Who Owns Who? Where and How Monsanto Has Their Sticky Little Fingers In the Home Garden Seed Industry

(Originally Published 9/24/11, Updated 12/1/15)

“Hi Horticulture Talk People,

I am starting to plan my garden for 2012 and I’ve been trying to not plant any varieties that are GMOs or related to Monsanto.  The problem is that I recently found out that the seed I get from seed catalogs and at the store are not grown by the company I bought them from.  They buy the seed in and repackage it.  How can I know I’m not supporting Monsanto if I am buying from a seed catalog?  If I avoid hybrids, will I be okay?

Thank you,

Stewart”

_________________________________________________________

Hi Stewart,

Thank you for emailing HorticultureTalk on Gmail with your question on Monsanto.  I completely understand your hesitancy in growing you garden without knowing where your seed comes from.

What you have been told is true: most mail order seed companies are a repackaging plant.  They purchase seed in bulk form.  In terms of seeds that are like dust (like Begonias), a ‘bulk’ packet may be a gram or ounce of seed that has 50000 seeds in it.  For larger seeded varieties (cucumbers, peas, beans, corn, etc.), bulk is a collection of 50 or 100 pound bags of seed.

Like any repacking company whether it be food, paper, or seeds, the markup on seed is… extraordinary!  When you buy a packet of seed, keep in mind that an open pollinated variety costs the seed company about 1% or less of what you are paying for it.  For hybrids, the cost is about 5% of what you are paying.

Now, you might be thinking that a seed company would want to be selling more open pollinated varieties because they can make an extra 4% for their profits.  And unfortunately, you would be wrong.  Large corporate seed producers, like Monsanto and their home garden seed market subsidiary, Seminis, pay for their place on a catalog page or website.  As a person that used to be involved in brokering deals like this, I can tell you that Monsanto wants to be front and center.  If you have a page that features your ‘best’ or ‘customer favorite’ varieties, they must have at least 50% of the varieties represented there.  You cannot put their product on the bottom of the page or in the ‘thumblap’ area, where a customer’s thumbs may cover information on the page if they are holding the catalog on the side edges.

Unfortunately, many people think that Monsanto owns mail order seed companies because they don’t understand the inner workings of how this industry runs.  If you look around on the internet, you are going to find a TON of websites and Facebook groups that say that there are a bunch of companies that are owned by Monsanto.  It’s not true, and likely someone that is a know-it-all (that doesn’t really know it all) started that rumor.  In truth, the companies are ‘owned’ by Monsanto by having the premium given for page space advertising.

In addition to this, if you work with a mail order seed company, you are not supposed to refer to the company as Monsanto to any customer (and probably even to your coworkers) because it puts the seed ‘in a bad light’.  When Seminis was still its own company, it was bring out new varieties left and right.  Monsanto bought them and then new varieites kind of dribbled out until about 2006 or 2007.  After that, instead of new things, it was ‘we have dropped these major-selling varieties’.  Great examples of this are Giant Valentine Tomato, Ichiban Eggplant, and Table Queen Acorn Squash.

Saying that you are going to avoid any and all hybrids will, unfortunately, not address the problem because some of the varieties offered in the Seminis line are open pollinated varieties.

When Monsanto purchased Seminis in 2005, they acquired the rights to a number of open pollinated — many of which were considered ‘nearly’ heirlooms.  In the time since, Monsanto has cut out a number of the open pollinated varieties — which is a blessing because at least we can knock those off our list for our gardens and have less to do with them.

Additionally, you should check out my other articles on what seed companies have a loving relationship with Monsanto/Seminis and what companies are owned by other companies (many you may have guessed and others will surprise you).

So, what varieties to avoid?  If you want to be completely Monsanto- and Seminis-free in your garden, the following is a list of varieties that you need to avoid.  Please note that those that are hybrids are not noted as the information is not provided on Monsanto’s website.

Beans

• Alicante
• Banga
• Brio
• Bronco
• Cadillac
• Carlo
• Ebro
• Eureka
• EX 08120703
• Excalibur
• Fandango
• Festina
• Firstmate
• Gina
• Gold Dust
• Gold Mine
• Golden Child
• Goldrush
• Grenoble
• Hercules
• Labrador
• Lynx
• Magnum
• Matador
• Opus
• Pony Express
• Romano Gold
• Sea Biscuit
• Secretariat
• Serin
• Slenderpack
• Spartacus
• Storm
• Strike
• Stringless Blue Lake 7
• Sunburst
• Tapia
• Teggia
• Tema
• Thoroughbred
• Titan
• Ulysses
• Unidor
• Valentino

Broccoli:

• Castle
• Captain
• Contributor
• Coronado Crown
• General
• Heritage
• Iron
• Ironman
• Legacy
• Major
• Packman
• Revolution
• Tlaloc
• Tradition

Cabbage

• Atlantis
• Blue Dynasty
• Constelation
• Golden Acre (RS)
• Headstart
• Platinum Dynasty
• Red Dynasty
• Tropicana

Carrots

• Abledo
• Achieve
• Cellobunch
• Dominion
• Enterprise
• Envy
• Legend
• Propeel
• PS 07101441
• PS 07101603
• Tastypeel

Cauliflower

• Cheddar
• Cielo Blanco
• Cornell
• Freedom
• Fremont
• Juneau
• Minuteman
• Whistler

Cucumbers (Pickling)

• Arabian
• Colt
• Eureka
• Expedition
• PowerPak
• Vlaspik
• Vlasset
• Vlasstar

Cucumbers (Slicing)

• Babylon
• Cool Breeze or Cool Breeze Improved
• Conquistador
• Dasher II
• Emparator
• Eureka
• Fanfare or Fanfare HG
• Indy
• Intimidator
• Marketmore 76
• Mathilde
• Moctezuma
• Orient Express II
• Pearl
• Poinsett 76
• Rockingham
• Salad Bush
• Speedway
• Sweet Slice
• Sweet Success PS
• Talladega
• Thunder
• Thunderbird
• Turbo

Dry Beans

• Black Velvet
• Cabernet
• Chianti
• Etna
• Hooter
• Mariah
• Medicine Hat
• Pink Panther
• Red Rover
• Windbreaker

Eggplant

• Black Beauty
• Fairy Tale
• Gretel
• Hansel
• Ichiban (discontinued in 2010 and not supposed to be found for sale anywhere, yet many Mom and Pop greenhouses in my area still supposedly sell them.  Find out more in this article and the comments that follow it.)
• Lavender Touch
• Twinkle
• White Lightning

Lettuce

• Annie
• Braveheart
• Bubba
• Conquistador
• Coyote
• Del Oro
• Desert Spring
• Grizzly
• Honcho II
• Javelina
• Mohawk
• Raider
• Sahara
• Sharpshooter
• Sniper
• Sure Shot
• Top Billings
• Valley Heart

Melon

• Cabrillo
• Caravelle
• Colima
• Cristobal
• Destacado
• Durango
• Earli-Dew
• Earlisweet
• Fastbreak
• Honey Dew Green Flesh
• Hy-Mark
• Laredo
• Magellan
• Mission
• Moonshine
• Roadside
• Santa Fe
• Saturno
• Zeus

