Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: Blueberry Ice Bougainvillea

Posted on February 15, 2015 | 2 comments

Blueberry Ice bougainvilleaIt’s Gardener Bloggers Bloom Day, the 15 of every month. Winter is a good time to visit the local conservatories to get one’s fix of “Bloom.” Recently I discovered Blueberry Ice bougainvillea at the Brookside Gardens conservatory in Wheaton, Maryland. This plant fascinated me because it was exactly opposite of the type of bougainvillea I grew up with in the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia. In the tropics, we had bougainvillea vines climbing up the sides of houses and buildings, as common as wisteria is where I now live in Northern Virginia. The green leaves and papery thin salmon flowers (really modified leaves called bracts) colored the buildings for months at a time.  So I was intrigued by Blueberry Ice at the conservatory because it had cream/green variegated leaves, it was only about 2 feet tall, and it had bracts the color of grape popsicles. Think of how useful this small tropical plant could be here in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Grown as a summer annual, Blueberry Ice would thrive in a hanging basket, window box, or container. It will scoff at our heat and humidity and reward us with color all summer long. I love it when a new cultivar changes the paradigm and gives new meaning to what a bougainvillea could be in my garden.

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Happy Valentine’s Day to Winner of Amaryllis Giveaway!

Posted on February 14, 2015 | Leave a comment

IMG_5769Thank you Longfield Gardens for the opportunity to host the amaryllis giveaway. I enjoyed reading people’s comments so much that I am sharing a few to illustrate how people love to share plants and how plants and gardening gives joy in our lives. Just an FYI, to pick the winner randomly, I wrote names on slips of paper, inserted them in a Valentine’s box, and asked my family (3 people) to draw slips. I then put the three slips back in the box and pulled the final winner. Congratulations Ruth Carolyn Campbell. Send me your address via http://www.pegplant.com. Happy Valentine’s Day!

I would give them to my mom.

While I would love to have 2 more for myself, I would probably send them to my parents. They love amaryllis.

I would keep one for spring beauty and give the other to my daughter for a mad dash of color in her snowy world.

I would plant them and when they were just about ready to bloom, I would give one to each of my two daughters.

I would give these bulbs to my mom. She turns 70 this year and we are having a surprise birthday party for her.

I would keep them as a houseplant by the window – where all I now see is a deep blanket of white outside – that could use some bright color inside for cheery contrast.

I’d plant these for my mother to enjoy.

I would pot one up for myself and the second for my good friend.

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February: Time to Pull Weeds in My Virginia Garden

Posted on February 12, 2015 | 2 comments

On Facebook I see several countdowns to spring but for me gardening is a year round endeavor. Although we have had and will continue to have snow and freezing rain here in Northern Virginia, I burst outside when an “almost warm day” appears in February, anxious to get a head start. I pull weeds, remove fallen branches, and throw away the invasive ivy. When the snow comes again, I am indoors updating and sorting my list of seeds and planning my veggie gardens on graph paper. It’s not that I have a large garden, we live in a typical suburban house, but I have crammed so much in so little space over the 12 years that we have been here that I have to keep track of everything on paper and in computer files.

This week we did have a passable day so I pulled as many weeds as I could. By this time, it is easy to identify and pull weeds that have settled down the previous fall and are just as anxious as I am for the spring’s warmth. Pulling them now before they flower reduces their population but also it is easier to pull when the soil is moist and the plants are too small to set anchor. Later, I will put down mulch to prevent more weeds but in February just sitting down and pulling weeds is a horticulturist’s idea of fun.

purple deadnettle on left and hairy bittercress on right

purple deadnettle on left and hairy bittercress on right

In my garden I have an infestation of hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta). A member of the mustard family, these young’uns appear as small mounds of subdivided leaves, creating a lacy or scalloped appearance. Later, as the plant matures and grows, slender stems will arise from the base producing very small, white flowers. By late spring, slender seed pods will burst open when touched (called “explosive dehiscence”), shooting seeds as far as 3 feet! Also called shotweed, this weed prefers damp conditions and should be removed as soon as possible.

