GMO, Hybrid or what?

With planting time approaching, finally, many will be looking to buy new seeds for their gardens. And the question of whether a seed is GMO or a hybrid will probably bother some. We all, or at least most of us, grow our own to get some benefit, such as organic and home grown produce, and the last thing we want is to harm oursleves and our loved ones. We have all heard the term GMO and want to avoid it at all costs. But we have also heard the term hybrid, and open pollinated and heirloom. So what are they and how are they the same and how are they different.
Let me start by telling you that seeds you buy at a garden center or a supermarket are safe.

So how are they the same? They're all seeds. And how are they different? Read on to find out.

GMO stands for "genetically modified organism". These seeds have a DNA from another organism
artificially implanted into them. We want to stay away from these and luckily it's easy to do because they are usually available to farmers only. We also shouldn't worry about supermarket produce being grown from GMO seeds as not all crops are grown from GMO seeds. Why I personally want to avoid non-organic supermarket produce is because of all the chemicals used to grow, transport, and store them. Most common crops grown from GMO seeds are: sugar beats (for sugar), corn, soya beans, cotton (for use as oil), papaya, squash and canola (for oil). Alfa alfa for animal feed can also be grown from GMO seeds. Does that mean that all of these crops are grown from GMO seeds? Well most probably not. Are you likely to end up growing them? Most likely not.

Then come the hybrid seeds. Are they the same as GMO? The answer is NO, they're not. Hybrids are seeds that are a result of cross pollinating different plant varieties to create a variety thay has desirable characteristics of the parent varieties. It's 100 natural and safe to use. Some people prefer to grow them because they have desirable characterisitcs (for example they could be resistance to some pests or disease that attack that particular area). You don't want to save seeds from hybrids because you don't know what you end up with. The seed can revert and you may end up with parent variety which could be something you don't want to grow.
Next comes the OP or open pollinated varieties. These are hybrids that have stabilized and you can save seeds from them to grow your next year's crop from. Most of the seeds you buy from garden centers and supermarkets are OP.
And finally we come to heirloom seeds. These are OP seeds that have been around for a very long time. Some people prefer to grow them exclusively.
What you decide to grow is upto you. I prefer OP and heirlooms but will not mind a hybrid if it gives me better taste and healthier crop.
So what are you growing this season?? Do you have any favorites you want to share??

Garden in August

It has been a long time indeed. I haven't written in such a long time that I feel guilty about it. Though there isn't much going on in regards to edibles but the garden is not totally "dead". It's still mostly green and this is the only thing that draws me outdoors into the yard at times. I have noticed that though most things are poor looking and some are ok, there are some that are thriving. Yes thriving. So of things that seem to enjoy this insane heat are date palm,  jute leaves (molokhia), edible purslane  and Kangkong Kong (water spinach). Two types of basil are doing great as well, I don't know their varieties as I didn't keep track, but one is either Thai or Indian. These are the edibles. In regards to ornamentals , (I didn't plant any, it's just what is there), the happiest are portulaca (ornamnetal purslane), chaste tree, vinca and morning glory. One of the basils (with purple flowers can also be included as its often used as ornamental). The others are also doing great such as the agaves.
Eggplants have survived but are not producing, so though known as heat loving I think they are not great admirers of our heat.
The sweet potatoes I planted a few months ago as an experiment are growing. I know I should have taken the sips and replanted them but I didn't so we'll see how it turns out in a few months.
As an experiment I also planted pineapple crowns a few months ago. I got them from carrefour, from the fresh pineapple juice section, the guy happily gave them away to me (after all they go into the garbage). I got them late season so I planted them in pots. Out of 6 plants 4 survived so it's a good result. I'm planning on replanting them into the ground later and wait 2-3 years "patiently" till I get fruit (hopefully).
I have lost a few trees to the heat, mostly citrus (I didn't plant them early enough, lesson learnt).
September is approaching and I am in the planning mode already. This year Inshallah I'm intending to grow more edibles, expand the growing area and replace the sand with sweet sand which I intend to buy from Dubai Municipality as I want a huge quantity (I wish I'd done that before, I know I got good results with normal sand and addition of manures, but I want better results).
Below are some pics from the garden.