Onion

• Abilene
• Affirmed
• Aspen
• Barbaro
• Belmar
• Bunker
• Caballero
• Candy
• Cannonball
• Century
• Ceylon
• Champlain
• Charismatic
• Cirrus
• Cougar
• Exacta
• Fortress
• Gelma
• Golden Spike
• Goldeneye
• Grateful Red
• Hamlet
• Joliet
• Leona
• Mackenzie
• Marquette
• Mercedes
• Mercury
• Montblanc
• Nicolet
• Orizaba
• Pecos
• Rainier
• Red Zeppelin
• Savannah Sweet
• Sierra Blanca
• Sterling
• Swale
• Tioga
• Verrazano
• Vision

Peppers (Hot)

• Anaheim TMR 23
• Ancho San Martin
• Aquiles
• Ballpark
• Big Bomb
• Biggie Chile brand of Sahuaro
• Cardon
• Caribbean Red
• Cayenne Large Red Thick
• Cherry Bomb
• Chichen Itza
• Chichimeca
• Cocula
• Corcel
• Coyame
• Fresnillo
• Garden Salsa SG
• Grande
• Habanero
• Holy Mole brand of Salvatierra
• Hot Spot (with X3R)
• Hungarian Yellow Wax Hot
• Inferno
• Ixtapa X3R
• Kukulkan
• Lapid
• Major League
• Mariachi brand of Rio de Oro
• Mesilla
• Milta
• Mucho Nacho brand of Grande
• Nainari
• Nazas
• Papaloapan
• Perfecto
• PS 11435807
• PS 11435810
• PS 11446271
• Rebelde
• Rio de Oro
• Sahuaro
• Salvatierra
• Santa Fe Grande
• Sayula (with X3R)
• Serrano del Sol brand of Tuxtlas
• Super Chili
• Tajin
• Tam Vera Cruz
• Time Bomb
• Tula
• Tuxtlas
• Vencedor
• Victorioso

Peppers (Sweet)

• Baron
• Bell Boy
• Big Bertha PS
• Biscayne
• Blushing Beauty
• Bounty
• California Wonder 300
• Camelot
• Capistrano
• Cherry Pick
• Chocolate Beauty
• Corno Verde
• Cubanelle W
• Dumpling brand of Pritavit
• Early Sunsation
• Flexum
• Fooled You brand of Dulce
• Giant Marconi
• Gypsy
• Jumper
• Key West (with X3R)
• King Arthur (formerly Fat n Sassy)
• North Star
• Orange Blaze
• Pimiento Elite
• Red Knight (with X3R)
• Satsuma
• Socrates (with X3R)
• Super Heavyweight
• Sweet Spot (with X3R)

Pumpkins

• Applachian
• Buckskin
• Harvest Moon
• Jamboree HG
• Longface
• Orange Smoothie
• Phantom
• Prizewinner
• Rumbo
• Snackface
• Spirit
• Spooktacular
• Trickster
• Wyatt’s Wonder

Spinach

• Avenger
• Barbados
• Hellcat
• Interceptor
• Tigercat

Squash (Summer)

• Ambassador
• Clarita
• Commander
• Conqueror III
• Consul R
• Daisey
• Depredador
• Dixie
• Embassy
• Gemma
• Gold Rush
• Goldbar
• Goldfinger
• Grey Zucchini
• Greyzini
• Independence II
• Judgement III
• Justice III
• Lemondrop
• Liberator III
• Lolita
• Papaya Pear
• Patriot II
• Patty Green Tinit
• Patty Pan
• Portofino
• Prelude II
• President
• ProGreen
• Quirinal
• Radiant
• Richgreen Hybrid
• Senator
• Storr’s Green
• Sungreen
• Sunny Delight
• Sunray
• Terminator
• XPT 1832 III

Squash (Winter)

• Autumn Delight
• Butternut Supreme
• Canesi
• Early Butternut
• Pasta
• Taybelle PM

Sweet Corn

• Absolute
• Devotion
• EX 08745857R
• EX 08767143
• Fantasia
• Merit
• Obsession
• Obsession II
• Passion
• Passion II
• Seneca Arrowhead
• Sensor
• Synergy
• Temptation
• Temptation II
• Vitality

Tomato

• Amsterdam
• Apt 410
• Beefmaster
• Better Boy
• Big Beef
• Biltmore
• Burpee’s Big Boy
• Caramba
• Celebrity
• Crown Jewel
• Cupid
• Debut
• Empire
• Flora-Dade
• Flirida 47 R
• Florida 91
• Granny Smith
• Healthy Kick
• Heatmaster
• Huichol
• Husky Cherry Red
• Hybrid 46
• Hybrid 882
• Hypeel 108
• Hypeel 303
• Hypeel 849
• Jetsetter brand of Jack
• Lemon Boy
• Margherita
• Margo
• Marmande VF PS
• Marmara
• Maya
• Patio
• Phoenix
• Picus
• Pik Ripe 748
• Pink Girl
• Poseidon 43
• PS 01522935
• PS 01522942
• PS 345
• PS 438
• Puebla
• Quincy
• Roma VF
• Royesta
• Sanibel
• Seri
• Sunbrite
• SunChief
• SunGuard
• Sunoma
• SunShine
• Sunstart
• Sunsugar
• Super Marzano
• Sweet Baby Girl
• Tiffany
• Tye Dye
• Tygress
• Viva Italia
• Yaqui

Watermelon

• Apollo
• Charleston Grey
• Companion
• Cooperstown
• Crimson Glory
• Crimson Sweet
• Cronos
• Delta
• Eureka
• Fenway
• Jade Star
• Majestic
• Mickylee
• Olympia
• Omega
• Regency
• Royal Jubilee
• Royal Sweet
• Sentinel
• Starbrite
• Star Gazer
• Stars ‘n’ Stripes
• Tiger Baby
• Wrigley

 

*************************************************************************

© Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk!, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk! with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

All-America Selections’ Winners for 2015

Reblogged with permission of the National Garden Bureau:

