Seed Catalog Inundation!

[Waite]

Last year I received two catalogs, one from Burpee's that I requested, and one from Seed Savers' Exchange that my sister had them send. One (or both) of them must've sold my info. I bet I have a dozen catalogs this year, the majority of which came after I ordered.

Off the top of my head (posting from work), I got Burpee's, Johnny's Select, Seed Savers', Baker Creek, Jung, Gurney's, and that's about half. I've never even heard of many of them. Some I've already tossed or given away.

On the plus side the heirloom and organic seed industry appears to be alive and well, regardless of Monsanto's efforts to monopolize.

 

[w_r_ranch]

If you visit garden sites or even search garden-related stuff, google tracks you & sells them your info...

 

[Waite]

More likely Yahoo. I don't use Google for anything. I use Bing for searches and maps.

 

[w_r_ranch]

All the search engines do data mining... I must have gotten 20 catalogs. Another example: I've been researching new TVs/components the past week & have started getting emails on this topic.

I guess it's a good thing I'm not looking for Russian women or they would be filling up my mailbox, LOL!!!

 

[ksk]

All the search engines do data mining... I must have gotten 20 catalogs. Another example: I've been researching new TVs/components the past week & have started getting emails on this topic.

I guess it's a good thing I not looking for Russian women or they would be filling up my mailbox, LOL!!!

Dang Ranch, you may give this old guy some ideas. lol

 

[Waite]

I hate the ads in the corner of my browser. What really sucks is when you miss-click on one and they think you're interested...

 

[w_r_ranch]

What browser are you using?

 

[Waite]

They must be using the camera too. I just got an ad for weight watchers. How do they know I'm fat?

 

[w_r_ranch]

What browser are you using? I may be able to tell you how to block the ads.

 

[Waite]

I can block them, not a big deal.

 

[Mike]

I guess it's a good thing I not looking for Russian women or they would be filling up my mailbox, LOL!!!

Excuse my while I go do some "searching".

 

[Mr_Yan]

Sometimes you gotta do really random searching to see what happens and how far you can push the algorithm or even break it. My wife and I have Amazon really confused.

I usually like DuckDuckGo for a search engine but have really tied myself in to google with an Andriod phone and a Chromebook but they haven't seemed to get their hooks in my podcast addiction.

For all the garden searching I do and all the previous seed orders I have made I only get three catalogs a year (Gurneys, 2 copies of Johnny's, and Hoss tools).

 

[Waite]

Not familiar with Seed Savers? Right next door to you in Iowa. I bought my all my new seed from them this year. Non-profit heirlooms.

https://www.seedsavers.org

 

[Mr_Yan]

I'm not a fan of Seed Savers Exchange. They're a bit full of themselves but that isn't unusual for a non-profit who thinks they're saving the world (this time from "nasty GMOs"). What really got me though is how stinkin' expensive they are. The seed pack price is at the high end of the scale but then there are very few seeds in each pack and the germination rates I've gotten from them have been low to mediocre. The egg plant I bought from them was about 30% germination, lettuce around 50%, and I think the shallots were a total failure.

This year I am buying most of what I still need from my local feed store and garden shop. They won my business on service last year.

Johnny's has always been good to me.
Botancial Intrests has been a great source and is the only one I know of with the solid vine summer squash I like. They specialize in "heirloom" and have low seed pack costs. Each seed pack is full of info - open it carefully and the inside is completely printed. If I remember right they're family owned and in Colorado. I've bought online and from seed racks locally and in South Carolina.

@Waite have you heard of the MIgardener? He started as a great gardening info YouTube channel and branched into a seed store.

 

[Waite]

I didn't think their prices were that bad, but I only bought about $30 worth, I already have everything else I need. If their germination rate is that bad I'm gonna' be hot.

Last year I bought quite a bit from Nature and Nurture, a newer smaller version of SSE, but located very close to me in Ann Arbor.

Can't stand MIGardener. I can't stand to listen to him ramble like an idiot for 25 minutes in order to provide 6 minutes of information. At one time I subscribed to his channel, had to quit. I know he carries seeds. He also pushes non GMO, they all do. I'm ok with that. When you have companies that want to make it illegal for you to save your own seeds, we need someone to step up and say no.

 

[w_r_ranch]

It needs to be stated again that home gardeners cannot buy GMO seed, even if they wanted to... only very large producers that are under contract & tight control. The bottom line is there are only 2 types of seeds available to consumers: heirlooms & hybrids.

As far as the label "non-GMO" goes, it is just a marketing gimmick that allow sellers to charge/get more from the gullible/unknowledgeable public...

 

[Waite]

True, but that's not the point. While only large producers are under control right now, the giant seed companies want a monopoly.

We're currently dealing with something similar up here. Nestle's wants to make it so local communities, and even private well owners have no right to their water. They currently own 15 bottled water brands, and are selling off the chocolate portion of their company in order to focus on water. They are trying to obtain the rights to as much water as they want from their host community, even if that means drying up the aquifer. The community has said no, they need to protect the aquifer for their citizens, so there's a lawsuit.

So while GMO may currently be a ''gimmick" for small seed company marketing, it goes much deeper. I am all for fighting the Nestles and Monsantos of the world, especially when government overreach enacts laws for special interests.

 

[w_r_ranch]

GMOs are not going to take over the world, they are two distinctly different markets that are mutually exclusive. Advertising that you only sell "non-GMO' seed is only done in the hopes that some stupid person will come along & overpay for your product. The same goes for anything labeled 'organic'.

Your 'water fight' is an entirely separate issue because of your state government. Many states have already addressed the movement of water across county/state lines.

 

[Waite]

We'll have to agree to disagree. Seed production is seed production, and business is business. While I'm a firm believer in taking a wait and see stance on many issues, this one is creeping up very slowly but steadily.

Trust me when I say Michigan is on the forefront of water preservation. If they and the other Great Lakes stars weren't, the Great Lakes would've been piped to California by now. However, remember that interstate commerce isn't controlled by the states, but rather the feds. It's how they regulate everything from booze to coal.