digitS'
Garden Master
I have grown Armenian cucumbers and the picture sure doesn't look like how they started out. It has been about 7 years ago so my experience with them isn't fresh in my mind but they aren't round. They didn't do very well for me but melons seldom do.
They are a melon variety. I can imagine that they will cross with others.
It is difficult for us to know what the catalog companies do and do not. I don't believe that there are many that produce their own hybrids or even grow and process their own seed. They are involved in catalog sales and may have some trail gardens. Johnny's continues to release their own varieties and must maintain a breeding program altho' there have been some major recent changes in Johnny's ownership with the employees taking over.
Consolidation in the seed industry continues. Hybridizing has been outsourced for many years. I remember being surprised that Goldsmith Seeds had its seed growing in East Africa. Then, Syngenta bought Goldsmith. "Syngenta employs over 27,000 people in over 90 countries." Wikipedia tells us. I think that most of the seed is grown, not in Switzerland where Syngenta is based, but in China.
Alright, what does all this mean to someone with a backyard garden? Responsibility is diffused up and down the line in these multi-nationals but, as always, there are weak links. The magic in a seed isn't to be found in a corporate office somewhere. Attention has to be paid from the ground up - in fact, it needs to be focused most closely at the ground-level. Financial Affairs won't assure quality in a seed packet.
Steve
They are a melon variety. I can imagine that they will cross with others.
It is difficult for us to know what the catalog companies do and do not. I don't believe that there are many that produce their own hybrids or even grow and process their own seed. They are involved in catalog sales and may have some trail gardens. Johnny's continues to release their own varieties and must maintain a breeding program altho' there have been some major recent changes in Johnny's ownership with the employees taking over.
Consolidation in the seed industry continues. Hybridizing has been outsourced for many years. I remember being surprised that Goldsmith Seeds had its seed growing in East Africa. Then, Syngenta bought Goldsmith. "Syngenta employs over 27,000 people in over 90 countries." Wikipedia tells us. I think that most of the seed is grown, not in Switzerland where Syngenta is based, but in China.
Alright, what does all this mean to someone with a backyard garden? Responsibility is diffused up and down the line in these multi-nationals but, as always, there are weak links. The magic in a seed isn't to be found in a corporate office somewhere. Attention has to be paid from the ground up - in fact, it needs to be focused most closely at the ground-level. Financial Affairs won't assure quality in a seed packet.
Steve