All-America Selections Announces the First Vegetatively Propagated AAS Winners After more than eighty years of trialing only seed-propagated varieties, All-America Selections (AAS) began trialing vegetatively propagated varieties early this year. With the 2014 trial season now completed, AAS is pleased and honored to grant the AAS Winner status to two impatiens that performed exceptionally well in the AAS container trials for vegetatively propagated annuals. The two Vegetative Winners are: Impatiens SunPatiens® Spreading Shell Pink Impatiens Bounce™ Pink Flame PPAF ‘Balboufink’ In addition, there are an impressive ten seed varieties that have earned the AAS Winner designation: Regional Winners are: Pepper Hot Sunset F1 (Southeast, Heartland and Great Lakes) Tomato Chef’s Choice Pink F1 (Southeast and Great Lakes) National Winners are: Basil Dolce Fresca Pepper Emerald Fire F1 Pepper Flaming Flare F1 Pepper Pretty N Sweet F1 Squash Bossa Nova F1 Squash Butterscotch F1 Petunia Trilogy Red F1 Salvia Summer Jewel White “The AAS Judges, Board of Directors and staff are extremely excited to enter this new phase where we are now representing a wider cross section of the horticulture industry. This ushers in a whole new facet of our national trialing program.” states AAS President Ron Cramer. With this announcement, these varieties become available for immediate sale. You will find these Winners for sale in the coming months as supply becomes available from suppliers. AAS Winners will also be available as young plants in lawn & garden retail stores next spring, in time for the 2015 gardening season. A complete list of trial grounds and judges can be found here. A complete list of all AAS Winners since 1932 can be found here. Note that the AAS Winners are now sortable by Flowers from Seed, Flowers from Cuttings and Vegetables. Page down for more details on each new AAS Winner: Impatiens SunPatiens® Spreading Shell Pink AAS Vegetative Ornamental Winner The unique genetics of SunPatiens® Spreading Shell Pink delivers unsurpassed garden performance with season-long, soft pink flowers that never slow down. Strong roots take hold quickly after transplanting and these impatiens thrive under high heat, rain and humidity. The AAS Judges loved these vigorous spreading plants that keep their shape all summer, plus, they do just as well in full sun as in shade. These low-maintenance plants are perfect for gardeners looking for impatiens that are resistant to downy mildew. Available in plant form only. Impatiens Bounce™ Pink Flame PPAF ‘Balboufink’ AAS Vegetative Ornamental Winner  Bounce impatiens provides gardeners with shade garden confidence. Bounce looks like an Impatiens walleriana in habit, flower form and count, but is completely downy mildew resistant, which means this impatiens will last from spring all the way through fall. Bounce Pink Flame boasts of a massive amount of stunning, bright pink bicolor blooms with tons of color to brighten your garden, be it in shade or sun. And caring for impatiens has never been easier: just add water and they’ll “bounce” right back! Available in plant form only. Pepper Hot Sunset F1 AAS Regional Winner (Southeast, Heartland and Great Lakes) For banana, or wax pepper lovers who desire a prolific and earlier harvest of delicious and spicy (650 Scoville units) fruits, Hot Sunset is for you. Large, healthy, vigorous plants are disease-free and produce tasty and attractive fruits all season-long. The AAS Trial judges noted what a great taste this thick-walled pepper has, not like other hot peppers where all you get is heat. We think this tasty morsel should be featured on a TV cooking show where chefs compete to bring out the best in this goodie! Whether it’s prepared fresh, grilled, roasted or pickled, it’s sure to win over even the most particular foodie! Tomato Chef’s Choice PInk F1 AAS Regional Winner (Southeast, Great Lakes) First we introduced Chef’s Choice Orange as an All-America Selections Winner and now we have her sister, Chef’s Choice Pink–another tasty beauty in beefsteak tomatoes. Indeterminate potato leaf plants yield large (often more than one pound) fruits with a sweet, meaty flesh. This hybrid is easier to grow than most beefsteaks so don’t be timid, give it a try. The reward will be healthy disease-resistant plants and a large harvest of tasty, attractive pink fleshed tomatoes reminiscent of heirloom varieties. Basil Dolce Fresca AAS National Winner If there was an AAS category for an edible plant with ornamental value, this AAS Winner would fit that classification. Dolce Fresca produces sweet tender leaves that outshone the comparison varieties while maintaining an attractive, compact shape that’s both versatile and beautiful. Use the leaves as you would any Genovese basil and we hear it makes an excellent pesto. After harvest, the plant was quick to recover and kept the desired ornamental shape that’s perfect for containers, borders or as a focal point. Great for gardeners looking for drought tolerant, hearty plants, foodies interested in a new and better basil and anyone who wants that Mediterranean taste added to their cuisine. Pepper Emerald Fire F1 AAS National Winner A grill master’s delight! At 2,500 Scoville units, this is the hottest pepper in this year’s pepper winners but it boasts extra large and very tasty jalapeno fruits that are perfect for stuffing, grilling or using in salsa. Emerald Fire produces gorgeous, glossy green peppers with thick walls that have very little cracking, even after maturing to red. Gardeners will appreciate the prolific fruit set on compact plants that resist disease better than other similar varieties on the market. Pepper Flaming Flare F1 AAS National Winner Most Fresno peppers are considered rather finicky plants that typically grow better in warm and dry climates. The fact that Flaming Flare is an AAS National Winner means it performed well in all AAS trial sites. The fruit is ideal for making chili sauces and the heat of that sauce will increase depending on how late in the season the peppers are harvested. Flaming Flare is an exceptional pepper that was sweeter tasting than similar Fresno types and consistently produced larger fruits and more peppers per plant. Yet another AAS Winner that culinary gardeners should consider for their kitchen gardens. Pepper Pretty N Sweet F1 AAS National Winner Look…in the garden! Is it an ornamental pepper? Is it edible? Yes to both! Now we can tell consumers that an ornamental pepper CAN be eaten and it tastes fantastic! It’s time for new terminology to describe this multi-purpose plant…how about an “Ornamedible?” Pretty N Sweet is just that: a sweet, multi-colored pepper on a compact 18” plant that is attractive to use in ornamental gardens and containers. Against the comparisons, Pretty N Sweet was earlier, more prolific and has a much sweeter taste with more substantial pepper walls to enjoy fresh or in your favorite pepper dish. Squash Bossa Nova F1 AAS National Winner The beautiful dark and light green mottled exterior of this zucchini is more pronounced than other varieties on the market, which sets it apart and makes the fruits easier to see during a long and prolific harvest. Compact plants produce fruits earlier in the season and continue producing for three weeks longer than comparison varieties. During taste tests, the AAS Judges deemed the smooth flesh texture and sweet, mild taste much improved over other summer squash. Culinary gardeners will delight in adding this variety to their 2015 vegetable plans. Squash Butterscotch F1 AAS National Winner This adorable small-fruited butternut squash has an exceptionally sweet taste and at just 1.25 pounds, is the perfect size for just one or two servings. Compact vines are space-saving for smaller gardens or those who just want to fit more plants into the space they have. This is another AAS Winners that is perfect for container gardens and will resist powdery mildew later in the season. Culinary tip from a squash enthusiast: pierce the skin then microwave whole squash for about 12 minutes, cut in half, spoon out the seeds, and enjoy! Petunia Trilogy Red F1 AAS National Winner The Trilogy petunia has a new color with this stunningly rich, vibrant red version! Trilogy petunias are known for their compact dome-shaped habit sporting large non-fading blooms throughout the season. The plants cover and recover themselves in upright blooms providing a constant mass of color in flower beds, baskets, and containers. Gardeners in high heat areas will appreciate the heat-tolerance of this variety and all gardeners will like how quickly Trilogy recovers after a rain. Salvia Summer Jewel White AAS National Winner A third color in the popular Summer Jewel series, white brings a much-needed color to compact salvias. This dwarf sized, compact plant has a prolific bloom count throughout the summer. As a bonus, the blooms appear almost two weeks earlier than other white salvias used as comparisons. Judges noted how the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds loved the larger flowers, making it perfect for a pollinator garden. Because of the compactness and number of flowers, Summer Jewel White is great for large landscaped areas, as well as containers and small beds. Other recently announced AAS Winners: National Winners:                                                                    Regional Winners: Angelonia Serenita Pink F1                                            Brussels Sprouts Hestia F1 Bean Mascotte                                                               Cucumber Parisian Gherkin F1 Gaura Sparkle White                                                     Cucumber Pick-A-Bushel F1 Impatiens New Guinea Florific Sweet Orange F1           Cucumber Saladmore Bush F1 Lettuce Sandy                                                               Eggplant Patio Baby F1 Tomato Fantastico F1                                                   Pak Choi  Bopak F1 Tomato Chef’s Choice Orange F1                       . Ornamental Pepper NuMex Easter F1                          Penstemon Arabesque Red F1 Osteospermum Akila Daisy White F1                           Pepper  Giant Ristra F1 Osteospermum Akila Daisy White F1                           Pepper Sweet Sunset F1 Pepper Mama Mia Gaillo F1                                         Pumpkin Cinderella’s Carriage F1 Pepper Mama Mia Gaillo F1                                         Radish Rivoli Petunia African Sunset F1                                           Sunflower Suntastic Yellow with Black Center F1 Radish Roxanne                                                          Tomato Mountain Merit F1

