In one of the more outrageous attempts at patenting vegetable seeds; Siegers Seed Company attempted to patent and “own” all pumpkins with warts, even though pumpkins with warts have been grown by gardeners for centuries.
Siegers Seed Company based in Holland, Michigan quietly began in early December of last year applying for ownership of any pumpkins with warts. The patent application was filed with the U.S. Patent Office that would basically allow Siegers to claim ownership of a piece of genetic history in the pumpkin and squash (cucurbit) families.
However, on February 13 of this year, the application for 25 claims on the warty pumpkins was denied. Siegers has up to six months to appeal the denial of the patent.
Photo credit: Heather aka Sleeping Cats Beads
Hydroponics Dictionary
