It can be overwhelming to go online seed shopping and realize that there are so many options and you don’t have any idea what is best, or where to start.
I’m here to help friend!
Today we are talking about the differences between heirloom, organic, hybrid, and GMO seeds.
Buckle up! Here we go.
WHAT ARE HEIRLOOM SEEDS?
Heirloom seeds have been passed down through generations just like beautiful original furniture in an old home from the 1800s. They have history and a story attached to them that makes them all the more precious.
Other than being historic and fascinating, heirloom seeds have been found to be more nutritious than the hybrids and GMO seeds being used on commercial farms. They are better for you nutritiously and taste better because commercial GMOs and some hybrid plants are created for high production, not for taste.
Heirloom seeds can be saved at home if you take the proper precautions to keep their purity. It's not as difficult or as scary as it sounds; it just takes a little more time and care. The creation of heirloom seeds happens through open-pollination or self-pollination.
Open-Pollination: When plants are pollinated through the air or by insects like bees.
Self-Pollination: Occurs when a plant contains both the male and female parts and pollinates within itself.
If you are interested in savings seeds from your heirloom plants for next season, there are ways to do this fairly easily.
Other than being historic and fascinating, heirloom seeds have been found to be more nutritious than the hybrids and GMO seeds being used on commercial farms. They are better for you nutritiously and taste better because commercial GMOs and some hybrid plants are created for high production, not for taste.
Heirloom seeds can be saved at home if you take the proper precautions to keep their purity. It's not as difficult or as scary as it sounds; it just takes a little more time and care. The creation of heirloom seeds happens through open-pollination or self-pollination.
Open-Pollination: When plants are pollinated through the air or by insects like bees.
Self-Pollination: Occurs when a plant contains both the male and female parts and pollinates within itself.
If you are interested in savings seeds from your heirloom plants for next season, there are ways to do this fairly easily.
WHAT ARE HYBRID SEEDS?
Hybrid seeds have been cross-pollinated for a variety of different reasons. Purposeful cross-pollination tends to be for creating strong and more productive plants.
Hybrids tend to be hardier and more resistant to drought or insects. Depending on what they were bred for, they can produce a higher yield and be more predictable.
An F1 Hybrid is a hybrid that was created from two pure or heirloom plants. Two heirloom plants of the same variety can be manually pollinated to create a new hybrid.
F1 Hybrids can be great plants and produce great fruit, but you won’t want to save the seeds from them. Seeds from an F1 will be unstable and not produce the same exact plant you had the year previous. Being that it is a first-generation hybrid, it’s characteristics have not been solidified like other hybrids.
Stable hybrids have been bred many times to include only the desired characteristics of the original parent plants. Creating hybrids at home takes a lot of time and trial and error. It could be an interesting project if you are interested and have the time to dedicate to it.
Hybrids tend to be hardier and more resistant to drought or insects. Depending on what they were bred for, they can produce a higher yield and be more predictable.
An F1 Hybrid is a hybrid that was created from two pure or heirloom plants. Two heirloom plants of the same variety can be manually pollinated to create a new hybrid.
F1 Hybrids can be great plants and produce great fruit, but you won’t want to save the seeds from them. Seeds from an F1 will be unstable and not produce the same exact plant you had the year previous. Being that it is a first-generation hybrid, it’s characteristics have not been solidified like other hybrids.
Stable hybrids have been bred many times to include only the desired characteristics of the original parent plants. Creating hybrids at home takes a lot of time and trial and error. It could be an interesting project if you are interested and have the time to dedicate to it.
WHAT ARE ORGANIC SEEDS?
If you know anything about organic food, then you will know how strict and extensive the certification process is. These same standards are required for organic seeds.
Organic seeds can be either heirloom varieties or hybrids, but they must be collected from plants that were organically certified.
Organic plants have been known to be hardier and stronger because they aren’t grown using chemicals and toxic pesticides.
If you are looking to grow your own food and it is important that your food is organic, you will want to make sure your seeds are certified organic. If they are not, there is a chance that chemicals and toxic pesticides were used in the growing process. This means that the fruit or flower that contained your seeds was contaminated by such substances and therefore the seeds will be contaminated.