Early Blight on King Arthur Peppers

“Mertie,   Could You please look at the photos and tell Me what this is and what I can do to fix it or save some of them I have about 800 Plants not all of them are as bad as others. Please hurry with a answer.

Thanks Duane”

________________________________________________________________________________

Hi Duane,

Thank you for the email and photos regarding the problems you have been having with your peppers.  Based on the photos, it looks like you have a pretty severe infestation of early blight.

Early blight(Alternaria solani) is a fungal pathogen that most commonly affects tomato and potato but it will also attack eggplant, pepper, horse nettle, black nightshade, wild cabbage, cucumber, petunia, and zinnia.  It produces a wide range of symptoms at all growth stages which include damping-off, collar rot, stem cankers, leaf blight, and fruit/tuber rot.

Seedlings grown from infested seeds damp off within 48 hours after emergence because large lesions develop at the ground line on stems of transplants or seedlings. Collar rot occurs when the young stem becomes girdled with dark lesions at the soil level.

For plants that grow to full size and/or are producing fruit/tubers, the infection occurs by inoculant in the soil that is splashed onto the leaf or stem by precipitation events.  The infected leaf has circular lesions of about 1.2 cm (1/2 inch) in diameter. Dark, concentric circles (circles with a common center) are found within these lesions. Infection usually begins on the lower, older leaves and progresses up the plant. Infected leaves eventually wilt, die, and fall off. Early blight lesions show a generally dry “bulls-eye” angular pattern that do not usually spread very far and rarely affect petiole tissue, as the progress of the fungus is stopped by the veins of the leaf.

An infected stem has small, dark, slightly sunken areas that enlarge to form circular or elongated spots with lighter-colored centers. Concentric markings, similar to those on leaves, often develop on stem lesions.

Infestation during the flowering stage of tomato causes the blossoms to drop. The fruit stems are spotted with lesions that lead to loss of the young fruits.

An infested pepper fruit will have dark, leathery sunken spots, usually at the point of the stem attachment or towards the bud scar. These spots may enlarge to involve the entire upper portion of the fruit, often showing concentric markings like those on leaves. Affected areas may be covered with velvety black masses of spores. Fruits can also be infected during the green or ripe stage through growth cracks and other wounds. Infected fruits often drop before reaching maturity.

Conditions that favor development:

1.    Infested plants nearby (tomatoes, potatoes, etc.)

2.    Unhealthy plants

3.    Plenty of weeds

4.    Over crowded plants that cause the poor flow of air among the plants

5.    Too much moisture during cool and warm weather

Prevention and control

1.    Proper selection of seeds for sowing/planting. Make sure that these are disease-free and not taken from plants that were previously infested by the early blight disease. (We make sure our seed is disease free)

2.    Plow under all the crop residues after harvest to physically remove the spore source from the topsoil.

3.    Practice crop rotation.  Fields/gardens should not be planted with tomato, potato, pepper, or eggplant for at least 2 cropping seasons so that these hosts are not present for the spores to thrive on.

4.    Remove weeds as these may serve as the alternate hosts.

5.    Practice the recommended plant spacing to promote good air circulation.

I hope this information helps you out.  If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

*************************************************************************

© Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk!, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk! with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Unsized Seed, Checking Hot Peppers, Grafted Tomatoes, and Pellet Ingredients: Obscure Gardening Info

“Hello Mertie,

I like your writing style and your dry humor. You seem to know a lot about seeds and plants, so I have a few questions for you.

1. What is unsized seeds? I’ve seen this in carrots, cole crops, and lettuce.

2. What is checking on a pepper?

3. Are grafted tomato plants worth the extra money and fuss?

4. What is the pellet on a seed made from? Is it safe for my organic garden?

Thank you for all your great articles,

Joe”

_______________________________________________________

Hi Joe,

Thanks for your questions and kind comments.  As for your questions:

1.  Unsized seed means that the seed has not been graded to a certain size. You often will see this with corn and other crops that are planted with equipment. When machinery was first brought about, your planter had a plate on it that required a certain size of seed. If your seed was to large, it would not go through the plate and would jam things up. If it was too small, the seed went through the plate too quickly and the seed spacing would be off.  For the smaller seeds like carrots, cole crops, and lettuce, it just means that some of the seed will be larger than others.  It doesn’t meant that some of the seeds (larger) will be better than others (smaller), so there are no worries with buying unsized seed.

2. Checking on a pepper is often seen on the –good– varieties of hot jalapeno peppers.  Checking can also be refered to as corking or cracking on peppers by gardeners, but the seed industry calls it checking and will often put the term in seed/plant descriptions.

Jalapenos naturally produce checks/corks/cracks in their skin. The characteristic checking which may appear undesirable (to gardening novices) when harvesting is nothing more than the fruit working towards maturity. When choosing jalapenos to harvest, note that the more mature fruits will have some checks around the stems. These checks should not be a cause for alarm as they are part of the fruit’s natural maturing process and any jalapenos with checking remain safe to eat, as the browned tissue of the fruit are not perforations but discolored, dried cells on the skin of the fruit.

Checking in the jalapeno skin can also be used to judge the heat of the fruit. Each jalapeno becomes hotter the longer it is allowed to mature. When the fruit is fully ripe, it is the hottest that the variety can produce. So, the more mature the jalapeno is, the more checks it has and the hotter the pepper will be. Chefs sometimes use the checking to determine which peppers have the greatest chance to be hot.

However, don’t be fooled into thinking that all jalapenos have checks. New hybrids that are being out on the market are being created to “look pretty” for the uninformed gardener.  Gardeners that don’t know much want a perfect green fruit, but then don’t understand why it is not hot. Well… they kind of go hand in hand…  =)

 

3.  Grafted tomatoes. Ha! To be honest, for most home gardeners, I don’t recommend them unless you have done your research and know that you really need them in your garden.

