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R.H Shumway - the best winter read!

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange - got a lot of heirloom varieties!

No other seed catalogs need to exist.


So what's yours?

When we were on our homestead, we always bought untreated seeds. We did not want to contaminate our plants or soil with neonicotinoid insecticide which remains in the soil, is taken up by plants, and kills bees when they feed on those plants.

When we were on our homestead, we always bought untreated seeds. We did not want to contaminate our plants or soil with neonicotinoid insecticide which remains in the soil, is taken up by plants, and kills bees when they feed on those plants.

Do you have any studies on that? I'm interested in looking into it since most of my seeds are treated so far.

Soloist wrote:

When we were on our homestead, we always bought untreated seeds. We did not want to contaminate our plants or soil with neonicotinoid insecticide which remains in the soil, is taken up by plants, and kills bees when they feed on those plants.

Do you have any studies on that? I'm interested in looking into it since most of my seeds are treated so far.

The studies where I first became aware of the dangers of neonicotinoids came out of Europe some years ago. Their use has since been banned in Europe.

More recent studies have positively identified neonicotinoids as a major cause of Bee Colony Collapse Disorder. I'm told that you can find articles on the studies of that connection at Bee Culture. They have a search feature at their website:
http://www.beeculture.com/

BTW, I like your new signature

i could almost come to tears when thinking what seed and garden and home resources were lost on MD. jcm is not an MN member, but he contributed several links to outstanding sources.

i'm so glad to see this topic begin anew!

Wayback machine has some stuff from the old forum, not much but worth looking around to see if anything you wanted is there

My absolute favorite is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds- http://www.rareseeds.com

Southern Exposure and Johnnys Seeds also have gained small portions of my order, but Baker Creek is my go to. Wonderful varieties, great website (the reviews are so helpful), great prices, and good ethics.

Soloist wrote:

When we were on our homestead, we always bought untreated seeds. We did not want to contaminate our plants or soil with neonicotinoid insecticide which remains in the soil, is taken up by plants, and kills bees when they feed on those plants.

Do you have any studies on that? I'm interested in looking into it since most of my seeds are treated so far.

Perhaps move this to the "In the Garden" thread? This is honestly on the same level as not using GMO/ non-"organic" food waste in composting. The infinitesimally small amount of seed treatment residues in comparison to your garden is absolutely no reason for concern. Plus, treated seeds are just meant to help them get up and going without running into rot or fungus... These qualities are fleeting- they're negated very quickly/ flushed out... Just like other nutrients and treatments are. That's my two cents.
There's what I see as a total information overload in organic gardening circles. People micromanage... Keep it simple! Just don't use synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, or pesticides all over your crops. Don't forget, plants want to grow...

KingdomBuilder wrote: There's what I see as a total information overload in organic gardening circles. People micromanage... Keep it simple! Just don't use synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, or pesticides all over your crops. Don't forget, plants want to grow...

Agreed, especially with the synthetic pesticides/insecticides observation. We only used wood ash and diatomaceous earth for controlling pests which were usually worms and don't harm the bees.

We have found though that some nursery plants and seeds were treated with pesticides/neonicotinoids. Don't know why. We didn't buy them.

I've used Southern Exposure seeds with good success. I've also bought untreated seeds in bulk from the local farmer's store and they work well. We planted a lot of brassicas, beets, and turnips in addition to beans, squash, onions, and tomatoes.

It’s seed catalogue season again.