I also pulled purple deadnettle, a member of the mint family. Purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) is called “dead” nettle because the plant resembles the true nettles (Urtica spp.) but does not sting like a nettle, hence, “dead” nettle. Right now in February, I can only see young, leaves at ground level which makes it hard to identify but in a few months, the striking flower structures will grow tall above the basal leaves and the youngest, smallest leaves at the top will be purple. Tubular-like, purple flowers, typical of the mint family, peep out from under the uppermost leaves.

henbit in foreground and mouse ear chickweed in background

henbit in foreground and mouse ear chickweed in background

A cousin of purple deadnettle, henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), looks similar but does not have the pronounced purple color on the leaves. Purple deadnettle has stalked leaves on the flower stems while henbit does not: “amplexicaule” means leaves grasping the stem. The pretty scalloped leaves wrapped around the stem remind me of Queen Elizabeth I with her ruffled collar. Also a member of the mint family, henbit has small pink/purple, tubular like flowers.

Looking like a cross between a dandelion and a thistle, groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) is a member of the sunflower family. Like a dandelion, groundsel has a taproot and the same feathery type of seed head. It is good to pull while young before the tap root gets established but already in February it is beginning to sport yellow flowers, similar to a dandelion flower but smaller. If I had not been weeding as early as February, the groundsel would have flowered, set seed, and the wind would have dispersed hundreds of seeds to the rest of my property.

groundsel

groundsel

Two weeds that I do not have but spotted in my kids’ school garden are common chickweed (Stellaria media) and mouse ear chickweed (Cerastium vulgatum). There are several different types of chickweed, all members of the carnation family. The common chickweed has smooth, small, egg-shaped leaves and is so named because the plant is used as a starter food for baby chicks. The mouse ear chickweed has hairy leaves, slightly larger than the common chickweed, resembling fuzzy mouse ears. Both have tiny, five-petal flowers but the common chickweed is an annual while the mouse ear chickweed is a perennial. These plants have shallow fibrous roots; their stems spread and crawl and are capable of rooting where the node touches the soil.

common chickweed and mouse ear chickweed

common chickweed and mouse ear chickweed

The garden is not asleep in February. Vast armies of weeds are growing and flowering so as to disperse hundreds of weed seeds before I even start to plant the tomatoes.

 

 

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day with TWO Free Amaryllis Bulbs!

Posted on February 7, 2015 | Leave a comment
photo courtesy of Longfield Gardens, actual giveaway variety may vary

photo courtesy of Longfield Gardens, actual giveaway variety may vary

Amaryllis isn’t just for Christmas, it actually makes a great Valentine’s Day gift. These large bulbs will bloom indoors from November through April. Longfield Gardens, an online source of spring and summer bulbs, perennials, and edibles, would like for you to receive TWO free amaryllis bulbs. Just enter your name, e-mail, and a comment below in the comment section as to what you would do if you received TWO bulbs!!  On Saturday, February 14, I will pick a random entry and announce one lucky winner on my site at http://www.pegplant.com as well as my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pegplant. This giveaway starts today, Saturday, February 7, and ends at midnight on Friday, February 13. Entries must be from the U.S.  This photo is just to illustrate a cute way to use amaryllis flowers; the actual varieties that the winner will receive may vary.  To see more types of amaryllis plants as well as growing information, visit Longfield Garden’s web site at http://www.longfield-gardens.com. Happy Valentine’s Day!!

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You Can Grow Mache!

Posted on February 5, 2015 | Leave a comment

macheMache is simply a lettuce that likes cold weather. Easily grown from seed, mache is started in the autumn and allowed to grow during the winter until it gets too hot in the following spring and bolts (flowers). Like a bib lettuce, mache is a sweet, buttery tasting rosette set of leaves, low to the ground. The leaves are so sweet that a simple drizzle of vinaigrette is all that is needed for a salad.

Although mache leaves are starting to appear in the produce section of grocery stores, it is in fact an “old” edible. The French have been cultivating it since the 17th century, which is probably where Thomas Jefferson learned of it during his visits to France and started to grow it at Monticello. Also known as lamb’s lettuce and corn salad, mache is available from most seed catalogs that offer vegetables and lettuce.

I started my seeds at the end of August in large plastic containers on the deck because our Virginia August is so hot and dry that I wanted to be able to water consistently and easily with a watering can. Once the seedlings came up and the weather cooled down in October, I moved the transplants to a garden bed. This picture was taken in late January after many snow showers, icy rains, and temperatures in the teens. It will grow bigger as temperature and day length increases. I have heard it can tolerate zero degrees and I like the fact that I don’t need to cover it with a plastic hoop. Mache is very nutritious, it has more omega 3 than any other leafy green except for purslane and it contains lutein (promotes eye health). It is high in vitamin A, C, and zinc, and provides almost as much iron as spinach but does not contain spinach’s oxalic acid (oxalic acid interferes with calcium absorption). Don’t forget to include a package of mache seeds with your seed order this year. You Can Grow That!

