Are heirloom seeds worth it?
One of the big advantages of growing heirloom vegetables in your garden is that when you save the seeds from these plants you get plants that are true to the parent plant. In other words, the plants that you grow will be identical to the plant that you collected the seeds from. This simply isn’t true. Heirloom seeds are just as easy to grow as other seeds, as long as you provide them with the basic care that any plant requires: good soil, sunlight, water, and attention to their specific needs.Keep in mind, you can only save seeds from heirloom plants. Hybrid varieties will usually not grow and if they do, they won’t produce the same type of plant, if at all.The drawbacks? Hybrid seed tends to be a bit more expensive than non-hybrid and, as stated above, hybrid seed does not breed true the next time around (the plants may not be identical to the parent plant). In addition, this next generation may have poorer yield or produce flowers in a different color.And if gardeners save the seed of an F1 hybrid, the yield of the offspring is nowhere near as good as the original, especially if the plant breeder has left one or two recessive deleterious genes (by chance? This forces gardeners to buy new stock every season.Another obstacle to overcome with heirloom varieties is that they are typically much less resistant to common diseases and other pest issues. Hybrid varieties have been developed to improve resistance and other qualities to make them easier to grow.
What are the disadvantages of heirloom seeds?
Most heirloom seeds are more vulnerable to diseases because commercial seeds are usually bred specifically for disease resistance. Heirloom seeds also have lower yields than hybrids, which can be a disadvantage for farmers and home growers with limited space. Heirloom seeds are those that have been saved and passed down over time and must be open-pollinated. Open-pollination is the natural way of a plant becoming pollinated by the wind, rain, bees and birds. These heirloom seeds are more likely to get diseases and have larger, oddly shaped fruit.Types of Seeds: Heirloom, Hybrid, and Open-Pollinated Seeds. Choosing the right type of seeds for your garden requires more than simply knowing the type of plant you want to grow. Heirloom seeds, open-pollinated seeds, and hybrid seeds all have pros and cons depending on your specific needs.Heirloom varieties must be open pollinated, meaning that pollination occurs naturally by insect, bird, wind, or animal. Seed produced by the heirloom variety will grow true to type (it will resemble the parent plant) as long as the flowers were pollinated by the same variety.Open-pollinated. Open-pollinated (OP) plants, including heirloom vegetables, are perpetuated by gardeners collecting, saving, and replanting the seed.Unlike hybrid seeds, heirloom seeds are open-pollinated, meaning they are genetically stable and can be saved and replanted year after year, retaining their unique characteristics.
Do heirloom seeds come back every year?
The parent heirloom plants pass on characteristics to the child plant. Gardeners learn to know their plants and only save seeds from the plants with the best traits. The seeds can be saved and planted again year after year. These seeds are in their natural state and not genetically modified. The opposite of heirloom is hybrid. Both of these can be either organic or chemically fertilized. An heirloom is a (usually) older variety that is stable to use for seed collection. A hybrid is a new combination of two parent plants that will likely not produce the same product if you collect the seeds.Heirloom seeds also have lower yields than hybrids, which can be a disadvantage for farmers and home growers with limited space. They are also not as uniform in appearance as hybrids and are more likely to ripen over a long period of time rather than all at once.If you are the latter, one of your decisions will be to choose between hybrids or heirlooms. Heirlooms tomato plants are generally known to produce better tasting fruit; however, they may be more prone to disease and thus require more maintenance.
How to know if a seed is heirloom?
An heirloom seed can only be classified as such if it is at least 50 years old without being modified at all within that time. You can save the seeds from your heirloom plants and get the same plant year after year. Heirlooms are not hybrids and are never GMO. The truth is seeds don’t expire. They lose viability if stored improperly. While most seed companies will tell you to replace seeds every 2-3 years, those seeds will keep for decades and will germinate when planted if kept in a cool, dark, and dry place.Seeds that have been stored in a cool, dry place are generally viable for at least a year past the season for which they were packaged and may be good for up to five years.The lifespan of heirloom seeds depends on the type of seed. Some seeds can remain viable for several years, while others may last 10-15 years or even longer. Proper storage is vital in ensuring that your seeds stay in optimal condition and have a high germination rate.Recalcitrant seeds cannot be stored in a conventional freezer as they cannot survive after drying and/or freezing at -20°C. Intermediate seeds tend to age faster than orthodox seeds and may have only a 5 year lifespan when stored at -20°C. They have greatest longevity when dried between 45 and 65% RH.The lifespan of heirloom seeds depends on the type of seed. Some seeds can remain viable for several years, while others may last 10-15 years or even longer. Proper storage is vital in ensuring that your seeds stay in optimal condition and have a high germination rate.
Do heirloom seeds need to be organic?
Though often also organic, heirloom seeds do not have to be. In many cases, heirloom plants do meet the guidelines of the USDA’s National Organic Program because they are typically grown by small-scale gardeners who have adopted organic farming practices. Popular heirloom plants include tomatoes, beans, corn (maize), lettuce, melons, okra, collard greens, sunflowers, zinnias, and foxgloves.