Confused with seed labeling? If you’re wondering what the words from the title mean and how they affect your selection of seeds, we’ve got a short guide to tell you the differences between different types. Knowing your seeds and making the right choices can help you grow better vegetables and save you a few nasty surprises!
Heirloom Seeds
This is the type of seeds that goes from one generation to another over time (sometimes over centuries!). Very often, heirloom varieties are considered unsuitable for mass production due to lack of uniformity or short shelf life of the vegetables (which hampers transportation). Apart from lacking some characteristics preferred by mass producers, this type of seeds is actually quite impressive – especially if there is a family story behind the variety.
Hybrid Seeds
Hybrid seeds are what you get when you cross two different plants in a controlled environment. This is done to obtain a specific characteristic of the child plant – disease resistance, higher yields, thicker skins to avoid damage in transportation or sweetness, for example. Hybridization is a time-consuming and challenging process done by specialists, but the results are what you see at your local supermarket – uniform vegetables with good shelf life.
With hybrid seeds, you can’t save seeds from one year to another because the results might be unpredictable.
Open-pollinated Seeds
These seeds are more genetically diverse due to natural factors – pollination by birds, insects, wind, even human activities. Open-pollinated varieties are more likely to adapt to local conditions with time. This is the preferred type for most gardeners who save seeds, as they yield the same vegetables each year. All heirloom varieties are open-pollinated.
GMO Seeds
Many people confuse GMO with hybridization. While hybridization is a centuries-old process, genetic modification is a rather new invention. Genetic engineering allowed scientists to introduce genes from one species to another, thus creating varieties with totally new characteristics. You won’t find GMO seeds very often, as they are subject to intellectual property (which makes saving seeds a crime).
Organic Seeds
This last type of seeds is gaining popularity over the past decades – to obtain an Organic certification, you need to grow your plants in a field which complies with the USDA organic standards. Among others, this regulates the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Many breeders offer organic and non-organic seeds for the same variety to cater to the different ways in which people grow their vegetables!
Now, how do you use this knowledge?
No matter what choice you make regarding seed types, make sure you always keep track of what you use in your garden or farm. This way you’ll be able to monitor the results – know where success comes from, and how to avoid failures next year!
If you’re wondering what type of seeds to get, don’t hesitate to contact us – Westar offers an extraordinary variety of Open-pollinated and hybrid seeds to make your life easier!
