1. Editors Corner
   • Seeds – The Open Pollinated, hybrid, GMO Question
   • Follow up – Winter Blues
2. News & Events
   • Newmarket Farmers Market
   • Mushroom Update
   • Website Updates
   • Gardening Forum – Thank you
3. How To:
   • Contact Dr. Tomato and James
4. Questions from Readers
   • Should I be planting my seeds now?

Editors Corner

Seeds – The Open Pollinated, hybrid, GMO Question

It would be difficult to pick a topic that was both so vitally important to commercial growers and home gardeners AND so highly charged with emotional, environmental and geo-political implications. Emotions and opinions run high. As with most (if not all) issues, the “truth” lies neither in the black nor the white but in that gray area in between.  To try to do the subject justice in the course of several paragraphs is impossible and not the object of this newsletter. People do their PhD programs in narrowly focused areas of plant genetics. My attempt here is to present a simple, hopefully helpful guideline to help you begin to understand the differences in the seed stock you are probably about to buy for this year’s garden. Then, you can research the issue more fully and make your own educated decision about the seed choices available to you in today’s marketplace.

Let’s step back a minute and talk a little about the “birds and the bees”. We are all, hopefully, aware of the fact that plants – like animals (and yes, humans) – reproduce through a sexual process. Actually, some plants reproduce through an asexual process but let’s not go there right now. Flowers, pollen production (think sperm), fertilization and seed production. Walk into a field of flowers in Spring (if it ever gets here!). You will notice that there are many different flowers in the field – lupine, columbine, dandelions, daffodils, tulips etc etc. At first glance, all the blue lupine may look virtually the same. With closer observation, you may notice subtle differences in the color of the blue ones, the size of the flowers, the height of the plants, the shape of the leaves. Probably nothing really dramatic but slight differences just the same. We are looking at genetic diversity.

Remember your high school science class – TAXONOMY. That is the classification of plants and animals according to their natural relationship. The field of Taxonomy is still VERY fluid with great lack of agreement in many areas so I will take the liberty of wild over simplification here. Remember all those terms like kingdom, genus, phylum, variety, forma, subspecies, species? When we consider plants, the category GENUS is what we think of as “what plant is it?” The GENUS refers to a group of plants that all have certain structural characteristics different from all other plants. Take for example our lupine. There are different colors, heights, tolerance etc. (these are the different SPECIES and VARIETIES of lupines) but we can recognize every one of those different SPECIES as lupines despite the differences. So when you look at a seed catalog and see an add for seeds that say “lupinus perennis” or “lupinus polyphyllus” don’t be intimidated! The first word is the GENUS (the genus lupinus means that it is a lupine) and the second word is the SPECIES (perennis is a lupine with deep blue to purple flowers and the polyphyllus is a lupine with solid and bicolor flowers in all different colors). Plants are always listed in this way – GENUS first and SPECIES second. In the GENUS lipinus, there are around 200 different SPECIES and within the SPECIES there are different VARIETIES. Now SPECIES is probably the most hotly debated term in Taxonomy. In broad based general terms, in organisms that share genetic material through sexual reproduction – our plants – those that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring of both genders are considered to be close enough genetically to be considered as the same species. In another wild over simplification, lupines of one species (say tall yellow ones) CAN but usually don’t interbreed with lupines of another species (say short blue ones). Many biologists define species as populations of organisms with a HIGH LEVEL OF GENETIC SIMILARITY.