Grafted tomatoes (along with peppers, eggplants, and melons) started in the hydroponic industry to a.) reduce the amount of soil borne diseases, b.) reduce the need for crop rotation, and c.) increase the health and production of heirloom varieties. Soil borne diseases run rampant in hydroponic setups. And I am sure you are wondering why, as there is no soil. Well, 99.9% of soil borne diseases are caused by the presence of water at the wrong times.  Think of things like tomato blights: having wet leaves at night causes the blight, not the soil that it comes from.  Having a super-soil-borne-disease-resistant root stock allows for lower incidence of disease and less spraying.  This ties directly into crop rotation, as having issues with a disease in a particular hydroponic greenhouse results in the crop causing the issues to be moved to successive greenhouses (or other sections of the same greenhouse) over the next few years. If you are a smaller operation, you have to have numerous other crops (at least 3) to cycle with the disease causing crop so the same crop won’t be in the same place for at least 3 years.  Most often commercial growers graft the heirloom varieties to make them more tolerant of ‘unusual’ conditions. Most heirlooms were developed in someone’s backyard, where they were used to a nice breeze, good sun, and the occasional rain shower. Putting an heirloom into a hydroponic greenhouse is a shell shock to the plant. There are numerous ways for it to become diseased and the environment is starkly different than what it was originally adapted to.  Grafting an heirloom scion onto a disease resistant rootstock allows the plant to be less susceptable to disease and have a growth habit similar to a hybrid tomato. Also, heirlooms are said (by the industry) to produce less fruits per plant compared to hybrids (guess they never looked at the ones in my garden). Grafting increases the amount of fruits produced.  The extra cost of the graft is covered by the premium price that heirloom produce brings in.

So how does that translate to a home gardener?  If you have had problems with soil borne diseases in the past in your garden and it is not large enough to have a 4 year crop rotation or you grow only a couple plants, you may want to consider grafted vegetables. They are more expensive ($8-9 or more per plant), so you need to balance the cost with your gain. However, if you are someone that can rotate your crops, do not have severe disease issues, or you grow more than 2-3 tomato/pepper/etc. plants, I don’t recommend it. It’s just not worth it.  I don’t grow them in my garden and would never.

Also, from my experience, many home gardeners have had issues initially with the graft drying out if the plant is not kept well watered. With non-tomato grafted plants, the plant is completely dead.  With tomatoes, the scion of the plant dies and the rootstock may begin to grow.  If you are not keeping a close eye on your plants, you likely won’t notice it until your plant produces fruits and the fruit is not the variety you bought.

4.  Seed pellets are made of clay with a colorant painted on the outside. They are generally considered safe for home organic gardens. If you are an organic farmer, they are allowed only if the company you are purchasing the seed from does not offer the seed raw (unpelleted).

I hope this information helps you out. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!

Fertilizer Basics

“Dear Horticulturist,

My garden is growing great, but I know I need to fertilize my plants. I know it needs to be done with the right product at the right time or you can kill or mess up your plants, but I just don’t know what the right time is for the various vegetables I have. Do you have a table or something that you could send me or post that would give me a better idea of what we should be doing?

Thanks,

Carrie”

_________________________________________________________________

Hi Carrie,

Thanks for the email. Yes, fertilizing is important — not only in the doing, but also in the ‘doing it right’. Here goes:

Beans

Pre-plant: If necessary, use 5-10-10, 3-4″ deep, at the rate of 1 1/2 lbs. per 100 sq. ft. Side-dress: 1 T. of 5-10-10 per plant every 3-4 weeks or generous scoop of rotted manure.

Beets

Pre-plant: Work aged manure or com post into top 8″, or 3-4 cups 5-10-10 into top 4- 6″ for every 20-foot row. Side-dress: If growing slowly, use 2 cups 10-10-10 per 20-foot row.

Broccoli

Pre-plant: 3-4 lbs. 5-10-10 per 100 sq. ft. Side-dress: 3 weeks af ter transplant with 1 T. high nitrogen fertilizer.

Brussels Sprouts

Pre-plant: 2-4 lbs. 5-10-10 per 100 sq. ft. Side-dress: Once a month with 5-10-10, 1-2 T. per plant.

Cabbage

Pre-plant: 3-4 lbs. 5-10-10 per 100 sq. ft. or 3-4 shovels of aged manure or com post. Side-dress: Month after transplant, 1 lb. 10-10-10 per 25-foot row.

Chinese cabbage

Side-dress: 1/2 lb. 10-10-10 per 25-foot row when plants are 4-6″, then every three weeks thereafter.

Carrots

Pre-plant: 1 lb. 5-10-10 per 50 sq. ft. Side-dress: W h en 6″ tall, use natural fertilizer such as dried manure or f i sh fertilizer. Thin layer hardwood ash, 4″ deep, for potash (for sweetness).

Celery

Fall of year: Generous amounts of com post and/or manure in top 3″. Side-dress: Every 2-3 weeks with manure tea or 1 tsp. 5-10-10 per plant.

Corn

Pre-plant: 3-4 lbs. 5-10-10 per 100 sq. ft. Side-dress: 2 lbs. high nitrogen fertilizer (urea or ammonium sulfate), per 100 sq. ft. when plants are 8-10″ tall. Use again when silks appear, adding superphosphate to N.

Cucumbers

Pre-plant: Use plenty of compost or well-rotted manure. Side-dress: 4 weeks after planting, just as vines begin to run, use 2 handfuls compost or 1 T. 5-10-10 per plant.

Eggplant

Pre-plant: Mix 1″ well rotted manure or 2-3 lbs. 5-10-5 per 100 sq. ft. Side-dress: When plants set several fruit, use 1 T. 5-10-5 or 10-6-4 per plant.

Lettuce

Pre-plant: 1 lb. 10-10-10 per 25 sq. ft. Side-dress: 3-4 weeks after planting, use 1 tsp. 10-10-10 per plant. May also use fish or seaweed fertilizer.

Melons

Pre-plant: Generous amounts of rotted manure or compost. Side-dress: Mulched – Use liquid fertilizer (fish, seaweed, manure tea) Unmulched – Use 1/2 cup 5-10-10 for every 4-5 plants. Again in 3 wks.

Okra

Pre-plant: 1/2 lb. 10-10-10 per 25-foot row. Side-dress: 1/2 lb. 10-10-10 per 25-foot row or aged manure or rich compost. (Side- dress three times: 1. After thinning; 2. When first pods begin to develop; 3. At least once midway through the growing season.)

Onions

Fall: Mix rich compost or manure into soil. Pre-plant: 1 lb. 10-10-10 per 20 sq. ft. Side-dress: 1 lb. 10-10-10 per 20-25 foot row when plants are 4-6″ tall and when bulbs swell.

Parsnips

Pre-plant: Use a slow-release fertilizer. Side-dress: If a slow-release fertilizer has not been applied, use 1-2 cups 5-10-10 per 25-foot row or its equivalent after 1-2 months.

Peas

Pre-plant: 1-1 1/2 lbs. 5-10-10 per 100 sq. ft. Side-dress: When 6″ tall, use 1/2 lb. of a 1:1 mixture of ammonium sulfate and dehydrated manure per 25 foot row.

