Is it best to buy organic seeds?
Buying organic seeds supports sustainable farming practices, preserves biodiversity, and ensures your garden is free from harmful chemicals. Whether you’re growing food for your family or cultivating a beautiful flower garden, organic seeds provide a reliable foundation for success. Certified organic seeds are harvested from crops that are grown according to USDA organic standards. These seeds are cultivated without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or genetic engineering. They may be heirloom seeds, open-pollinated seeds, or even hybrid seeds, provided the plants meet organic farming standards.Buying organic seeds supports sustainable farming practices, preserves biodiversity, and ensures your garden is free from harmful chemicals. Whether you’re growing food for your family or cultivating a beautiful flower garden, organic seeds provide a reliable foundation for success.
Should you buy organic seeds?
One of the most important benefits of organic seeds are how beneficial they are for the environment! As the seeds have been produced in an organic way, they will have had no chemicals applied during the growing process. Growing in an organic way is also beneficial for biodiversity, helping insects and improving soil. Seeds, like chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and hemp seeds, are high in nutrients that are important to overall health such as fiber, protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.Key Benefits of Eating Seeds Daily: Improve digestion and gut health. Aid in weight loss by keeping you full. Help balance hormones (great for PCOS, thyroid, etc. Support heart and brain function.What are the best high-protein seeds for vegetarians and vegans? Hemp, sunflower and chia seeds have high amounts of protein in them. Other seeds are NOT devoid of protein but are richer in oils and minerals or vitamins.
What is the best quality of seeds?
The seed with physical quality should have uniform size, weight, and colour and should be free from stones, debris, and dust, leafs, twigs, stems, flowers, fruit well without other crop seeds and inert material. It also should be devoid of shriveled, diseased mottled, moulded, discoloured, damaged and empty seeds. Healthy seeds are typically uniform in size, shape, and color, while unhealthy seeds may appear discolored, shriveled, or damaged.A good quality seed is not just any seed, but one that; – Is pure, viable, vigorous, and has high-yielding potential, meaning it can produce healthy plants that can withstand stress and give you more output.Healthy seeds being lighter float on the surface of water. Damaged seeds being lighter float on the surface of water. Some healthy seeds and some damaged seeds float on the surface of water. Damaged seeds being heavier settle down at the bottom.
How do you store organic seeds?
Store seeds in tightly sealed glass containers. You can store different kinds of seeds in individual paper packets in one large container. Keep seeds dry and cool. A temperature between 32° and 41°F is ideal, so your refrigerator can be a good place to store seeds. Place 5-10 seeds on a damp tea towel. Fold the towel in half, covering the seeds, and place it in a storage container with an airtight lid. Place the container in a warm location, for example on top of a refrigerator (I put mine on a heat mat). Watch the seeds over the next couple of weeks to see if they germinate.The Water Test The good seeds will sink, while the bad seeds float. You can then scoop out and throw out the bad seeds, and then confidently plant the good ones. If you’re not planning on planting them right away, just dry them off before storing them again until you are ready.If the seeds sprout, that means they are good seeds for planting. You can do this same test using sand in a shallow container instead of a paper towel and a bag. The sand method is great if you want to transplant your sprouts into soil. Test larger seeds by placing them in a glass of warm water.
Do organic seeds expire?
Seeds don’t expire in the same way perishable goods do, but their viability diminishes over time. By understanding seed longevity and implementing proper storage practices, gardeners can maximize the lifespan of their seeds and enjoy productive gardens year after year. In general, vegetable seeds last from three to six years, fruit seeds remain viable for two to six years, flower and herb seeds from one to three years. This table provides a general guideline, but seed viability depends on factors like storage conditions and the initial quality of the seeds.How long do seeds usually last? When stored in a cool, dry, and dark place, seeds for many garden vegetables will be viable for around 3 years. Some, like onions and parsnips, are viable for only a year or two. Others, like squashes and tomatoes, last longer, for 5+ years.As a rule, perennial flower seeds are good for 2-4 years, while annual flowers are good for 1-3 years. However, there are so many species and exceptions to the norm for flowers your results may vary.
Are all non-GMO seeds organic?
It depends – while all organic seeds are non-GMO, not all non-GMO seeds qualify as organic. Organic mostly has to do with how the plants are raised, while non-GMO has to do with the genetic makeup of the seed. Since you cant be sure non-GMO foods are always organic, its a much safer bet to shop organic. Then you can be reasonably certain that most of your organic foods will also be free of GMOs as well. Look for the USDA Certified Organic label.