It’s February in my cold 6b climate and the snow is still covering the field outside… but February is a great time to start seed planning. Protected from the freezing temperatures, my little Walla Walla sweet onion seedlings are just sprouting out of the surface of the soil in my seed trays. It’s a beautiful sight and it reminds me that Spring is just around the corner. These seedlings will be ready to go into that snowy field in 15 weeks.
When it comes to seed planning and purchasing, the options can seem overwhelming. Should you buy organic? What is the difference between heirloom and hybrid? What is an F1 seed? What is the big deal about GMO (genetically modified organisms) seeds? I think defining our terms in important – especially when it comes to growing our own food. If I am going to go through the work of gardening, harvesting, and preserving, I certainly want the end product to be high quality and natural.
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Heirloom vs. Hybrid
Heirloom seeds are a pure form of a seed. The parent seed, typically open-pollinated, will yield the same kind of seed for the next generation of produce. I breed labs, so I always think of this as being a pure-bred seed (like a pure-bred lab). Heirloom seeds are wonderful because you can harvest the seeds from the plant and grow the exact same plant the following season. If you do the work to harvest your own seeds, you won’t have to buy that variety of seeds again! This is a great for your wallet and for the security of knowing you will have guaranteed seeds every year. If you want to learn more about seed saving, this book is an excellent resource on how to properly harvest and store a variety of seeds.
Hybrid seeds are created through cross-pollination of two parent plants to create a new plant. I like to think of these like the “labradoodles of seeds” (ha!). Hybrid seeds are created to take the best traits of two varieties – like a labradoodle having all the wonderful personality traits of a lab, but the hypoallergenic trait of a poodle. Similarly, hybrid seeds will help to breed the best traits together to create a desirable combination. Some of these desirable outcomes may include blending a flavorful variety with a disease resistant variety; or an early producer with a best selling variety, etc. You may see F1 next to a seed variety and this shows that this is a first generation hybrid seed. This happens by taking a pure parent plant from two varieties and cross-pollinating them to get a hybrid “baby” seed (your labradoodle seed). This can accidentally happen in your own garden if you plant two varieties of plants within the same plant family next to each other (I.e. two different varieties of tomatoes). It is important to note, these are naturally cross-pollinated; these are not GMO seeds but more on that later. These hybrids have their place and can certainly be useful. You may harvest the seed from these, however, they will not produce the same desired hybrid the following season. For this reason, I prefer to only grow heirloom seeds. Lastly, it is possible to get an organic hybrid seed by cross-pollinating two organic parent plants. But, again, if you hope to harvest your own seeds, I would stick to heirloom seeds.
Genetically Modified Seeds
GMO seeds differ from hybrid seeds because they are actually altered in a lab at a DNA level – significantly different from just cross-breeding to create hybrid seeds. There is still much research to be completed in the long-term effects on both plants and people. However, most quality seed companies are firmly against this movement. The danger of changing or adding to the DNA of plants is that this process changes the proteins at a molecular level and can effect human’s ability to digest the GMO variety. As a result, many people are developing new intolerances to foods – wheat is one example of this.
Certified Organic
For a seed to be organic (in the USA), the seed company has to abide by a long list of rules and regulations to be granted organic certification – this is in the best interest of the consumer! Most legitimate organic certified companies will proudly display their certification on their public website – after all, they have gone through a lot of work to get this certification. However, if you don’t see it, you can always email that company and they will likely provide it for you. Obviously, small Ma and Pa market side garden/seed stands will likely not have the means to get this certification. So if you buy seeds from a local seller or from Etsy, you will have to judge for yourself if you are able and willing to take their word. However, true certified organic produce/seeds are strictly required to only be grown on land that has NOT used synthetics/toxins for a minimum of three years. Organic seeds must be grown from organic plants in organic mediums/soils that are free from major toxins. As much as possible, I aim to buy seed varieties that are BOTH organic AND heirloom to ensure I am getting quality produce and reproducible seeds year after year.
Sourcing Seeds
I hope by now you understand the importance of quality seeds; not all seeds are equal! Seed sourcing is important and should be done thoughtfully. Personally, I prefer to purchase my seeds through companies that produce quality heirloom seeds with high germination rates. I have great success with my seeds from True Leaf Market. Their seed selection and germination rate are outstanding. Their website is easy to navigate with clearly marked heirloom, organic, and/or hybrid seeds. As a bonus, they also have several long-term storage/emergency seed kits for purchase – these are nice to have on hand for a little extra peace of mind. I have been very happy with all of my seeds from True Leaf Market. Happy gardening!
Blessings, Tawny