Now, there are seeds sold that were grown organically, but the farmer or gardener may not be organically certified. So, if you wanted to buy seeds at a farmers market, you could purchase seeds that were harvested from a garden that used organic practices, but isn’t certified. Choosing organic seeds from a local source that is not certified is definitely a personal choice.
Organic seeds can be either heirloom varieties or hybrids, but they must be collected from plants that were organically certified.
Organic plants have been known to be hardier and stronger because they aren’t grown using chemicals and toxic pesticides.
If you are looking to grow your own food and it is important that your food is organic, you will want to make sure your seeds are certified organic. If they are not, there is a chance that chemicals and toxic pesticides were used in the growing process. This means that the fruit or flower that contained your seeds was contaminated by such substances and therefore the seeds will be contaminated.
Now, there are seeds sold that were grown organically, but the farmer or gardener may not be organically certified. So, if you wanted to buy seeds at a farmers market, you could purchase seeds that were harvested from a garden that used organic practices, but isn’t certified. Choosing organic seeds from a local source that is not certified is definitely a personal choice.
WHAT ARE GMO SEEDS?
GMO: Genetically Modified Organism
(source: https://www.nongmoproject.org/gmo-facts/what-is-gmo/)
I’m sure you’ve heard of GMOs. Many prepackaged foods now put their “no GMOs” claim on their packaging.
When it comes to seeds, you don’t need to worry too much about making sure what you’re buying is non-GMO. GMO seeds are not readily available to gardeners; they are sold to commercial farms.
Knowing about GMOs is more important so that you can avoid consuming them in foods you buy from the grocery store.
“A GMO, or genetically modified organism, is a plant, animal, microorganism or other organism whose genetic makeup has been modified in a laboratory using genetic engineering or transgenic technology. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.”
(source: https://www.nongmoproject.org/gmo-facts/what-is-gmo/)
I’m sure you’ve heard of GMOs. Many prepackaged foods now put their “no GMOs” claim on their packaging.
When it comes to seeds, you don’t need to worry too much about making sure what you’re buying is non-GMO. GMO seeds are not readily available to gardeners; they are sold to commercial farms.
Knowing about GMOs is more important so that you can avoid consuming them in foods you buy from the grocery store.
WHICH SEEDS SHOULD I USE?
The biggest factor in picking seeds is to know your gardening zone and growing season. You can learn more about that in my post about Gardening Zones + Frost Dates.
Another helpful resource for picking the right seeds is by learning how to read the seed packets. Seed packets have information on the back that tells you what zones, regions, soil temperatures, and growing time they need.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to farmers and gardeners in your area. Their experience can be a wealth of knowledge for you as you get started. They will have a good idea of what plants will survive and which will thrive in your local area.
If you plan on ordering seeds online, don’t forget to check for reviews!
Read through those reviews and look for people in your area or similar zones to yours and see what their experience was growing them. This can be very helpful and keep you from buying all of the pretty plants you see if you know it probably won’t do well.
I hope today's post was helpful! There is a lot to learn about gardening, but the best classroom is the garden. Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest so you don't miss out on future content!
What are some gardening questions you still have? Let me know down in the comments.
Thank you for dreaming with me!
Another helpful resource for picking the right seeds is by learning how to read the seed packets. Seed packets have information on the back that tells you what zones, regions, soil temperatures, and growing time they need.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to farmers and gardeners in your area. Their experience can be a wealth of knowledge for you as you get started. They will have a good idea of what plants will survive and which will thrive in your local area.
If you plan on ordering seeds online, don’t forget to check for reviews!
Read through those reviews and look for people in your area or similar zones to yours and see what their experience was growing them. This can be very helpful and keep you from buying all of the pretty plants you see if you know it probably won’t do well.
I hope today's post was helpful! There is a lot to learn about gardening, but the best classroom is the garden. Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest so you don't miss out on future content!
What are some gardening questions you still have? Let me know down in the comments.
Thank you for dreaming with me!
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