Let me make one more point before we move on. As we move down the taxonomic scale of difference in the GENUS lupinus (genus to species, to sub species to variety to forma), the visual differences between the lupines decrease but more importantly as we talk about plant genetics – THE GENETIC SIMILARITY INCREASES! This has important implications in plant breeding. Here, I will dramatically oversimplify. Over the millennia of plant evolution, each GENUS of plant – such as our lupine – has developed a very deep level of genetic diversity carried within its chromosomal matrix. For a GENUS such as the lupine, there is the “genetic stability” that will assure that the  offspring of each fertilization event between individuals within the lupine GENUS will  remain a lupine. But, also within that genetic code is the diversity that has created the almost 200 different SPECIES of lupine. Remember the idea of increasing genetic similarity as we move down the taxonomic scale? Well, if fertilization occurs between plants of the same SPECIES or VARIETY (which are very close genetically) the seeds and subsequent seedlings will virtually always be almost exactly like the parents. So in a field of lupines all of the same species/variety, if the wind fertilizes these lupines with the pollen of their fellow neighbors, the seeds and seedlings will continue to look like their parents year after year after year.  BUT, as we move UP the taxonomic scale (the genetic differences INCREASE), when fertilization occurs between lupines of say different SPECIES (by the wind or bees carrying pollen from different SPECIES of lupines from a far away field), this is where things get interesting! If fertilization occurs between lupines (or any plant) with substantial genetic differences (between different SPECIES) and seeds are produced, guess what has just happened? A HYBRID HAS BEEN CREATED!   THIS IS OPEN POLLINATION!! Nature doing its thing through the wind and the bees. Whether we are talking flowers or vegetables, these seeds and plants would be called Open Pollinated or HEIRLOOM!

We are gardeners, so let’s look at the implications of all the genetic stuff we have looked at to this point. You are an ancient farmer growing food for your family or clan. You are growing a variety of wheat that your family has been growing for decades. They and you collect some of the seed at the end of the year and plant it for next year’s crop. From what we have looked at, this ancient farmer is growing wheat of a single SPECIES or sub class low on the taxonomic scale of genetic diversity. We know this because the plants that come up year after year from the collected seed are virtually the same every year. There is “genetic stability” that has developed over the centuries of evolution of this particular VARIETY. But, one year, a big wind blows in and carries pollen from a field of corn miles away that has developed into a different SPECIES over the centuries. The farmer obviously isn’t aware of this process and collects his seeds as usual to plant next year. Next season, some of the plants that come up are bigger, stronger and more productive. He’s psyched! Of course, he collects seed from these new and better plants and saves it to plant next year. But when he plants it next year and waits with wild anticipation for his new and improved crop, he is completely disappointed when the plants look nothing like the big, strong plants he collected seed from the previous year. What has happened? He doesn’t know it but he has been introduced to the excruciatingly complex, frustrating and unpredictable world of hybridization and plant breeding.

When the pollen from the different SPECIES of corn blew in from miles away and fertilized some of his corn plants and produced seed, little did he know that what had developed was a HYBRID (remember the cross pollination of plants with genetically different parents, i.e. different SPECIES). When he planted the collected seed the next year and saw the bigger, stronger, more productive corn plants what he was seeing were the F1 hybrid plants. The F1 refers to the First Familial generation of plants. The plants that result from the mating of the two genetically different parents. Then, he saved the seeds from these F1 plants (that may have been fertilized by the pollen from the variety of corn he had been growing for decades or self pollinated or by pollen from the other F1 plants). Next year he planted the seeds from these F1 hybrids and plants grew. But now, these are the F2 plant generation. For that ancient farmer and modern growers, the lessons are the same. First, when plants are HYBRIDIZED either by nature or by man, one never knows what the result will be. Second, you very well may see beneficial and sought after new traits in the F1 generation. Third, trying to save the seeds from F1 plants, planting them and trying to replicate the traits in the F2 generation is virtually impossible. Genetics take over and all those terms you vaguely remember from high school (genetic drift, dominant genes, recessive genes etc) come into action. The positive traits disappear or new and totally bizarre traits develop. Or everything reverts back to the traits of the grandparent plants.

So, in the 19th century, scientists like Gregor Mendel started to develop a new field of science – plant genetics. They began to understand how plants reproduced and how traits were passed down to offspring. And, perhaps more importantly, they began to experiment with how to manipulate genetics to produce plants with specific beneficial characteristics. That research continues today at a feverish pace! Why? Just think of the flower market. Breed a new flower that is drop dead gorgeous and it very well may be worth millions. Develop a new super tomato variety (like Burpee’s Big Boy) and wait for the dollars to start flowing in.