Peppers

Pre-plant: 1 1/2 lbs. 5-10-10 per 100 sq. ft. Side-dress: Monthly with 1 T. 5-10-10 per plant.

Potatoes

Pre-plant: In an 8″ trench or hole, mix 5- 10-10 at the rate of 1 lb. per 25-foot row with 2 inches of soil. Side-dress: When hilled for the 2nd time, use 1 lb. 5-10-10 per 25-foot row or compost, seaweed, or fish emulsion.

Pumpkins

Pre-plant: Mix rotted manure and a handful of 5-10-10 into top 6-8″ of soil. Side-dress: Use 5-10-10 on hill and side roots.

Radishes

No special fertilization necessary.

Rhubarb

Pre-plant: Mix well-rotted compost or manure into soil. Fertilize early spring each year with 2-3 shovels of well-rotted manure per plant or 1/2 cup of 5-10-10. Side-dress: At the same rate in early summer after the main harvest period.

Spinach

Mix compost, manure, and/or 10-10-10. No additional fertilizer necessary.

Squash

Pre-plant: Work plenty of good com post or aged manure into 1 of soil. Side-dress: 1 T. 5-10-10 per plant. Summer squash – When 6″ tall. Again when they bloom

Winter squash

When vines start to run. Again when small fruit form

Sweet potatoes

Pre-plant: 3 lbs. 5-10-10 per 100 sq. ft. of row, plus fine com post. Side-dress: 3-4 weeks after transplanting with 3 lbs. 5-10-10 per 100 sq. ft. (Use 5 lbs. if soil is sandy.)

Tomatoes

Pre-plant: 3 lbs. 5-10-10 per 100 sq. ft. Side-dress: 3 lbs. 5-10-10 per 100 sq. ft. after fruit sets

© Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk!, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk! with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Who Owns Who? Where and How Monsanto Has Their Sticky Little Fingers In the Home Garden Seed Industry

“Hi Horticulture Talk People,

I am starting toplan my garden for 2012 and I’ve been trying to not plant any varieties that are GMOs or related to Monsanto.  The problem is that I recently found out that the seed I get from seed catalogs and at the store are not grown by the company I bought them from.  They buy the seed in and repackage it.  How can I know I’m not supporting Monsanto if I am buying from a seed catalog?  If I avoid hybrids, will I be okay?

Thank you,

Stewart”

_________________________________________________________

Hi Stewart,

Thank you for emailing HorticultureTalk on Gmail with your question on Monsanto.  I completely understand your hesitancy in growing you garden without knowing where you seed comes from.

What you have been told is true: most mail order seed companies are a repackaging plant.  They purchase seed in bulk form.  In terms of seeds that are like dust (like Begonias), a ‘bulk’ packet may be a gram or ounce of seed hat has 50000 seeds in it.  For larger seeded varieties (cucumbers, peas, beans, corn, etc.), bulk is a collection of 50 or 100 pound bags of seed.

Like any repacking company whether it be food, paper, or seeds, the markup on seed is… extraordinary!  When you buy a packet of seed, keep in mind that a open pollinated variety cost the seed company about 1% or less of what you are paying for it.  For hybrids, the cost is about 5% of what you are paying.

Now, you might be thinking that a seed company would want to be selling more open pollinated varieties because they can make an extra 4% for their profits.  And unfortunately, you would be wrong.  Large corporate seed producers, like Monsanto and their home garden seed market subsidiary Seminis, pay for their place on a catalog page or website.  As a person that used to be involved in brokering deals like this, I can tell you that Monsanto wants to be front and center.  If you have a page that features your ‘best’ varieties, they must have at least 50% of the varieties represented there.  You cannot put their product on the bottom of the page or in the ‘thumblap’ area, where a customer’s thumbs may cover information on the page if they are holding the catalog on the side edges.

Unfortunately, many people think that Monsanto owns mail order seed companies because they don’t understand the inner workings of how this industry runs.  If you look around on the internet, you are going to find a TON of websites and Facebook groups that say that there are a bunch of companies that are owned by Monsanto.  It’s not true, and likely someone that is a know-it-all (that doesn’t really know it all) started that rumor.  In truth, the companies are ‘owned’ by Monsanto by having the premium given for page space advertising.

In addition to this, if you work with a mail order seed company, you are not supposed to refer to the company as Monsanto to any customer (and probably even to your coworkers) because it puts the seed ‘in a bad light’.  When Seminis was still its own company, it was bring out new varieties left and right.  Monsanto bought them and then new varieites kind of dribbled out until about 2006 or 2007.  After that, instead of new things, it was ‘we have dropped these major-selling varieties’.  Great examples of this are Giant Valentine Tomato, Ichiban Eggplant, and Table Queen Acorn Squash.

Saying that you are going to avoid any and all hybrids will, unfortunately, not address the problem because some of the varieties offered in the Seminis line are open pollinated varieties.  When Monsanto purchased Seminis in 2005, they acquired the rights to a number of open pollinated — many of which were considered ‘nearly’ heirlooms.  In the time since, Monsanto has cut out a number of the open pollinated varieties — which is a blessing because at least we can knock those off our list for our gardens and have less to do with them.

So, what varieties to avoid?  If you want to be completely Monsanto- and Seminis-free in your garden, the following is a list of varieties that you need to avoid.  Please note that those that are hybrids are not noted as the information is not provided on Monsanto’s website.

Beans

• Alicante
• Banga
• Brio
• Bronco
• Cadillac
• Carlo
• Ebro
• Eureka
• EX 08120703
• Excalibur
• Fandango
• Festina
• Firstmate
• Gina
• Gold Dust
• Gold Mine
• Golden Child
• Goldrush
• Grenoble
• Hercules
• Labrador
• Lynx
• Magnum
• Matador
• Opus
• Pony Express
• Romano Gold
• Sea Biscuit
• Secretariat
• Serin
• Slenderpack
• Spartacus
• Storm
• Strike
• Stringless Blue Lake 7
• Sunburst
• Tapia
• Teggia
• Tema
• Thoroughbred
• Titan
• Ulysses
• Unidor
• Valentino

Broccoli:

• Castle
• Captain
• Contributor
• Coronado Crown
• General
• Heritage
• Iron
• Ironman
• Legacy
• Major
• Packman
• Revolution
• Tlaloc
• Tradition

Cabbage

• Atlantis
• Blue Dynasty
• Constelation
• Golden Acre (RS)
• Headstart
• Platinum Dynasty
• Red Dynasty
• Tropicana

Carrots

• Abledo
• Achieve
• Cellobunch
• Dominion
• Enterprise
• Envy
• Legend
• Propeel
• PS 07101441
• PS 07101603
• Tastypeel

Cauliflower

• Cheddar
• Cielo Blanco
• Cornell
• Freedom
• Fremont
• Juneau
• Minuteman
• Whistler

Cucumbers (Pickling)

• Arabian
• Colt
• Eureka
• Expedition
• PowerPak
• Vlaspik
• Vlasset
• Vlasstar

Cucumbers (Slicing)

