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interesting read on seed

Discussion in 'Horticulture' started by kelpguy, Mar 22, 2015.

  1. kelpguy

    kelpguy DI Senior Member

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    Answer is no. It's several paragraphs of explanation for the full story but in brief, eggplant and melon seeds that ripen on Tas do not exist in mainland sources. Hybrid peppers do enormously better in Tas but . . . at least we do have some acceptable ops we can propagate (with low seed yields due to cool conditions). And Tas Q restricts seed imports from mainland companies as much as it does from foreign sources. To get a full range of cauliflower varieties that allow harvesting from May through the end of October next, I must go to England for seed. I can get some from Cascadia, but not the full range. There's a small cabbage that overwinters and always makes nice heads in spring. Mainland op brussels sprout varieties are rubbish and hybrids aren't available. These can be sourced in the USA; many more varieties are found in the UK. Onions, etc. Late broccoli hybrids for winter production; not in mainland garden seed offerings, etc. Mr. Fothergills has some good stuff.

    Look Lloyd, in a sane world, most Australians would buy their seed from the States. Victorians and South Australians in the greener parts would buy from NE USA. New South Wales folks would buy from companies in Pennsylvania . . . . Queenslanders would buy from Park, in South Carolina. They would pay no more, including exchange and shipping, for first class seed, than they pay now for junk.

    But Quarantine is running a protection racket. And it's a very effective racket. They get lots of self importance, secure jobs, cute little sniffer dogs to keep them company, new state cars to drive around in, an ever expanding work force, an ever expanding mandate to protect us from an ever increasing list of threats. Terrorism in another guise. I don't see how Q could possibly succeed at protecting this continent from a long list of unwanted creatures, not succeed over the next few hundred years, assuming globalization continues. So what inevitably must happen, is that these horrors will get through, one at a time, I think if "contamination" happens in this manner, that the pests will cause the most damage possible.

    But like everything government does, there are undesirable, unintended consequences. Like every gardener in Australia pays a lot more for seed of much lower quality, with much less choice, than the world standard.

    Steve

    ===================================================
    Posted by: "Steve Solomon" stsolomo@soilandhealth.org stsolomo
    Date: Tue Mar 17, 2015 6:49 pm ((PDT))

    Isn't life a joke sometimes! Steve Solomon, high class seedsman, retired,
    migrated to Tasmania, a place where there was plenty of liberty and more
    tranquility. Decent soil and excellent year round gardening weather. Steve
    Solomon, the ethical seedsman.

    So what happens? Decent seed is not available--no surprise. Like Oregon was
    when I first arrived. So I organize two local seed companies (only wanted
    one), in order to provide decent garden seed. I mean, honest, quality seed
    like what is offered by Johnny's, High Mowing, West Coast and Territorial,
    is not available to mainland gardeners either. That's thanks to Australia
    Quarantine, whose restrictions act like a highly protective tariff shielding
    a non-competitive low-quality market. Oh, it is still possible for mainland
    gardeners to import seeds for most species, but it is awkward and a bit
    intimidating.

    But I don't quite live in Australia. Tasmania is its own country. We are
    afflicted by our own Quarantine; it has Tassie rules in addition to AQIS's
    rules. Tassie is going for "clean and green", non GMO, etc. And our Q has
    long facilitated our farmers exporting into markets that would exclude them
    if it but could, but under the rules of "free trade," they can only justify
    exclusions on the grounds of biosecurity, and Tassie can PROVE the island is
    free of a few diseases that justify exclusion. To maintain officially
    certified disease-free status, imports of other species are
    restricted--others in addition to those that AQIS restricts. Putting the
    squeeze on Allium and solanum seed imports could have been managed, except
    that lately, Q has begun restricting even more species, like carrot, because
    Bejo Zaden is now producing much carrot seed on TAS. Bigtime. Major
    investment in seed handling machinery, buildings, employees, and etc. Etc. I
    hear also pumpkins, and who knows what's next.

    So here is me, a seedsman, being PREVENTED from legally importing decent
    seed and having to confront a criminal suppression, a situation where for
    many species, no seed may be brought in without paying huge fees and
    providing all sorts of phytosanitary certs--like I mean the two little
    Tassie garden seed companies I got going say it costs them $2,500 to import
    one packet of pepper seed. That's a prohibition, not a restriction.

    In response, I am tempted to get political, but I hate that stuff. I don't
    think I could lobby politicians, reporters, activists, etc. Nor could I
    organize protests. I could also say stuff you all, and just take care of
    self. I have a contact on the mainland who would be pleased to receive no
    end of overseas seed orders on my behalf and then forward the seeds on
    without declaring the parcel contains seeds.Tas Quarantine would never know.
    I could smuggle using several strategies and never get busted--and if I did
    . . . so what! Pay a fine? Lose my material? But that's a cop out.

    Probably the ethical solution is for me to inspire and organize a network of
    collaborating seed growers, all living on Tassie. But that is really a tough
    row to hoe if your intention is to have high quality seed result, and not
    the disgusting stuff currently offered by Australia's homestead seed
    producing network. I mean, to have honestly productive seed to sell, any
    company pimping little growers would have to have the highest ethics! Be
    willing to spend infinite time educating its network and be willing to
    refuse to sell rubbish, no matter the hang-dog bad luck story the grower is
    telling. They would have to grow out nearly every seed lot. It would be real
    WORK, something many Australians do not want to know about--especially the
    ex-mainland "sea changers," who talk the walk but prefer socializing over a
    three course lunch with wine. The one's we need are the old timey native
    rural Taswegians with farming experience and big gardens.

    Wouldn't it be a joke if I ended up back in the seed biz at age 72! Right
    there in the footsteps of my Grandpa Willie, who sold his hardware store at
    age 65 and retired, and then bought it back for peanuts at age 73 (after the
    buyers had run it into the ground), and worked for another seven plus years.
    Willie didn't know what else to do with his life. It wouldn't be the sort of
    seed biz I was in before, but the sort I have long scorned. Like I said, a
    joke.

    As they say in the Royal Manticorian (Space) Navy when things get rough: "if
    you can't take a joke, why did you join the navy?"

    Steve
     
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  2. roodog

    roodog DI Junior Member

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    An interesting post @kelpguy ..... I am an avid gardener .. permaculture being one area i have taught classes in Perth where I am from . got some garden happening in my house in Bacong and you are welcome to visit anytime .. just PM me .
    I am also very interested in possibly retiring in Tasmania in the future and would love to share your knowledge and insights on both matters ... I hope to hear from you and meet you some day .. cheers and happy gardening.
     
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    kelpguy

    kelpguy DI Senior Member

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    roodog...

    1st off, i'm sorry i left out the introduction to my post about seeds.

    i actually know nothing about tassie, only what i read on the group and i snipped the post from soilandhealth@yahoogroups.com. the post was written by steve solomon, the guy that started territorial seeds in the states.

    steve now lives on tasmania,
    owns a yahoo discussion group <soilandhealth@yahoogroups.com>,
    a free online library of hard to get books < Soil and Health Library >,
    writes garden books (search him on amazon) and has a market garden.


    and thanks for the invite. i went to duma yesterday and i'm not in ''condition'' to go down the hill until i recover from yesterdays adventure, however, i would enjoy talking garden with you, or anyone else, if you want to come up to my place for some ''show and tell.'' i'll pm you my contact info.

    looking forward...
    norm : ))~
     
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