You Can Grow That! is a collaborative effort by gardeners around the world to encourage others to grow something. Gardeners usually post articles on their blog on the fourth day of the month (fourth day, four words: #1: You; #2: Can; #3: Grow; #4: That). Click on the logo below to read more posts.

Youcangrowthat

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Peg’s Picks February Gardening Events Washington DC Metro Area

Posted on January 31, 2015 | Leave a comment

You would be surprised at how many gardening events occur in February, there are a variety of workshops, lectures, and symposiums. February events also will be on the “Classes, Events” Page of http://www.pegplant.com

Sundays, Harry Allen Winter Lecture Series at Green Spring Gardens, Sundays in January, February, and March from 1:30 to 2:30. After lecture, meet presenter and enjoy refreshments. Can register for individual topics or for all; fee. See http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring for topics and speakers.

  • February 1: Ornamental Edible Gardens, Sandra Clinton
  • February 8: Windowsill Floral Displays, Nancy Ross Hugo
  • February 15: Winning Against Weeds, Mary Godinez
  • February 22: Rhododendron and Relatives, Steven Kristoph

Sunday, February 1, 1:00 pm, Garden Talk: Your Edible Garden, Behnke Nurseries, 11300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD. Free but must register. (301) 937-1100; http://www.behnkes.com

Monday through Wednesday, February 2-4, Garden Club of Virginia gardening symposium in Williamsburg. Fee and must register. Contact is Ann Heller, GCV Communications Coordinator (804) 643-4137 or communications@gcvirginia.org and http://www.gcvirginia.org/symposium/speakers.cfm

Saturday, February 7, the 10th Annual Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange, at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA. This event includes two lectures on two different topics, the seed swap, and a “goody bag” of freebies. 12:30 to 4:00 pm. Must register and fee, for more information call Kathy Jentz, (301) 588-6894. http://www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com

Saturdays, February 7 & 21, 10:30 to 1:00 pm Sustainable Vegetable Gardening series, VCE-Prince William Master Gardeners, Chinn Park Regional Library, 13065 Chinn Park Drive, Woodbridge, VA; free but must register; (703) 792-7747; http://www.mgpw.org

Saturdays, February 7, 14 and 21, Merrifield Garden Center, free lectures at 10:00 am in three locations

  • 2/7: Merrifield, Tips From Your Extension Agent; Fair Oaks, Evergreens for Every Garden; Gainesville, Shrubs: A New Look at Old Favorites
  • 2/14: M, Romance in the Garden; FO, It’s All about the Birds and the Bees; G, Romancing with Plants
  • 2/21: M, Success with Seeds; FO, Boxwood and Flowering Shrubs; G, Gardening for the Birds.

In addition, on February 7, 2:00 pm, Fair Oaks will have a seminar to introduce children to gardening, activity targeted to children ages 6-12 years to complete, adult must be present, sign up online. (703) 560-6222. http://www.merrifieldgardencenter.com

Vegetable Gardening Series, three-part series, hosted by the VCE Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, at Fairlington Community Center, 3308 South Stafford Street, Arlington, VA.

  • Session 1: Planning the Vegetable Garden, Sat, February 7, 9:30 to 11:00 am; or Tues, February 17, 7-8:30 pm (same content repeated)
  • Session 2: Preparing the Garden, Sat, March 14; or Tues, March 17
  • Session 3: Managing the garden, Sat April 11; or Tues, April 21

Free but must register, (703) 228-6414; e-mail: mgarlalex@gmail.com. Register at http://www.mgnv.org

Wednesday evenings, February 11 to March 25, 6:00 to 8:00 pm, (first one till 8:30 pm), plus one field trip on Saturday 3/21. Organic food gardening winter class. Fee and must register in advance. Neighborhood Farm Initiative. 1525 Newton Street, NW, Washington DC; (202) 505-1634; http://www.neighborhoodfarminitiative.org

Saturday, February 21, the 11th Annual Eco-savvy Symposium: Evolving Landscapes 8:30 to 4:00 pm at Green Spring Gardens, fee and must register in advance, (703) 642-5173; http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring

Friday, February 27, Green Matters Symposium, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Theme is “Protecting our Pollinators,” an annual symposium at Brookside Gardens but this year will take place at Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza. Fee and must register. (301) 962-1451
http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/green_matters_symposium.shtm#schedule