• Babylon
• Cool Breeze or Cool Breeze Improved
• Conquistador
• Dasher II
• Emparator
• Eureka
• Fanfare or Fanfare HG
• Indy
• Intimidator
• Marketmore 76
• Mathilde
• Moctezuma
• Orient Express II
• Pearl
• Poinsett 76
• Rockingham
• Salad Bush
• Speedway
• Sweet Slice
• Sweet Success PS
• Talladega
• Thunder
• Thunderbird
• Turbo

Dry Beans

• Black Velvet
• Cabernet
• Chianti
• Etna
• Hooter
• Mariah
• Medicine Hat
• Pink Panther
• Red Rover
• Windbreaker

Eggplant

• Black Beauty
• Fairy Tale
• Gretel
• Hansel
• Lavendar Touch
• Twinkle
• White Lightning

Lettuce

• Annie
• Braveheart
• Bubba
• Conquistador
• Coyote
• Del Oro
• Desert Spring
• Grizzly
• Honcho II
• Javelina
• Mohawk
• Raider
• Sahara
• Sharpshooter
• Sniper
• Sure Shot
• Top Billings
• Valley Heart

Melon

• Cabrillo
• Caravelle
• Colima
• Cristobal
• Destacado
• Durango
• Earli-Dew
• Earlisweet
• Fastbreak
• Honey Dew Green Flesh
• Hy-Mark
• Laredo
• Magellan
• Mission
• Moonshine
• Roadside
• Santa Fe
• Saturno
• Zeus

Onion

• Abilene
• Affirmed
• Aspen
• Barbaro
• Belmar
• Bunker
• Caballero
• Candy
• Cannonball
• Century
• Ceylon
• Champlain
• Charismatic
• Cirrus
• Cougar
• Exacta
• Fortress
• Gelma
• Golden Spike
• Goldeneye
• Grateful Red
• Hamlet
• Joliet
• Leona
• Mackenzie
• Marquette
• Mercedes
• Mercury
• Montblanc
• Nicolet
• Orizaba
• Pecos
• Rainier
• Red Zeppelin
• Savannah Sweet
• Sierra Blanca
• Sterling
• Swale
• Tioga
• Verrazano
• Vision

Peppers (Hot)

• Anaheim TMR 23
• Ancho San Martin
• Aquiles
• Ballpark
• Big Bomb
• Biggie Chile brand of Sahuaro
• Cardon
• Caribbean Red
• Cayenne Large Red Thick
• Cherry Bomb
• Chichen Itza
• Chichimeca
• Cocula
• Corcel
• Coyame
• Fresnillo
• Garden Salsa SG
• Grande
• Habanero
• Holy Mole brand of Salvatierra
• Hot Spot (with X3R)
• Hungarian Yellow Wax Hot
• Inferno
• Ixtapa X3R
• Kukulkan
• Lapid
• Major League
• Mariachi brand of Rio de Oro
• Mesilla
• Milta
• Mucho Nacho brand of Grande
• Nainari
• Nazas
• Papaloapan
• Perfecto
• PS 11435807
• PS 11435810
• PS 11446271
• Rebelde
• Rio de Oro
• Sahuaro
• Salvatierra
• Santa Fe Grande
• Sayula (with X3R)
• Serrano del Sol brand of Tuxtlas
• Super Chili
• Tajin
• Tam Vera Cruz
• Time Bomb
• Tula
• Tuxtlas
• Vencedor
• Victorioso

Peppers (Sweet)

• Baron
• Bell Boy
• Big Bertha PS
• Biscayne
• Blushing Beauty
• Bounty
• California Wonder 300
• Camelot
• Capistrano
• Cherry Pick
• Chocolate Beauty
• Corno Verde
• Cubanelle W
• Dumpling brand of Pritavit
• Early Sunsation
• Flexum
• Fooled You brand of Dulce
• Giant Marconi
• Gypsy
• Jumper
• Key West (with X3R)
• King Arthur (formerly Fat n Sassy)
• North Star
• Orange Blaze
• Pimiento Elite
• Red Knight (with X3R)
• Satsuma
• Socrates (with X3R)
• Super Heavyweight
• Sweet Spot (with X3R)

Pumpkins

• Applachian
• Buckskin
• Harvest Moon
• Jamboree HG
• Longface
• Orange Smoothie
• Phantom
• Prizewinner
• Rumbo
• Snackface
• Spirit
• Spooktacular
• Trickster
• Wyatt’s Wonder

Spinach

• Avenger
• Barbados
• Hellcat
• Interceptor
• Tigercat

Squash (Summer)

• Ambassador
• Clarita
• Commander
• Conqueror III
• Consul R
• Daisey
• Depredador
• Dixie
• Embassy
• Gemma
• Gold Rush
• Goldbar
• Goldfinger
• Grey Zucchini
• Greyzini
• Independence II
• Judgement III
• Justice III
• Lemondrop
• Liberator III
• Lolita
• Papaya Pear
• Patriot II
• Patty Green Tinit
• Patty Pan
• Portofino
• Prelude II
• President
• ProGreen
• Quirinal
• Radiant
• Richgreen Hybrid
• Senator
• Storr’s Green
• Sungreen
• Sunny Delight
• Sunray
• Terminator
• XPT 1832 III

Squash (Winter)

• Autumn Delight
• Butternut Supreme
• Canesi
• Early Butternut
• Pasta
• Taybelle PM

Sweet Corn

• Absolute
• Devotion
• EX 08745857R
• EX 08767143
• Fantasia
• Merit
• Obsession
• Obsession II
• Passion
• Passion II
• Seneca Arrowhead
• Sensor
• Synergy
• Temptation
• Temptation II
• Vitality

Tomato

• Amsterdam
• Apt 410
• Beefmaster
• Better Boy
• Big Beef
• Biltmore
• Burpee’s Big Boy
• Caramba
• Celebrity
• Crown Jewel
• Cupid
• Debut
• Empire
• Flora-Dade
• Flirida 47 R
• Florida 91
• Granny Smith
• Healthy Kick
• Heatmaster
• Huichol
• Husky Cherry Red
• Hybrid 46
• Hybrid 882
• Hypeel 108
• Hypeel 303
• Hypeel 849
• Jetsetter brand of Jack
• Lemon Boy
• Margherita
• Margo
• Marmande VF PS
• Marmara
• Maya
• Patio
• Phoenix
• Picus
• Pik Ripe 748
• Pink Girl
• Poseidon 43
• PS 01522935
• PS 01522942
• PS 345
• PS 438
• Puebla
• Quincy
• Roma VF
• Royesta
• Sanibel
• Seri
• Sunbrite
• SunChief
• SunGuard
• Sunoma
• SunShine
• Sunstart
• Sunsugar
• Super Marzano
• Sweet Baby Girl
• Tiffany
• Tye Dye
• Tygress
• Viva Italia
• Yaqui

Watermelon

• Apollo
• Charleston Grey
• Companion
• Cooperstown
• Crimson Glory
• Crimson Sweet
• Cronos
• Delta
• Eureka
• Fenway
• Jade Star
• Majestic
• Mickylee
• Olympia
• Omega
• Regency
• Royal Jubilee
• Royal Sweet
• Sentinel
• Starbrite
• Star Gazer
• Stars ‘n’ Stripes
• Tiger Baby
• Wrigley

 

 

*************************************************************************

© Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk!, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk! with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Recipe of the Week: How to Grill Vegetables

Grilled corn, bell peppers, onions, and eggplant are some of the summer’s best treats.  Now that the season is in full swing for these garden treats… and you may be getting a little tired of the traditional ways you prepare them, why not try grilling up something great for dinner or to go along with your next barbeque.  And best of all, they are super easy to make!