But, as we have just seen, it is not all as easy as just taking the pollen from a species with a nice red flower and fertilizing the flower of a species with a white flower and getting a beautiful pink flowered plant. Today, breeders use an arsenal of instruments and techniques to TRY to develop those elusive winners. I could spend hours talking about purebred lines, inbred lines, sibling-sibling crosses, alleles, heterosis or hybrid vigor, and on and on. But no need after all we have talked about above. Just understand that breeders spend great amounts of time and money trying to manipulate the processes we have talked about in nature. These breeders act as a sophisticated dating service and fertilization clinic for the plant world. Bringing together perceived “perfect matches” to produce sought after offspring. Bigger tomatoes, redder flowers, greater disease resistance, better heat tolerance etc. Most of the work is done in controlled greenhouses. Fertilization between carefully selected “GENETICALLY DIFFERENT” (i.e. different species) parent plants is done by hand. Complex cross and inbreeding is done to develop very specific and predictable genetic traits in the parent plants. Then, when the parents have the desired level of genetic predictability for the traits trying to be passed on to the offspring, careful hand pollination is done. Then, it may take years to reach the point where the F1 seeds produced from these super bred parents have a level of genetic predictability so they can be confidently produced and sold to the public.

So, you are looking at your seed catalog and see a tomato you like the looks of. Big, red, tasty, juicy and it is called Brandywine. It is described as an HEIRLOOM. You now know that this means that it is an OPEN POLLINATED variety. You can plant it and it will be ALMOST like all the other Brandywine tomatoes that will grow from these seeds being offered. AND, you can save the seeds from a tomato and plant them next year and all those plants will be ALMOST like the ones you grew this year. They may very well be pollinated by a different variety tomato in the neighborhood but have enough built in genetic stability to produce seed that will grow plants ALMOST exactly like itself next year. BUT, they will vary some and perhaps not for the better.

Then, you see another variety advertised. It says it is very productive, great taste, very disease resistant, resistant to cracking, perfect shape, smooth skinned and described as perhaps the best tomato ever developed. It is Big Beef F1. You now know that it is the hybrid seed of a complex, manipulated breeding process. It is, by the way, a GREAT tomato. It will produce far better than Brandywine. The fruit is far more appealing and marketable. It is far more disease resistant than Brandywine. BUT, you can not save the seed to plant next year. Well, you can but you will NOT get another set of plants like you got this year. Remember, the F1 generation of hybridization is where all the beneficial traits show up. If you try to produce an F2 generation from saved seeds there is no telling what you will get.

So, which one do you buy? What are the implications of using F1 hybrids if any? Do F1 hybrids threaten the environment? I will not try to make your decision for you. Do hybrids have a place in commercial and home food production? Unquestionably – yes. There have been many new F1 varieties that have greatly improved the productivity, disease resistance, drought tolerance, appearance, marketability, color, flavor and enjoyment of the food we produce and eat. Hybrids bear NO relationship to GMO plants and are NOT related to Organic or non-organic. The greatest concern over the use of hybrid plants and seeds revolves around the issue of bio-diversity. The seeds from hybrid plants cannot be saved and used to produce crops the next year. This is good news for the seed breeders and seed companies but not so good for the farmer. The farmer must buy new seed each year. Because the creation of hybrid plants and seed depends on creating super bred parent plants that may not even be able to survive in the wild, if we just use hybrid seed there is the danger that open pollinated seed stock could disappear. Another great concern is that if farmers just plant millions of acres of a particular hybrid variety, a new strain of a bacteria or virus could appear that might wipe out the entire food crop (this has happened before). In a field of open pollinated plants, there is a much greater level of genetic diversity that could well mean that some of the plants have or could develop a natural resistance to the new bacteria or virus. And it is in the genetic code of open pollinated plants where the bio-diversity of the world’s plant resources lies. To lose that diversity could be catastrophic! Most prudent growers suggest that a strategy of using a mix of open pollinated seed and plant stock AND hybrids is the answer. Enjoy the wonderful benefits and beauty that results from modern plant breeding techniques. At the same time, make sure to also plant, buy and use open pollinated varieties. Save the seeds. Share the seeds. Support the companies and organizations dedicated to preserving the genetic diversity of our plant world.

If you get the catalogs from three of the most respected seed/plant companies in the country – Johnny’s, High Mowing and Seeds of Change – you will see that they carry BOTH open pollinated and Hybrid seed.

