the Rotary First Harvest Community Garden is here to serve your gardening needs.

Returning gardeners, please check the Garden Guidelines in the Archives/2009/October on the left side of the page. You must have your  assignments renewed by the end of January.  If we don't hear from you, your box will be re-assigned.

The deadline for new gardeners to register is February 28th. After that date, any extra boxes will be given to those who want to have two boxes, rather than one.

This spring we will be ordering more soil,  and I will be ordering organic chicken manure wholesale for those who want it.

Through the year we have had to replace hoses and nozzles.  One gardener generously supplied a wheel barrow. And others have done Herculean work with pulling grass, laying weed barriers and chips, planting bushes and herbs, and repairing boxes out of their own pockets. Aside from these donations, Rotary First Harvest has subsidized this garden so far, and will pay for a sign to be erected. This year we are asking gardeners to make a small donation when they sign up for their boxes..up to ten dollars...to help defray our expenses.  For those who cannot afford it, we would appreciate any volunteer time they can manage. Leave a comment here to find out what our needs are.

Rotary is focussed on finding other community garden spots to put together for the community. If you know of land that is not being used, that would be a good garden spot for a neighborhood, please call David Armstrong at the Methodist Church.  At the end of January he will be making an effort to expand to other community garden areas.  Keep in mind it should be a neighborhood where people can co-operate to make it work.

Good Gardening and Happy Holidays!

Non GMO Seed

Non-GMO Seed

What seeds are at risk?
Currently, Commercialized GM Crops in the U.S. include:Soy (91%), Cotton (88%), Canola (80-85%), Corn (85%), Hawaiian papaya (more than 50%), Alfalfa, zucchini and yellow squash (small amount), and Tobacco (Quest® brand). (Number in parentheses represents the estimated percent that is genetically modified.) All but soy cross-pollinate, although pop corn and blue corn do not cross with the current GM corn varieties. And now, with the sugar beet growers going GM, there is the possibility of cross-pollination into other beet varieties and near relatives, such as chard.
It is unlikely that other seed varieties, whether organic or not are GM, though contamination may occur by cross pollination or other means from experiment and sometimes publicly undisclosed GM test plots throughout the nation.
Purchasing Non-GMO Seed
You can get non-GMO seed from companies who have signed the Safe (non-GMO) Seeds Pledge.Click here for a list of heritage, conventional and some organic sources.
Certified organic seed varieties are, by definition, GMO-free. The Organic Seed Alliance maintains a list of Sources of Organic Seeds.
Other sources:
De Dell Seeds – Organic and Non-GMO corn seed
Turtletree Seed – Biodynamic seed
Why Buy Organic Seed?
According to the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association:
There are numerous reasons for supporting the continued development of organic seed production as well as supporting programs of plant breeding for organic production. The underlying basis for organic agriculture is the concern and interaction of the ecological effects of the inputs into our food supply. The production of conventional seed requires heavier application of chemical pesticides than their food crop counterpart as seed crops are generally in the ground longer, and being a non-food crop, the allowable levels of application are much higher. These include methyl bromide, endosulfan (both of which are banned in the EU and much of the world), metaldehyde and many other highly toxic chemicals that damage air and water quality, biological diversity, and human health. Specialty seed production takes place in highly specialized regions, such as the Skagit and Willamette Valleys of Washington and Oregon. Is it fair for those of us in organic agriculture to want our own farms and environments to be as free of toxins as possible, but expect seed production communities to carry a heavy toxic load so that we can plant cheap conventional seed?
However, there is a better reason for supporting investment in and usage of organic seed than the prevention of ecological contamination. Organic agriculture as a whole will find even greater success as we develop truly organic cultivars – organic not just because the seed was produced on organic ground and sold by a company certified to handle organic inputs – but cultivars adapted for low inputs, that exhibit elasticity in the face of environmental extremes, enhance the health of local food systems by extending seasons, increase crop quality (including processing), and that have improved nutritional content. Organic seed adds to the value of organic farming by focusing breeding and selection on traits that are economically and agronomically important to the organic grower and ultimately to the organic consumer, traits that are often neglected in conventional breeding programs.
Certified organic growers are not allowed to have GMO's in their seeds. Further, these following members of the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Alliance (OSGATA) have signed onto a code of ethics and are engaged in preserving the integrity of seed above and beyond profit-market interest. OSGATA develops, protects and promotes the organic seed trade and its growers, and assures that the organic community has access to excellent quality organic seed, free of contaminants and adapted to the diverse needs of local organic agriculture.
In addition to not allowing GMOs in their seeds, members of the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Alliance (OSGATA) have signed onto a code of ethics and are engaged in preserving the integrity of seed above and beyond profit-market interest. OSGATA develops, protects and promotes the organic seed trade and its growers, and assures that the organic community has access to excellent quality organic seed, free of contaminants and adapted to the diverse needs of local organic agriculture.
OSGATA Member List

Safe Seed Source List: Your Resource for GM-Free Seeds »