Which seed is right for you – Open Pollinated, Heirloom, Hybrid, GM

Hello everyone. Now that fall is here it’s time to start thinking about next year’s garden! One of the big decisions to make is what to plant. Once you decide what to plant, you must decide the best source of seeds. Many gardeners will simply go to their local nursery and pick up a variety of seed packs. Others will order their seeds online. Still others will save their seeds from previous crops. There are even people who save the seeds from fruits and vegetables they buy in the store. Whatever your decision, you should be aware of the different types of seeds available.

Heirloom seeds are non-hybrid. The name comes from the fact that they have been passed down for many generations, mostly unchanged. If you find a variety of vegetable you are very happy with, save the seed, regrow it, and continue this cycle, getting the same quality of produce year after year, you will most likely have an heirloom seed. Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated. This means that they are pollinated by insects, birds or the wind. Over years of growing the same variety in one region, the seeds may adjust and become more tolerant of growing conditions in that region.

Hybrid seed are the result of cross pollinating plants. Growers look for certain qualities and will cross breed plants to enhance those qualities. This can be done to produce larger vegetables or a higher yield. While this is certainly commendable, it must be noted that if seeds from a hybrid plant are saved and regrown the next season, the crop will not necessarily be the same as the previous hybrid plant. This can lead to dependency as you will have to continue to purchase new seeds each year if you want to guarantee the same type or yield under similar growing conditions. Seeds seem to vary in this respect with some species growing very well season after season and some producing smaller, unsavory fruit.

Genetically modified (GM) seeds are usually only purchased by large commercial farms and are designed for a specific purpose. These seeds may be resistant to pests, and therefore curb the need for some pesticides or resistant to herbicides, allowing the grower to spray weeds without affecting the crop. These seeds are produced by modifying the actual DNA of the seed. They are often equipped with a terminator gene that will make it impossible (or nearly so) to save and successfully replant the seeds from one season to the next. This is done to ensure that you have to continue to purchase your seeds each year. It makes a certain amount of sense, if you think about how much it cost the companies to initially develop the seeds.

Another thing to consider is saving seeds from the vegetables and fruit you buy in the grocery store. I had always figured that this just wouldn’t work. In doing some research on the subject, though, I have found that, similar to purchased hybrid seeds, some people have had a lot of success growing vegetables from the seeds they saved from their grocery store purchases. There is a lot of discussion on forums online, with people arguing both sides of the coin on this one. My take on it is that if I have the seeds anyway, it won’t take much effort to save them for next year. My garden is big enough to add and ‘experimental’ section. I plan on saving a few, planting them and seeing what happens! I’ll make sure to keep them separate from my other seeds so that I know for sure what seed yielded what plant. It is worth noting here that if you decide this method is worth a try, it may be a good idea to try to find produce from someplace local, or at least where the climate is similar.  Remember that plants will sometimes adapt to an environment so seeds from vegetables initially grown in South America might not fare as well as seeds from those grown right here in TX or a nearby state.  Fruit trees seem to be another subject altogether here. Many are in agreement that the seeds will grow, but it seems that since so many of our fruit trees today are crossed with other trees that the fruit on these trees will not be the quality you may be expecting. Consensus seems to be that trees sprouted from grocery store will make excellent root stock for later grafting, but that allowing them to grow to maturity may yield disappointing results.

So, that’s a lot of talk and typing to say that it’s up to you what to decide what is best for your garden! I have been going the heirloom route for a couple of years and have been happy with the result. I have noticed subtle differences in the produce I get now compared with what I got when I used hybrid seeds, but have not been disappointed. The plants seem to be hardy and the yield on par with what I’ve seen in the past.

Whatever you decide, remember to have fun with it. Happy gardening!