This leaves us with the last type of seed/plants to consider, GM – genetically modified – which produce GMO’s or genetically modified organisms. Instead of trying to develop desired traits through the manipulation of breeding in the greenhouse, the EXACT traits desired are created through the use of the latest techniques in molecular biology. For example, a plant geneticist may wish to develop a particular plant variety with a high drought tolerance. He/she can look at a totally different plant species with high drought tolerance, identify the GENE in that species that imparts drought resistance, take the gene out of that plant and actually insert it into the genetic material of the plant he/she wishes to make more drought tolerant. The gene will impart drought tolerance to the new plant – quickly, accurately and with much less expense. And it doesn’t stop there! Want a plant more tolerant to the cold? Take an “anti-freeze” gene out of a cold-water fish and insert it into the plant. Want a plant that will produce its own insecticide? Take the lethal to larvae crystal protein gene out of the naturally occurring bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis (B.t.) and insert it into corn. The possibilities are almost endless.

What are some of the benefits of GMO’s? Greater pest resistance which translates into higher yields and more people fed. Herbicide tolerance which could lead to a decreased use of herbicides in the field (although recent studies indicate that the exact opposite might be happening). Greater disease resistance. Cold tolerance. Drought tolerance. Increased nutrition (such as with “golden rice” with increased vitamin A to decrease blindness in many third world countries). Medicines and vaccines might be able to be genetically produced in and be delivered by edible plants such as potatoes and tomatoes.

What are some of the real and possible negative effects? Genes that produce such compounds as insecticides and herbicides might cause unintended harm to other organisms. For example, lethal to larvae compounds produced by B.t. inserted genes can be lethal to ALL larvae, those of beneficial bugs and not just corn borers. The development of “super bugs” or “super weeds” that  become resistant to the genetically inserted gene production of insecticides or herbicides. Glyphosate resistant weeds are already a problem in many areas.  The transfer, through cross breeding, of these inserted genes to other plants presents more than a biological problem to farmers around the world. There have been many lawsuits brought by GM seed producers against farmers for “patent infringement”. This occurs when the farmer’s open pollinated crops have become cross pollinated by “patented” genetically modified crops used by neighboring farmers. The possible development of allergies to these new GMO’s. All those unknown possible effects on the human genetic matrix.

What choices have we made here at HEALTHY HOME HARVEST LLC? First, you know that we are totally committed to growing food and seedlings using environmentally conscious, low carbon footprint, “organic”, fossil free growing techniques. We DO choose certified organic seeds whenever they are available as a choice. We DO NOT use treated seeds for any vegetable seedling, herb or edible crop – EVER! We DO choose to use many proven varieties of open pollinated seeds. We DO use many varieties of F1 hybrid seeds to offer you some of the best known, highly productive, disease resistant vegetable varieties known to man. We DO encourage you to support companies and organizations that strive to maintain the genetic diversity of the world’s plant resources. Because of the great amount of controversy and lack of sound science on the long term impact of GMO’s in the natural world, we have chosen to NEVER USE GM seeds or GMO’s for any vegetable seedlings, herbs or edible crop. I will not speak for them, but the three highly respected seed companies mentioned – Johnny’s Selected Seeds, High Mowing and Seeds of Change – do not sell any GM seed or GMO’s.

So get those seed catalogs out and start planning that garden. This will be a great year!

Follow up – Winter Blues

Due to a little glitch in the last newsletter, a follow-up to my earlier comments on Seasonal Affective Disorder, depression and vitamin D3 did not get included.  I don’t have cable television and only watch a very limited amount of Public Television. But they do present some extremely worth while programming. Currently, they are presenting a series called THIS EMOTIONAL LIFE. The first segment is called FACING YOUR FEARS. It deals with the recent research findings on the biologic, hormonal, environmental and neurological roots of depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. New methods of treatment and therapeutic intervention are also covered. I HIGHLY recommend you searching this program out either on Public Television or the web.

Until Next Time,

The Healthy Home Harvest team
feedback@healthyhomeharvest.com

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News & Events

Newmarket Farmers Market

When: Saturday, February 20th from 9:00am until 1:00pm.