Saturday, February 28, RootingDC Forum, an all-day, free gardening forum with many lectures and vendors, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (a ten dollar donation is suggested). Registration started January 15. Wilson Senior High School, 3950 Chesapeake Street, NW, Washington DC. http://www.rootingDC.org

Saturday, February 28, Middleburg Horticultural Symposium, 8:30 am to 3:15 pm, sponsored by the Fauquier and Loudoun Garden Club at the Salamander Resort and Spa, 500 North Pendleton Street, Middleburg, VA. Fee and must register. E-mail elaineburden1@aol.com or call (540) 687-6940. www.flgardenclub.org

Saturday, February 28, 1:00 pm, Garden Talk: Discouraging Deer in Your Garden, Behnke Nurseries, 11300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD. Free but must register. (301) 937-1100; http://www.behnkes.com

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New Plants in 2015, as viewed from Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show

Posted on January 27, 2015 | 2 comments

I just attended the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) at the Baltimore Convention Center. Walking the aisles at MANTS takes at least one day, if not two. There are over 900 exhibitors from across the country and more than 10,000 attendees every year. These are wholesale companies reaching out to other companies, including independent garden centers (IGCs). Garden communicators such as myself attend to learn “what’s new,” identify trends, meet the owners, and connect with other garden communicators. Garden communicators serve as a conduit or bridge between the wholesale companies or the “field” and the public. We see what is available and communicate that back to the public, i.e., the customers. We serve a valuable role in communicating the “what’s new” or “what’s cool” before it even gets to a print magazine or in the IGCs. Below are a few new things I learned about at MANTS with a focus on edibles. Keep in mind that because MANTS is a trade show, some of the companies are wholesale so you will have to either visit the link to ask if they can locate a retailer or ask your IGC if they will carry these products.

Making Healthy Eating Easier

mighty2matogardenamericaGrafted vegetables are making healthy eating easier by reducing disease and soil-borne problems. Grafted tomato plants have been on the market for several years now but what is new this year are the Mighty 2 Matos, double grafted plants with two tomato varieties. Two different tomato varieties are grafted on to one disease-resistant rootstock, taking advantage of a vigorous and disease/nematode resistant root system while providing two types of delicious tomatoes. For example, with one plant you can harvest Blush Tiger and Green Tiger tomatoes, or Brandywine and Cherokee Purple, or Indigo Cherry Drops and Indigo Pear Drops, or Pink Berkeley Tie Dye and Pork Chop, or Sun Sugar and Sweet Aperitif.  http://www.mightymato.com

Burpee Home Gardens also sells grafted tomatoes; they have 15 varieties in their Bumper Crop Grafted Tomatoes line. The Big Collection features large tomatoes; the Bold Collection consists of the Indigo varieties; the Early Collection has plants that bloom and fruit early in the season; while Black Pear Heirloom and Red Pear Heirloom make up the Small-fruited Pear types. http://www.burpeehomegardens.com

Even more interesting is the new Ketchup ‘n’ Fries, a tomato plant grafted onto a potato plant. I had written about this in my December 17 article but at the time I thought Ketchup ‘n’ Fries was only available from Territorial Seed. I learned at MANTS that it is also available from GardenAmerica. http://www.gardenamerica.com

microgreensPart of why I garden is for healthy eating which is a challenge in the winter. I have been interested in micro-greens for some time now as a winter project. Micro-greens are different from sprouts, they are the seedling stage of edibles such as lettuce, radish, chard, kale, spinach, etc. You start them in a shallow container of soil, indoors, and cut them when they are only a few inches tall to put in a salad. I had a nice chat with Sandy Merrill at the Chas. C. Hart Seed Company who had a small container of micro-greens at her booth. They were quite tasty; I could see how easy it would be to grow them. She gave me a packet of “Veggie Confetti,” which I started this week and I will keep you posted on their progress in future articles. The Chas. C. Hart Seed Company has been in business for over 100 years and sells a wide range of seed at garden centers. http://www.hartseed.com

Keeping it Small

Visiting MANTS confirmed what I have been reading, there is a trend towards small edibles, or container edibles. Pixie Grape is a new line of natural dwarf grape plants. Developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they only grow to 2 feet high and 1 foot wide.  They do not grow tendrils like regular grape vines do; they tend to put their energy in clusters of flowers, hence they fruit year round. Hardy to zone 3, they can be grown in the ground or in a container. Four types will be introduced: Cabernet Franc, Pinot Meunier Purple, Pinot Meunier White, and Riesling. http://www.plugconnection.com and http://www.gardenamerica.com

