It's Spring, right?
 

As I walk amongst the gardens and trees with a shovel and clippers looking for something to do, I think of youall wishing for a gathering of ideas and company. Weather has been inviting, but it's still February! I've ordered enough seeds for several years and still ordering. Are you planting yet? What? How? What's going on? Hank

HI, Hank - I've been MIA from the forums most of the winter because of illnesses (nothing serious) and musical projects. But I'm back to help organize MAGTAG VII!

As far as varieties are concerned, I'm a little limited because I'm ordering plants. I'm not growing from seed this year since David will be doing some major rearranging of the basement, and that way, my seed starting equipment will be one less thing for him to worry about. So this is my (boring) list so far:

Brandywine Sudduth
Italian Heirloom (from Seed Savers)
Cherokee Purple
Gold Medal
Hungarian Heart
Sungold (of course)
Black Krim

That's only 7, so I can throw in a few more that people give me or that I find at local nurseries.

BTW, someone on Facebook posted a list of common nursery veggie plants that are owned by Monsanto ... I was happy to note that none of my varieties are on that list. I'll post the list if I can find it. I remember "Lemon Boy" was on the list; as was "Sun Sugar," but not "Sungold."

So far, "Sungold" is the only hybrid I'm growing.

Here's that list of varieties owned by Monsanto. It includes many familiar varieties. I don't know how they can "own" Black Beauty eggplant, though - I thought it was open-pollinated. Bye-bye Lemon Boy, though (sniff):


[URL="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150631692467390&set=a.10150631692302390.413777.729077389&type=3"][/URL]

Forewarned is Forearmed: list of growing Monsanto-owned veggie seed and plant labels
Veggies Owned by Monsanto February 21, 2012 courtesy of Kevin Lee Jacobs
[URL]http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/02/forewarned-is-forearmed-veggie-varieties-owned-by-monsanto/[/URL]

IF YOU ARE THE KIND OF GARDENER who buys vegetable seeds or seedlings (including tomato plants) from a local garden center, as I sometimes do, beware the varieties you select. Otherwise, you could very well be putting money into the hands of the wretched Monsanto Corporation. Forewarned is forearmed, right? Here is the list of Seminis/Monsanto home-garden vegetable varieties, and yes, it even includes zucchini: I’m going to print out this list, and keep a copy in my wallet. This way I won’t be caught off-guard the next time I decide to impulse-shop at a big-box garden center:

Beans: Alicante, Brio, Bronco, Cadillac, Ebro, Etna, Eureka, Festina, Gina, Goldmine, Goldenchild, Labrador, Lynx, Magnum, Matador, Spartacus, Storm, Strike, Stringless Blue Lake 7, Tapia, Tema

Broccoli: Coronado Crown, Major, Packman

Cabbage: Atlantis, Golden Acre, Headstart, Platinum Dynasty, Red Dynasty

Carrot: Bilbo, Envy, Forto, Juliana, Karina, Koroda PS, Royal Chantenay, Sweetness III

Cauliflower: Cheddar, Minuteman

Cucumber: Babylon, Cool Breeze Imp., Dasher II, Emporator, Eureka, Fanfare HG, Marketmore 76*, Mathilde, Moctezuma, Orient Express II, Peal, Poinsett 76, Salad Bush, Sweet Slice, Sweet Success PS, Talladega

Eggplant: Black Beauty, Fairytale, Gretel, Hansel, Lavender Touch, Twinkle, White Lightening

Hot Pepper: Anaheim TMR 23, Ancho Saint Martin, Big Bomb, Big Chile brand of Sahuaro, Caribbean Red, Cayenne Large Red Thick, Chichen Itza, Chichimeca, Corcel, Garden Salsa SG, Habanero, Holy Mole brand of Salvatierro, Hungarian Yellow Wax Hot, Ixtapa X3R, Lapid, Mariachi brand of Rio de Oro, Mesilla, Milta, Mucho Nacho brand of Grande, Nainari, Serrano del Sol brand of Tuxtlas, Super Chile, Tam Vera Cruz

Lettuce: Braveheart, Conquistador

Melon: Early Dew, Sante Fe, Saturno

Onion: Candy, Cannonball, Century, Red Zeppelin, Savannah Sweet, Sierra Blanca, Sterling, Vision

Pumpkin: Applachian, Harvest Moon, Jamboree HG, Orange Smoothie, Phantom, Prize Winner, Rumbo, Snackface, Spirit, Spooktacular, Trickster