Where: The Stone Church, Newmarket NH.

The February 20 Newmarket Farmers Market is going to be exciting; as we hope to unveil our first ever winter crop of Shiitake mushrooms!  As always, we will have some of our oyster mushrooms along with bags of various fresh-picked winter greens and herbs.  Dr. Tomato and James will be there, as always, to answer any of your gardening and growing questions.

The venue is small and intimate. The vendors are diverse, enthusiastic and friendly. There is great food available and some very talented live musicians provide first class entertainment. The feeling is more like a family gathering than a trip to the local store. We look forward to seeing you at the next Newmarket Farmers Market!

For those of you not familiar with Newmarket, the Stone Church is up on the hill behind the Post Office in downtown Newmarket. This is our favorite farmers market! Good atmosphere, live music, some wonderful vendors, good food and a variety of  products. See you there!

Mushroom Update

Many of you have been asking if we were going to be able to produce more of our widely renowned mushrooms to meet your ever expanding demand. Well, you asked for it and it is here. Starting in about a week, we will be dramatically increasing our growing capacity AND adding several new varieties. Growing mushrooms successfully is a demanding process that requires a great deal of precision. Our new growing chamber will allow us to offer you our unsurpassed, organically grown gourmet mushrooms in quantities that should meet your culinary logistic demands! New varieties will include Shiitake (yes, Shiitake mushrooms year round!), Lion’s Mane and probably Beech Mushrooms. We are planning to offer the first wave of new varieties at the Newmarket Farmers’ Market to be held February 20th at the Stone Church in Newmarket. Come visit us and the other vendors. I’ve said it before – THIS IS A GREAT MARKET! The Newmarket Farmers’ Market – New Hampshire’s FIRST and ONLY year round Farmers’ Market!

Website Updates

We will be updating our products section on our website soon to reflect a more detailed look at what we have to offer.  We will also be adding new photos of our “Solar Mother Ship”, our recently constructed “Hobbit House” and more!

Gardening Forum – Thank you

Dr. Tomato would like to thank the Farmington Public Library and community for a fun and enthusiastic gardening forum last night.  He’s looking forward to seeing our Farmington friends again soon. Farmington Library is trying to make their gardening forum an ongoing event for the community.  They have some fun and educational events coming up.  Be sure to check them out. We’ll keep you posted in the next newsletters.

How To:

What is the best way to ask Dr. Tomato and James plant and gardening questions?

If you’re on Facebook, you can find us at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Healthy-Home-Harvest-LLC/136954101375?ref=sgm where you can interact with us and ask questions right on our page.  If you’re not on Facebook, you can email us at healthyhomeharvest@live.com.

Dr. Tomato also makes a lot of appearances around the Seacoast in the late winter and spring time.  Check for updates on the website and in the newsletters for when and where he will be holding his Plant Clinics, and ask him your questions personally!

Questions from Readers

Question:

I notice on Facebook and your website that you guys are already planting seeds for the spring.  Should I be planting my veggie seeds now, like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, carrots?

Answer:

Well, unless you have a greenhouse or south-facing sunroom that doesn’t go below 40 degrees at night, I would suggest waiting a bit longer.  We have the advantage of a greenhouse that is really warm and sunny.  Also, we are sowing a lot of herbs, perennials, annuals and a few veggies at the moment, but we wait until spring to really begin sowing a lot of summer veggie plants.  Certain things you mentioned, like cukes are really quick growing and can be sown a few weeks before putting outdoors, if not sown directly into the garden.  Carrots should not be transplanted, therefore sow them directly in your garden in late May.  Tomatoes and peppers can be started in late April, providing you have a south facing window, slider, or some other area that gets maximum sunlight.  Starting your seeds to early in your house can be a hazard, as often times the conditions are too warm and not enough light.  If combine with too much constant standing water, the seedlings will stretch out and produce tiny leaves.

About the Newsletter

The Healthy Home Harvest newsletter is a bi-weekly publication which consists of news, events, how-to and reader submitted questions.

If you have any questions or feedback, please email us at feedback@healthyhomeharvest.com