Green Daily

It's that time of year when gardener's start digging up the earth and planting seeds. Burpee is one of the most well know seed suppliers in the United States. Their seeds are carried at home improvement giants like Home Depot and Lowes where one-stop shoppers can get all of their gardening supplies. Their wares are so prolific that a few have made their way into my garden. Because of this I was immediately taken aback when I started reading on gardening forums that Burpee was owned by GMO giant, Monsanto.

Monsanto has been acused of many things from trying to be the single global supplier of seeds to using humans as lab rats by feeding us genetically modified food (read about GMOs here and here). I am not a purist but I try to avoid genetically modified seeds the best that I can and when I read the rumors about Burpee, some red flags started to fly. I swore off the brand not only for the plants but also because I didn't want to be putting money into Monsanto's pockets wich purchases of gardening accessories.

Well, it turns out that Burpee IS NOT owned by Monsanto. In 2005 Monsanto bought vegetable seed company, Seminis Inc. who supplies some seeds to Burpee. This does little to asauge any fears about food safety as technically Monsanto does supply product to Burpee (even many organic seeds are tinted with GMOs). However, it's important to point out that Burpee is privately owned and operated by third generation seedsman, George Ball Jr. and I can buy peat pots without guilt.

If you are a faithful Burpee customer and have concerns about GMOs, tell them. However, it's good to know that there are already seed companies out there like Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds who are 100% commited to providing GMO-free seeds.