BRAZELBERRIES pink icing - all rights reserved c2014 LAB 2The Brazelberries Collection, developed by Fall Creek Farm & Nursery, Inc., is introducing Pink Icing, a diminutive blueberry bush. Pink Icing’s new spring foliage is pink, eventually turning to green in the summer, and blue/green in the fall. The blueberries themselves are large, appearing in mid-summer. Hardy to zone 5, this 3-4 foot shrub would make a great container plant on the deck. All Brazelberries are small enough for containers and hardy to zone 4 or 5. In case you missed the other members of the family there is a raspberry called Raspberry Shortcake (see June 2014 article) and three more blueberries:  Peach Sorbet, Jelly Bean, and Blueberry Glaze. http://www.brazelberries.com

New Landscape Edibles

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPlants that serve the dual purpose of staying in the ground year round to beautify the landscape while providing food is another trend displayed at MANTS. Proven Winners has a new landscape edible for its Vitamin Berries line: Sugar Mountain Sweetberry honeysuckle. Related to honeysuckles, these are native shrubs also known as haskaps. Sugar Mountain Blue produces blue berries on large hedge-type plants that are more than 5 feet high and wide. The berries look like tubular blueberries but they do not require the acidic soil that blueberries require. Hardy to zone 2, these shrubs will fruit without pollination but will produce larger fruit if allowed to cross pollinate with another bush. Hence, Proven Winners also developed Sugar Mountain Balalaika, Sugar Mountain Eisbar, and Sugar Mountain Kalinka. http://www.provenwinners.com

Lo Hugger 2I also discovered the ‘Lo-Hugger’ American cranberry. I always thought of cranberries as northern bog plants but this is evergreen groundcover that can be grown in wet or dry soil, sun or part shade.  It grows to about 6 inches high, spreads out a couple of feet and produces pink flowers followed by edible, red berries. Hardy to zone 4, it is a fast growing, winter hardy plant. It also is a four-season interest, landscape edible – the foliage remains on the plant during the winter turning to red/bronze and then back to green in the summer. http://www.upshoothort.com

Packaging is Everything

I was surprised to learn that the Netherland Bulb Company, famous for spring flowering bulbs like tulips and daffodils, promotes quite a line of edibles. They sell everything from elderberry, goji berry, asparagus, horseradish, garlic, rhubarb, Dutch onions, shallots, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, pine berry, grapes, to organic and regular potatoes. I saw a wonderful display of boxed organic potato tubers, guaranteed to sell. You don’t have to put your hands in old bins to pick up dirty tubers. Packaging is important, if it is clean and easy to pick up and buy, it sells. http://www.netherlandbulb.compotato (2)

Walters Seed Company is another company that has capitalized on beautiful packaging. Houseplant, herb, and flower seeds and a soil pellet come in these adorable biodegradable containers. Seed Gems make great gifts, can be customized for party favors, and the boxes can be imprinted with special messages. Simply add water to the soil pellet, add seeds and grow. When the plant is ready to be placed in a larger pot or outside, put the entire biodegradable pot in the soil. Who wouldn’t buy these for Mother’s Day, a shower, or wedding. http://www.walters-seed.comseed gemsseed gems (2)

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Philadelphia Flower Show in Five Weeks!!

Posted on January 24, 2015 | 1 comment

2015FSposterNow is the time to book your trip and buy your tickets to the Philadelphia Flower Show, the nation’s largest and longest running flower show in North America. This year, the theme is “Celebrate the Movies.” From Saturday, February 28, through Sunday, March 8, the Flower Show will “Celebrate the Movies” with the world’s great floral and garden designers taking inspiration from the world’s great cinema. All proceeds from the Flower Show will support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and its acclaimed urban greening programs including City Harvest.

The Flower Show is held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch Street, but you don’t have to drive there by yourself. In the Washington DC metropolitan area, there are several coach bus trips that make it easy to access the show. Coach bus companies offer trips, and many nurseries, garden clubs, Master Gardener groups, public gardens, and park systems offer day trips to the Convention Center. Green Spring Gardens, Brookside Gardens, and Greenstreet Gardens offer bus trips, contact them directly for more information. The Washington Gardener magazine offers two trips on different days: one from Behnkes Nursery in Maryland and one from Silver Spring. Check out the various venues for date/time of departure, meeting locations, and prices which could include admission ticket, food, or entertainment. This is a walk-till-you-drop event: wear tennis shoes and bring your camera!