BELL PEPPER

Prep: Stem, quarter, seed. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook for about: 6 to 10 minutes
Done when: Skin is charred or blackened and blistered
Also great for: Pizza topping, sandwiches, scrambled eggs

ZUCCHINI

Prep: Trim; cut 1/3 inch thick lengthwise. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook for about: 5 to 6 minutes
Done when: Slightly charred and tender
Also great for:Quesadillas, pasta with pesto and goat cheese

EGGPLANT

Prep: Slice 1/2 inch thick crosswise (globe) or lengthwise (Japanese). Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook for about: 5 to 6 minutes
Done when: Slightly charred and tender
Also great for:A meatless burger, baked mozzarella and tomato sauce, a quick dip (mashed with fresh lemon juice, cumin, and chopped garlic)

TOMATO, PLUM

Prep: None
Cook for about: 5 minutes
Done when: Skin is blistered and charred
Also great for:Polenta with basil and balsamic vinegar, burgers

TOMATO, VINE-RIPENED

Prep: None
Cook for about: 12 minutes
Done when: Skin is charred and split
Also great for: A gratin with breadcrumbs, salsa

CORN

Prep: Remove husk. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook for about: 15 minutes
Done when: Slightly charred and tender
Also great for: A sauté of lima beans and green beans, pureed corn soup

RED ONION

Prep: Peel; halve through root end. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook for about: 15 minutes
Done when: Slightly charred and tender
Also great for: Tuna salad, grilled cheese sandwiches

Few other little grilling tips:

• Foil-lined rimmed baking sheets are great for prepping vegetables—and transporting them out to the grill, too.
• To oil the grill, use an oil-soaked, crumpled paper towel.
• Want distinct grill marks? Resist turning the veggies during the first few minutes. To prevent burning, move to spots with less heat; turn as needed.
• My man’s favorite grill tool? Sturdy, long-handled stainless steel fork for moving food on, off, and around the grill. 

   

  *************************************************************************

  © Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk!, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk! with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Recipe of the Week: Mousaka with Yogurt

Normally, the recipes that I post here are ones that are tried and true from my kitchen.  However, this one has not been tried in my kitchen because I’m not that fond of Mousaka.  So, for this week, here is a post from my mother’s kitchen…

Ingredients:

4 lbs. large eggplant, peeled
4 lbs. potatoes
1/2 lb. green peppers
oil for frying

Meat Sauce:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
2 cups crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
pinch nutmeg (optional)

Topping Ingredients:

3 cups strained yogurt
3 egg yolks

Directions:

1.  Peel and cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch slices.  Weight them down n a bowl of salted water with an inverted plate until you’re ready to use them.   Cut the eggplants into thin 1/4 inch slices.  Sprinkle them with salt and set them aside to drain.  Remove seeds from the green peppers, rinse them, and cut them in half.  Set aside to drain.

2.  Drain the potato slices.  Heat oil in a skillet and fry the potatoes until they are golden on each side.  Remove the slices to paper towels to drain.  Continue by frying the eggplant slices, one side and then on the other so they are evenly browned.  Lastly, fry the green peppers. Remove them to paper towels to drain off as much oil as possible.

3.  While the veggies are draining, make the sauce.  Heat the oil in a pot.  Brown your ground beef with the garlic and onions.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer the mixture for 20 minutes.

4.  To assemble the casserole, use a large baking pan that is 3 inches deep.  Line the bottom of it with a layer of potatoes.  Next, add a layer of eggplant, some green peppers, and top it with half of the sauce.  Begin a new layer of potatoes, continuing with eggplant, peppers and the remaining sauce.  Preheat your oven to 350°F.

5.  In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy.  Add the yogurt and combine well.  Pour the yogurt sauce over the finished casserole and bake it for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top has set and browned.  Let the casserole cool down for 20 minutes or longer to set before you serve it.

 

 

*************************************************************************

© Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk!, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk! with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Bye, Bye Mr. Ichiban: The Discontinuation of Ichiban Hybrid Eggplant

“Dear Sir,

I’m an avid reader of your blog and I would like to know the answer to why I can’t buy ichiban eggplant this year. It’s the best.  Was it a crop failure?

Joe”

_________________________________________________________________________

Hi Joe,

I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but it is most likely that we will have to have a funeral for your dear friend, Ichiban Hybrid Eggplant.  He is no more.

If you have heard any rumblings through the gardening community in the last five years, then it was without a doubt about how Monsanto had tapped into the home gardening market by acquisitioning Seminis Seeds (to read more on this, click here).  This buyout has resulted in a number of changes, including the correction of varietial names that were illegally sold by Seminis to increase their offerings and desireability (see here) and the discontinuation of many varieties that were only offered to home gardeners.

Ichiban Hybrid is a casualty of this process, as it was not versatile enough to be offered for commercial growers.  The fruits are more prone to scarring and the plants are not as disease resistant as other types.

For now, many companies have replaced Ichiban Hybrid with Millionaire Hybrid (offered by American Takii Seeds and distributed through many seed catalogs like Jung and Burpee).  I have tried it in my trial gardens in 2010, but found that it lacked the flavor of the Ichiban and didn’t seem to produce as well in a side-by-side comparison.

The only hope of Ichiban Hybrid coming back from the ‘dead’ is if Monsanto/Seminis sell the breeding rights to another seed producer, or if  they bring it back themselves.  The likelihood of this occurring is about as good as pigs flying.

 

*************************************************************************

© Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk!, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk! with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Vicars of Vegetables, 12/18/10

For those of you that have been following my blog for a number of years, you have undoubtedly seen various posts about the ‘Vicars of Vegetables’, Drs. Jim Nienhuis and Irwin Goldman of the University of Wisconsin – Madison Horticulture Department.  Jim and Irwin are good friends of mine — heh, I’m the one that got Jim to ‘love’ eggplant dishes — and their time spent on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Garden Talk with Larry Mueller” is always a good program to listen to.  With the business of my last few weeks, I had not had a chance to visit the Wisconsin Public Radio website to catch their latest episode.  However, I was in luck!

You, too, can listen to the Vicars of Vegetables spread their knowledge and occasional gardening haikus.  Simple click on the link below to download the most recent Garden Talk episode from December 18, 2010.

http://wpr.org/wcast/download-mp3-request.cfm?mp3file=mlr101217f.mp3&iNoteID=94436

And for more episodes from Larry Mueller, please follow the link the his Wisconsin Public Radio website:

http://wpr.org/webcasting/audioarchives_display.cfm?Code=mlr

 

 

 

 

*************************************************************************

 

© Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk!, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mertie Mae Botanics LLC and Horticulture Talk! with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.