dulichthegioimoi

With planting time approaching, finally, many will be looking to buy new seeds for their gardens. And the question of whether a seed is GMO or a hybrid will probably bother some. We all, or at least most of us, grow our own to get some benefit, such as organic and home grown produce, and the last thing we want is to harm oursleves and our loved ones. We have all heard the term GMO and want to avoid it at all costs. But we have also heard the term hybrid, and open pollinated and heirloom. So what are they and how are they the same and how are they different.
Let me start by telling you that seeds you buy at a garden center or a supermarket are safe.

So how are they the same? They're all seeds. And how are they different? Read on to find out.

GMO stands for "genetically modified organism". These seeds have a DNA from another organism
artificially implanted into them. We want to stay away from these and luckily it's easy to do because they are usually available to farmers only. We also shouldn't worry about supermarket produce being grown from GMO seeds as not all crops are grown from GMO seeds. Why I personally want to avoid non-organic supermarket produce is because of all the chemicals used to grow, transport, and store them. Most common crops grown from GMO seeds are: sugar beats (for sugar), corn, soya beans, cotton (for use as oil), papaya, squash and canola (for oil). Alfa alfa for animal feed can also be grown from GMO seeds. Does that mean that all of these crops are grown from GMO seeds? Well most probably not. Are you likely to end up growing them? Most likely not.

Then come the hybrid seeds. Are they the same as GMO? The answer is NO, they're not. Hybrids are seeds that are a result of cross pollinating different plant varieties to create a variety thay has desirable characteristics of the parent varieties. It's 100 natural and safe to use. Some people prefer to grow them because they have desirable characterisitcs (for example they could be resistance to some pests or disease that attack that particular area). You don't want to save seeds from hybrids because you don't know what you end up with. The seed can revert and you may end up with parent variety which could be something you don't want to grow.
Next comes the OP or open pollinated varieties. These are hybrids that have stabilized and you can save seeds from them to grow your next year's crop from. Most of the seeds you buy from garden centers and supermarkets are OP.
And finally we come to heirloom seeds. These are OP seeds that have been around for a very long time. Some people prefer to grow them exclusively.
What you decide to grow is upto you. I prefer OP and heirlooms but will not mind a hybrid if it gives me better taste and healthier crop.
So what are you growing this season?? Do you have any favorites you want to share??

They even have berries and other fruits. I wasn't convinced apricots and blueberries would grow here. I ended up buying broccoli seeds, the one I grew last year didn't form big heads, and cucumber variety called Beit Alfa. The cucmber variety I bought is suppise to be suited for out climate. Let's see how it goes.

Last year I kept a journal of what I planted when and of course I lost it. This is upsetting because this would save me lots of time. I can't remember what I planted this time last year, but I think I planted above mentioned veggies. The weather is still very hot though so this can be tricky. So what can we do to help the seeds germinate and grow?

1) Don't start your seeds indoors. Why? Because the shock will be too strong and the seedlings will most likely die. It'll still be too hot by the time you will want to transplant them and they won't survive the shock.

2) Keep your seeds in semi shade. I find it helpful. Most seeds don't need sun to germinate but need it to grow. If they germinate in shade and then you put them in the sun the shock will be too strong. Keeping them in full sun in turn will fry them.

3) Keep them watered. Keep them watered. Keep them watered. I can't stress it enough. Seeds need water to "wake up" and most seeds will die if they dry up after "waking up". I won't go into technical terms here, you can read about it. So don't let the soil dry out. You also don't want them soaking wet but during this time of the year it's unlikely to happen. If needed then water twice, or even trice a day. Or alternatively wait till October. But even then you can't let them dry out.

4) You can start your seeds in almost anything that will hold a little soil and has a drainage hole in the bottom. I use left over containers from flowers I get from souks. A few containers I have. Yoghurt cups. Disposable picnic cups. Be creative, you don't really need special seed starting packs, unless you really want to.

5) Sow a couple of seeds per container/hole. Some seeds won't germinate so it's a good idea to have at least two per cup/hole. It's not a waste cuz most seed companies are generous and seed packs contain a lot of seeds. If both germinate it's ok you can snip the weaker one later (don't pull in order not to disturb the roots). I usually throw the snipped ones into the compost or simply push it under the soil.

6) Seeds have nutrients reserve so they don't need to be fed, fertilized for a few weeks. Once they develop a set of true leaves they may need a little "meal" at half dose. But I don't do it. The soil I use is plain potting soil which already contains some nutrients. So "food" is in their final location.

7) Harden off your seedling for at least a week prior to transplanting. Expose them to sun gradually increasing the duration. Start with morning sun and move to afternoon sun gradually. UPDATE

8) Transplanting: do it in late afternoon, preferably on a cloudy day. UPDATE

9) Let children do the magic. I don't know what it is about kids and seeds, but almost everything sown by kids grows successfully :)

10) Hope for the best and be ready to start again if this batch doesn't work. I did that in the past, and not me only. Just don't give up.