Four Reasons To Buy Non-GMO Vegetable Garden Survival Seeds

By Guest Author Jennifer Nichols

Food – the staff of life, one of the essentials of mankind, without which life simply wouldn’t exist. Although humans are omnivores, the majority of the foods we consume come from plants. Most plants which are grown for food are grown from seeds, placing the seed at the center of it all.

There has been much interest in survival aka “doomsday seeds” recently – none more publicized than the Svalbard Doomsday Seed Vault, built by the Norwegian government and supported by Bill Gates himself. The rationale behind survival seeds and the Doomsday Seed Vault is that the earth may be affected by a catastrophe which would heavily impact the global food basket and require massive replanting to replenish our food supply.

As a result of this fear, many people, farmers and non-farmers alike, have been investing in their own survival seed banks as a sort of insurance policy. Of late, there has been a thrust to promote the banking of non-GMO heirloom survival seeds as compared to GMO (genetically modified) seeds, fueled by the raging debate over the safety of genetically engineered seeds and the real or perceived dangers they present.

Here are the top four reasons to bank non-GMO, heirloom survival seeds:

1. Heirloom fruits and vegetables are self-sufficient

One of the arguments that have dogged the companies who control GMO seed is that they’ve created a scheme designed to keep the seed makers rich and keep farmers dependent on their seeds and the chemicals to grow them. The same companies which control the seeds also control the chemicals, so farmers have to keep buying seeds and chemicals from the same companies every season in order to grow anything.

On the other hand, heirloom seeds can be saved by farmers and gardeners each season and planted repeatedly without having to go back to the seed mill.

2. Heirloom fruits and vegetables have better taste and texture

We’ve all heard it before, older folks complaining that the food nowadays just don’t taste like it used to. Though many scoff at such assertions, there is no doubt that organically-grown heirlooms, by their sheer variety, offer a wider range of flavors and textures. The uniformity of GM crops has resulted in sacrificing taste and quality for quantity.

3. Organically-grown heirlooms are healthier

Commercially grown GMO crops come from seeds that have been altered in such a way that they require dangerous chemicals such as Roundup to grow to their full potential. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, has been increasingly linked to birth defects and cancers. Also, some believe (but it has yet to be proven) that altered genes may be passed on to humans via GMO foods and cause allergic reactions and other illnesses.

Organically-grown heirloom seeds do not employ the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Instead, organic farmers use compost, naturally-occurring soil nutrients, crop rotation, and beneficial habitats to achieve optimum yields and keep the plants healthy.

4. Heirloom seeds create legacy

Like a treasured ring passing from grandmother to daughter to granddaughter, heirloom seeds can create a similar legacy for families. Many people who grew up with backyard vegetable gardens often have interesting stories about that Hillbilly Tomato or Oak Leaf Lettuce their family was known for.

Using organic heirloom seeds to grow backyard gardens can help connect children with practices of the past, and teach them important skills (and you’d be surprised by how much kids actually want to eat their vegetables when they’ve participated in growing them). Heirlooms can be replanted over and over again and stored for years (when packaged properly), without losing their viability, allowing them to be passed from today’s generation to the next.

Author bio: Jennifer Nichols is a mother of two amazing daughters, Haley and Chelsea, as well as a wife to an awesome husband Robert. To round out their family, they also have two dogs that seem to run the house. Jenn loves to shop and shares her experiences (both good and bad) on various products on her blog, ShoppingWithJenn.com.