Seeds are amazing things. Each seed contains everything it needs to start a new plant. All it needs, is to be woken up, by providing moisture, heat, light, and air. Many plants are started by seed and these seeds are available now. When you look through the seed racks you will notice that there are different types of seeds. There are the many different varieties of vegetables and flowers but there are also seeds that are labelled as 'organic', 'heirloom', 'open pollinated' and F1 Hybrid.
Organic seeds are grown organically by organic growers who do not use synthetic chemicals. Instead they use organic chemicals that have very little impact to the environment. Just because the seed is organic does not mean that the plant it produces is organic. To produce an organic plant the seed must be planted and grown using organic methods. The selection of organic seeds in the seed racks are getting bigger every year.
Heirloom seeds are old cultivars that have been passed through the generations. These are the varieties that our grandparents grew as the varieties have been around for years. They are all open pollinated meaning that they are pollinated by nature i.e wind, and insects. Not all open pollinated seeds are heirloom as they may not have been around for generations. When the seed is collected and planted it will produce a plant similar to its parent plant. Many heirloom vegetables claim to be tastier, but can be more susceptible to disease making them more difficult to grow. They may not store as well or transport well because of bruising but this is not a problem if you are eating them fresh from your backyard garden. Heirloom seeds are becoming popular and there are seed companies such as 'Burpee' that carry a large line of Heirloom varieties including several varieties of lettuce, tomatoes, pumpkins, radish, eggplant, beans and squash.
F1 or hybrid seeds are seeds that are artificially pollinated by hand. (They are not genetically altered seeds which is working with a plants DNA) Hybrid seeds are a cross of two different varieties creating a new variety. The best traits of one variety and the best traits of another variety are crossed together to create a new variety. Plants and fruit/flowers tend to be more uniform in size, shape, colour, and are more disease resistant. Hybrids were created commercially for higher yields, even crop ripening, and more successful storage. If you save your own seeds from year to year a seed that is saved from a hybrid last season will not produce the exact same plant the following season.
When going through the seed racks choose varieties that work for you and your garden. I look for varieties that grow well in our Northern climate. Plants that mature quickly, are able to withstand cooler temperatures. At home in our garden we always plant our favourites that have proven themselves year after year, but we also like to try some of the new varieties that come out every year. Some of the new varieties from this year could become a favourite for next year!
