Experiemental Seeds

I am spending this wonderful Fall morning cataloging my seed supplies.

A couple of seed companies I've ordered from have sent me various packets of seeds as a bonus. One company in particular just labels the package with what type of crop they are (i.e Pea, Tomato) and they have the word experimental.

Has anyone ever received these types of seeds and have you planted them?

BB

Yes, I have received them and I have planted them. Never got anything spectacular tho, and I really like to have some identification of the cultivar even if it is just designated X-551. If it was something that performed above average, I could find it when it came on the market. Just using the generic terms does not help a bit. On two occasions I have recieved samples simply labeled tomato.

Thanks Farmerdill:

My major hesitation was that the might be GMO seed which I don't plant. They really don't label the packages very well.

BB

Most of the GMO work on fruits and veggies are coming out of University research programs so if you have an aversion to gene splicing avoid those. The major seed producers have avoided them, because of the backlash. I doubt that most vendors have access to them even on a trial basis. The companies that have sent generic labeled experimental to me, sent pretty run of the mill cultivars, mostly open pollinated. Shumway comes to mind but I have also gotten some from The Home Gardening Club,

Yep.

That's who sent me mine. Shumway and Vermont Bean.

BB

The seed company I worked for did have its own GMO program, but I seriouly doubt that they'd give away anything that has intellectual property rights attached without somone having to sign someting somewhere. We had experimental (non GMO) lines freely avaiable to growers and universities for trial (we liked to get their feedback) and produced a good bit of seed for that purpose. Maybe they're getting rid of defunct experimental trial packs by giving them away as a "bonus".

Thanks

My main concern was that they might be GMO.

I am setting a a test plot in my garden for new things so maybe I'll plant them on occaision.

BB

Well, if caterpillars won't eat it and Roundup won't kill it, then don't harvest it.

LOL

BB

That's actually what I tell anyone who wonders if GMO pollen may have contaminated their heirloom corn seed... grow some out in flats and feed them to some caterpillars. If they stop feeding after a couple of days, then the seedlings are carrying Bt genes. Spray another batch with Roundup and if they don't turn yellow and die, then they're carrying Roundup Ready genes. In each case, you should sow a flat of seeds that you know are GMO free as controls.

Perhaps you can answer a question I have.

How does seed get contaminated in the first place? I can understand if you were be right next door to a farm that produces GMO seed. But is contamination a possibility if you are several miles away from that same farm?

BB

No, not likely. It usualy happens when wind pollinated crops are grown next door or just down the road, but when you live out in corn country, there's always corn nearby. The link below says "pollen grains can travel as far as ½ mile with a 15 mph wind in a couple of minutes (Nielsen, 2003b). However, most of a corn field's pollen is deposited within a short distance of the field."

http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/0153.html

I don't live in corn country, but a bit of irritation about GMO contamination started with a local grower who made a lot of money in the fall with his own selection of orrnamental (red) dent corn. He told people that he was growing GMO corn right next to his ornamentals so that nobody would save his seeds. Nobody knows for sure, so that's why the suggestions to test the seedlings.

Thanks.

Farmland in general is getting very scarce around here. But I am lucky enough to live about a half mile from a corn field.

Safe zone!