When shopping for seeds you will notice seeds are described as generally falling into three categories. Today we will talk about the differences in heirloom vs hybrid vs GMO seeds and the advantages of each.
What is an Heirloom Seed?
An heirloom seed is a garden seed from a vegetable or fruit variety that has been saved and passed down from one generation to the next. To be classified as heirloom the seed is generally older than 50 years old. Heirloom varieties are not new, but they have gained immensely in popularity in recent years due to their favorable characteristics. All heirloom seeds are open pollinated. Open pollinated means the seeds are pollinated naturally by insects, wind, or rain. Seeds saved from open pollinated heirloom varieties, produce a true plant just like the parent plant from which the seed originated. Seeds from peppers and squash are easy to save. Saving seeds from lettuce is a bit more complicated as you have to wait for it to flower. Check out my tutorial for how to save lettuce seeds.
Heirloom varieties also have a bit of nostalgia associated with them. The heirloom tomato you choose to plant may be chosen because they taste and look like the tomatoes at your grandma’s house. Choosing heirloom varieties that have grown in your area before is advantageous to the home gardener as the variety has adapted to that particular climate over the years and is hardier.
What is a Hybrid Seed?
Many seeds for sale in the big box stores are often considered hybrid varieties. These are not be confused with GMO at all and there are big advantages to hybrid varieties. A hybrid variety is made when two varieties of the same plant are crossed using human hands or machinery to produce a hybrid variety possessing desirable traits of both parents. Two heirloom tomato plants may be crossed to create a hybrid tomato. Hybrids varieties are made to create plants which produce more yield, better color, or disease resistance. A seed saved from a hybrid plant will not produce a true plant to its parent. If you are using hybrid seeds, purchase new seeds every year to guarantee the same results of previous plantings.
What is a GMO Seed?
Genetically modified seeds or GMO seeds are created in a laboratory. The technician takes a seed from a plant and via gene splicing inserts DNA from a different species to create certain desirable traits. The most common DNA donors are fish, frogs, fungi and bacteria. GMO seeds are created for big commercial growers to be resistant to disease, pesticides, drought, rain, and pests. The most common GMO seeds are corn, canola, soybeans, wheat, and cotton. Commercial growers must ensure the seeds they’re planting have a successful chance at producing a viable crop for the grower to stay in business and meet buyer order requirements. As genetically modifying a seed is awfully expensive, home gardeners will never find GMO seeds for sale in small packets. GMO seeds are sold in exceptionally large quantities for the manufacture to maintain a return on their investment.
I plant both heirloom and hybrid varieties. Grow the plants and varieties that you love to eat and are viable in your growing zone. Some of my favorite seeds sources are Botanical Interests and Eden Brothers.
