I'm sponsoring and co-hosting in a HUGE bash to celebrate and YOU get a chance to win one of 3 prizes from Mary's Heirloom Seeds.
That's "Auntie Mary" on the right!
2 Winners will receive an assortment of Heirloom, Non-GMO seeds as well as organic gardening supplies totaling over $60 in value. Each prize pack Includes (but not limited to) Radish, Golden Beets, Squash, Chinese Cabbage, Culinary and Medicinal Herbs, Beans, Peppers and Tomatoes as well as Coconut Coir Pellets for seed starting made simple AND Organic, Vegan Plant Nutrients. **Seed Varieties will be tailored to the winner's planting region*
1 Winner will receive the Baker's Dozen heirloom seeds variety pack. Easy to grow and wonderful to eat. This pack contains a large variety of seeds for a very low cost. 13 seeds from 13 varieties. Includes: Calabrese Broccoli, 5 Color Silverbeet Swiss Chard, Black Beauty Eggplant, Waltham Butternut Squash, Tam Dew Melon, Bloomsdale Spinach, Cal Wonder Bell Pepper, Marketmore Cucumber, Pink Oxheart Tomato, Atomic Red Carrots, Self-Blanching Snowball Cauliflower, German Giant Radish, Detroit Dark Red Beet.
At Mary's Heirloom Seeds, all of the seeds listed are open-pollinated, non-gmo and non-hybrid, non-patented, untreated, heirloom garden seeds.
All of are seeds are sourced from small, family farmers and seed growers.
Mary has signed the Safe Seed Pledge!
Mary's Birthday Giveaway opens 9/12/2014 and closes 9/20/2014 at midnight EST.
Before you go out and buy fancy and expensive equipment it is best to do research. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of books and websites out there to help you get started out right. Beekeeping isn't like baking a cake. You can't just buy the ingredients, mix it together, bake and let cool.
I've ordered a few books to get me started and I'll start to review them in the next few weeks. Below are a few which had great reviews. I look forward to reading about the wonders of Beekeeping!
*These are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase these books using the links I might make a small commission. Any and all opinions shared are my own*
Welcome to our NEW site for Organic Bee-Friendly seeds!
Have you heard of Heirloom seeds?
Heirloom
seeds produce heirloom vegetables or produce. An heirloom seeds is not
necessarily an organic seed (but can be). A gmo seed is neither
heirloom or organic. The definition of heirloom "is something, perhaps an antique or some kind of jewelry, that has been passed down for generations through family members."
An heirloom seed therefore is a seed which has been saved and passed
down from generation to generation. These seeds have been carefully
cultivated and are considered a great value to the recipient. Some
heirloom seeds have been passed down for over 100 years and others for
over 400 years.
Heirloom seeds are typically a hardy variety. The weak have not survived.
For example, the heirloom variety Calabrese Broccoli is "An Italian heirloom that was brought to America in the 1880s." The Country Gentleman Sweet Corn "was introduced around 1890 by Frank Woodruff & Sons. One of the best heirloom sweet corns." Not to mention the Connecticut Field Pumpkin, "A great
pumpkin for baking pies or carving Jack-o-Lanterns. Introduced prior to 1700."
These are only just a few out of hundreds of varieties available to any interested gardener.
What is a GMO?
GMOs "genetically
modified organisms," are plants or animals created through the gene
splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering,
or GE). This experimental technology merges DNA from different species,
creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding. -from Non-GMO Project
What are the potential Side Effects of GMOs?
It is important to understand the process of creating a Genetically Mutated Organism. Example:Corn
- There are two main varieties of GE corn. One has a Gene from the soil
bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis inserted to produce the Bt toxin,
which poisons Lepidoteran (moths and butterflies) pests.[2]
There are also several events which are resistant to various herbicide.
Present in high fructose corn syrup and glucose/fructose which is
prevalent in a wide variety of foods in America. source
GMOs are created so that when the crops are DRENCHED in Poison (pesticides) the crop lives but the bugs and weeds die.
A new study shows that low doses of Bt biopesticide CryA1b as well as the glyphosate herbicide, Roundup, kill human kidney cells. source
GMOs
are not safe. They have been linked to thousands of toxic and
allergenic reactions, thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock,
and damage to virtually every organ and system studied in lab animals. source
More and more people are turning to
their own backyards for sustenance and piece of mind. Whether your
garden is financially, politically or hobby oriented these are several
things to consider before you get started.
Honey Bee Seeds
It's a fact the honeybees are dying off en mass around the world. The planet is being poisoned and (IMHO) the Honey Bees are the "canary in the coal mine." There many ways YOU can help the Honey Bees. -Add Milkweed to your garden. GREAT for Monarch Butterflies as well
-WatchVanishing of the Bees and recommend to your friends and family. Heck, share it with strangers! It’s an amazing movie and you can find in on
Netflix and a short chip on youtube.
-Stay away from using harsh chemicals in your garden and
yard. Most chemical pesticides also kill
beneficial insects.
-Support your local
beekeepers. Buying local honey is a
great way to show your support and is a delicious treat. It has been suggested that eating local honey can help with seasonal allergies.
Local honey is also eco-friendly as it does not have to travel
thousands of miles and possibly contain nasty chemical additives.
-Learn more about
bees, beekeeping and CCD. Have you ever
considered backyard beekeeping? Now
would be a great time to learn more!
Bees are vital the Human Survival. Without bees, we have no food.
Don't let pesticide companies continue to profit while the world's
honeybee population dies. Get out there and help save the bees!
