KINDS OF SEEDS-WHICH TO CHOOSE FOR AN ORGANIC GARDEN

When one is interested in starting an organic garden,the different questions that arise are

1.What IS an organic garden?

2.How and where does one procure seeds.

3.Where are these seeds available

1.An organic garden is one where the plants are grown with natural manure(cowdung,redsoil,vermicompost,cocopeat) and with no chemical pesticide and no chemical nutrients.Some people do use Sheep manure and goat manure as they are rich in nutrients.Pests are part of plant growth and how one treats the infection organically, is the difference between a regular garden from a an organic garden.

Organic garderner’s use-Garlic and chilli mix spray,Cow urine,Vasambu+neem oil+turmeric combination..I have given details in the individual infections page.

Seeds are also important to us as the source of seeds determines the growth and fruits of  a plant.

The different seeds available in the market are 1.Hybrid seeds

Hybrid seeds are seeds produced by cross-pollinated plants.These seeds do give high yield and have resistance to diseases.They are treated with a coat of chemicals that would help the plant from fungal infections.

2.Open Pollinated seeds

The very name suggests that Open pollinated seeds are left to be pollinated in the open by the birds, human, wind or insects. The flowers are left in the open to pollinate and hence they are genetically diverse. As long as the pollens are shared between same variety of plants ,the purity of the seed is maintained. These plants get slowly accustomed to the conditions of the surroundings and adapt to the local growing conditions.

Heirloom seeds

All heirloom seeds are Open pollinated seeds but all open pollinated seeds need not be heirloom seeds.

These are the best variety of seeds where there is no modification in the variety of seeds and they would retain the same texture, colour and shape in the fruit.

So,organic gardeners look out for Open pollinated or Heirloom seeds only.

3.Genetically modified seeds

These are the worst kind of seeds as they are genetically tampered seeds.So,avoiding these would prevent one from getting into unknown health issues.

2.How and where does one procure seeds.

In India,one can procure them from many sources..

Organic/hairloom stores with online order capability only are considered!

              

        1. Nimai Garden

http://www.nimaigarden.in/

        2. Purna Organics

http://www.purnaorganics.com/

        3. Esellzone

http://esellzone.com/28-organic-vegetable-seeds

        4. Garden Guru (Everything here is not organic)

http://www.gardenguru.in/search.php?tag=organic

        5. Organic Garten

http://www.organicgarten.com/

The following are also good sources for organic seeds but online ordering is not yet possible::

 1. Annadana

http://annadana-india.org/

Annadana Soil and Seed Savers Network, Ishana, Gopathi Farms, Village Singapura Post Vidyaranyapura, Bangalore 560097, Karnataka, India Mail: info@annadana-india.org Tel: +91 80 2325 4400        + 91 8277116606

 Annadana is a registered non-profit organisation working to conserve India’s rich and diverse seed heritage. Their efforts focus on assisting farmers across the country to adopt sustainable, chemical-free agricultural practices.

Was happy to read this article on them.

www.thealternative.in/environment/annadana-organic-farming-saving-good-food/

 2. Sahaja Organics

http://www.sahajaorganics.com/index.html

 3. Navdanya

http://www.navdanya.org/navdnaya-organic-outlets-grains-vegetables-a-cafe