Philadelphia Flower Show http://www.theflowershow.com

Green Spring Gardens http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring

Brookside Gardens http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside

Greenstreet Gardens http://www.greenstreetgardens.com

Washington Gardener magazine

http://www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com

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Please Vote for Pegplant!

Posted on January 22, 2015 | Leave a comment

GBC-15-HOF-bannerMy blog has been nominated for a “Best New Blog” award at the upcoming Garden Bloggers Conference. Please vote for pegplant.com; deadline is February 6, 2015. The Garden Bloggers Conference, in case you want to go, is being held at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead, Atlanta, GA, on February 25-27. Sounds like a great place to learn more about blogging and to meet fellow bloggers. Thanks for voting!

http://garden-bloggers-conference.com/hall-of-fame-awards/

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GMO or GE Seeds? What’s the Difference?

Posted on January 21, 2015 | 1 comment

GMOI love seed catalogs. Reading them is an easy, simple way to learn about growing plants and new plants. I grow many of my edibles from seed; it’s fun, economical, and rewarding. But I am not willing to pay extra for the “non-GMO” or “GMO-free” claim I see on almost every catalog now. Even more importantly, seed catalogs should make it clear that they are offering non-GE seed, which isn’t even available to the home gardeners anyway so they are not really “offering” any more than the next seed catalog.

GMO stands for “Genetically Modified Organism.” According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a GMO is “an organism produced through genetic modification.” Genetically modified organisms can occur naturally or can be created by people through traditional breeding methods. For example, some plants will produce variegated leaves on their own, a desirable characteristic. Or some people will breed a plant in their backyard for a particular trait. The Mortgage Lifter tomato, an heirloom, was created when a person choose plants that had large tomatoes and bred them together to make even larger tomatoes.  The resulting plant was so good, he was able to sell the seedlings and pay off his mortgage. Many of the “new” plants for the year are bred by companies for particular characteristics, for example, most of the new flowering annuals are bred for particular flower colors.  The newest petunia flower color was created by modifying genetics from parent petunias to create a hybrid that produced a particular new shade of pink.

GE stands for “Genetically Engineered,” i.e., an organism that was produced through genetic engineering. According to the USDA, genetic engineering is the “manipulation of an organism’s genes by introducing, eliminating, or re-arranging specific genes using the methods of modern molecular biology, particularly those techniques referred to as recombinant DNA.” New plants are produced by combining the DNA of a plant with something else that is not related and/or is not sexually compatible. These combinations would not normally occur in nature. For example, corn seed modified with a soil bacterium to protect the corn from corn borers or soybean that is herbicide resistant. These are human creations that can only occur by scientists, in labs, with special equipment. In our country, this is done with agricultural crops, not the seed or plants that home gardeners use.

Technically, the USDA definition of GMO is broad enough to include GE. What many people object to are GE crops; they are concerned about safety and long term effects. There are no safety concerns with genetically modified organisms so it is unfortunate that many seed catalogs use the term GMO when they mean to say GE. Seed catalogs should be clear:  they are not selling GE seeds; they are selling GMO seeds if they are selling hybrids, including open pollinated hybrids. In many of my catalogs, on one page it says “GMO free” and “we never sell genetically modified seed” yet on the subsequent pages it says “a decade in the breeding,” or “hybrid”, or “the result of a lifetime of fine breeding.” Breeding means you are working with genetics to create a desirable trait so you have genetically modified the organism but this does not mean you have created something dangerous and unsafe. It means they used traditional, horticultural practices, not recombinant DNA of a plant and a non plant.

Another point: grafted plants, such as grafted tomatoes and grafted apple trees are not GMO or GE. They are the union, a physical union, between two plants. It is a simple process of placing a wounded or the open wounds of two plant parts together and letting the tissues heal so that the cells fuse together. This is a very old horticultural practice that is done manually. A grafted plant takes advantage of what the root stock, the ground part, has to offer (maybe resistance to nematodes) and what the top or scion has to offer (delicious fruit). Even the new Ketchup ‘n’ Fries, a grafted union of a tomato and a potato plant, is not a GMO or a GE. But more on grafted vegetables in a future article, stay tuned!

The following graphic was created by The Chas. C. Hart Seed Co., http://www.hartseed.com

GE Free Semantics

 

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