Spinach: Hellcat

Squash: Ambassador, Canesi, Clarita, Commander, Dixie, Early Butternut, Gold Rush, Grey Zucchini, Greyzini, Lolita, Papaya Pear, Peter Pan, Portofino, President, Richgreen Hybrid Zucchini, Storr’s Green, Sungreen, Sunny Delight, Taybelle PM

Sweet Corn: Devotion, Fantasia, Merit, Obession, Passion, Temptation

Sweet Pepper: 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, King Arthur, North Star, Orange Blaze, Pimiento Elite, Red Knight, Satsuma, Socrates, Super Heavyweight, Sweet Spot

Tomato: Amsterdam, Beefmaster, Betterboy, Big Beef, Burpee’s Big Boy, Caramba, Celebrity, Cupid, Early Girl, Granny Smith, Health Kick, Husky Cherry Red, Jetsetter brand of Jack, Lemon Boy, Margharita, Margo, Marmande VF PS, Marmara, Patio, Phoenix, Poseidon 43, Roma VF, Royesta, Sun Sugar, Super Marzano, Sweet Baby Girl, Tiffany, Tye-Dye, Viva Italia, Yaqui

Watermelon: Apollo, Charleston Grey, Crimson Glory, Crimson Sweet, Eureka, Jade Star, Mickylee, Olympia

* Marketmore 76 is a very old cucumber-variety.

If you are ordering it from a seller of heirloom veggies, check with the dealer to make sure the seeds were not purchased from Seminis/Monsanto.
If you buy the seeds from a big-box garden center, odds are they were purchased from the evil empire. That’s quite a catalog, huh? No wonder Monsanto paid $1.4 billion in cash to acquire it.

[QUOTE=Cecilia_MD7a;258947]Here's that list of varieties owned by Monsanto. It includes many familiar varieties. I don't know how they can "own" Black Beauty eggplant, though - I thought it was open-pollinated. Bye-bye Lemon Boy, though (sniff):

Forewarned is Forearmed: list of growing Monsanto-owned veggie seed and plant labels
Veggies Owned by Monsanto February 21, 2012 courtesy of Kevin Lee Jacobs
[URL]http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/02/forewarned-is-forearmed-veggie-varieties-owned-by-monsanto/[/URL]

...That’s quite a catalog, huh? No wonder Monsanto paid $1.4 billion in cash to acquire it.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for posting this - I am not buying any hybrids this year but as you say, forewarned is forearmed. :( Actually I wish you would post this in the general discussion so people don't miss it. I only caught the post because it was in the list of recent five when I logged in.

Here's my list so far;
Red Brandywine
Brandywine
New Yorker VA (anybody have any experience with this one?)
Cherokee Purple
Black Krim (a fellow MAGTAGer highly recommended this)
Anna Asa
Delicious
Stupice
SunSugar F1 (please forgive, I wanted to compare)
Sungold
Kellogg"s Breakfast
Roma
San Marzano (to compare with above)
Better Boy (a good one to have for giveaway plants)
Mountain Fresh Plus
I would love suggestions. I sell pick your own tomatoes, which should explain a couple of the choices. Hank

Hey Hank and all,

I just started seeds last night and this morning. Shouldn't be too late I think. Not much new this year except:

Dice's Mystry Black
Black Brandywine X Green Zebra F3
Growouts of Morx
1. Very light pink F2
2. Black F2
3. Morx Like (bronze) F3
4. White (2nd place) F2
5. 2nd White F2 -> Green F3
Dr. Wyche's Yellow
Tiger Like
I continue to make an effort to grow out a stable version of Emily but my growouts so far haven't produced something with the quality of the F2. I trudge on! I have F3 seed from a Great version of the F2. I will grow out a bunch of them and see if I get a winner.

Greg

Hey Greg or anyone who knows, I have an envelope marked Morx 2009 F1. I find that it is a contest winner by Greg, but that's all the info I have. Can any one tell me more. I'm planting things now, I do sell tomatoes I grow, and I give away plants at times. I don't sell plants. I'm planting some maybe 10 of the Morx f1. I may give away some of the plants with your instructions? I'll do nothing but raise a few and eat them myself if I do not hear from you. Hank

Hank,

The Morx seed is F2 from the F1 plant. It will produce cherry and current sized tomatoes that are 10 different colors. Most of them taste very good. One or two of them will look like Morx the hybid. It's just kind of fun to grow out and my kids like the variety.

Happy growing this year and we hope to see you.

Greg

Thanks Greg. Picking up good vibes. Hank