This article was originally published by Sara Tipton at Ready Nutrition.
Shopping for vegetable seeds, whether online or locally, you will come across two different types: hybrid and heirloom. It’s important to always choose heirloom if you can, and there are several reasons for this.
Hybrid seeds are created by crossing two selected varieties, sometimes resulting in vigorous plants that yield more than those plants that grow from heirloom seeds. Heirloom vegetables, on the other hand, are the “old-time” varieties. They are open-pollinated instead of hybrid and saved and handed down through multiple generations of families. Neither are bad options, per se, but heirloom seeds are better and there a few reasons why you should try to use them as opposed to hybrid seeds.
COST
Usually, heirloom seeds cost less than hybrid seeds. Check the catalogs and you’ll notice this. But the great news is that heirloom seeds reduce their cost further because you can save your own seeds. If you choose to do this, the price drops to nearly zero for the heirlooms. This will also lead you toward a more self-sufficient lifestyle.
2. NON-UNIFORMITY
The second advantage of heirloom vegetables is that they are “less uniform” than hybrids. This may seem like a con, however, since heirloom seeds are less uniform, they often don’t ripen all at once, and there will be less chance your food will be wasted. Commercial growers love the uniformity of hybrids because they can pick the crop in one fell swoop and ship the vegetables to several stores for purchase all at once. But for the average everyday home gardener, a gradual supply of fresh produce is usually preferable to the glut of the all-at-once harvest that many hybrids provide.
3. BETTER FLAVOR
Because heirloom seeds are saved and passed on to future generations, the seeds from the best plants are chosen, resulting in a better and more hearty flavor. When you are providing your own food with your seeds, and not shipping the vegetables across the country, flavor, over “shippability” matters. Backyard gardeners rarely cart their produce cross-town much less cross-country. Even today, small market farmers don’t usually transport their harvest in huge tractor trailers and even if they do, to stay in business, their veggies have to taste incredible by comparison to store bought produce. There’s no need to plant veggies bred to be tough when you can plant heirloom vegetables that are tender, sweet, juicy and just plain delicious – especially if you aren’t shipping those veggies!
4. BETTER NUTRITIONAL VALUE
Commercial growers often want seeds that will produce the most abundant crop. Which is great, however, home gardeners choose flavor and nutrition, and heirlooms seeds create veggies that are a lot more nutritious than those from hybrid seeds. Even though hybrids will often outyield heirlooms, it turns out we’re now paying a hidden cost for this emphasis on higher yields and shippable vegetables. Recent research has revealed that in many cases, newer vegetables and grains are significantly less nutritious than heirlooms, according to Mother Nature News.
There are still 100% heirloom seeds out there for purchase too! Ready Nutrition offers a wonderful “Garden in a Can” full of non-GMO heirloom seeds in several different varieties. This is a great gift too for the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday. All it takes to get started is one Ready Nutrition Brand Homestead Vegetable Garden-In-A-Can, some good dirt, clean water, a healthy dose of sunshine and a little TLC every day! Before you know it, you’ll be up to your ears in fresh food — enough to feed up to a family of eight for a whole year
Ready Nutrition sources only heirloom seed varieties because they truly believe the old adage that says, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. These seeds are sourced through American farmers who pledge to never, ever use GMO crops. Additionally, these seeds are tested to make sure they are positively pesticide free!
If you are a home gardener and actually eat the vegetables you grow yourself, there is really no downside to choosing heirloom seeds. Plus, imagine how incredible it’ll feel to pass on the best of the best of your heirloom seeds to your children. I know nothing excites my kids more than planting starts with their seeds in the spring and eating the vegetables their plants produce over the summer.
That’s the additional added benefit! Kids who enjoy gardening and planting and saving their seeds grow up to eat a healthier diet than those who don’t. Children are naturally curious and every planting season is filled with excitement and joy. They all want to taste the fruits of their labor, so why not start a new family tradition beginning with heirloom seeds?
You won’t regret it!
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Before you buy OP seeds you need to grow them side by side the hybrids. There is a reason why farmers buy the expensive hybrid seeds. Most market vegetable growers plant hybrid seed. Our ancestors planted very large gardens because OP seeds do not produce like hybrids do, they do not have the genetic strength and stamina bred into the varieties that the hybrids do. You can plant the hybrid seeds you save, they just will not have the same uniformity and some of the characteristics that their parents had. The variety will stabilize in 3-5 generations and be your average OP variety. Also OP seeds are not all the same, they can vary depending on the seed growers practices (epigenetics). You are 10 times ahead buying and storing hybrids over OP varieties.
K in Kansas message, brought to you by Monsanto Frankin-food
You obviously do not understand the difference between open pollinated, hybrid, and genetically modified seeds. Monsanto is a company that will be responsible for many deaths.
K is full of horse hockey.
The best reason for heirloom seeds is the seeds from what you harvest can be used to plant the next generation. Try that with GMO seeds. You’ll starve! Buy some and freeze them now.
Yup, we are still growing from seed we froze 10 years ago.
Monsanto and other corrupt companies have used scum politicians to force farmers to use the GMO seeds that they must buy each year as they cannot use the tampered with genetically seeds to replant their next generations. It will eventually cause a famine right here.
Hey G.. I bought a few canned heirloom seed containers. How many years will they stay good in this concealed container before they loose any growing ability being dormant too long? I have no idea about this. Any answers are appreciated. Thx.
Who said anything about GMO seeds?
All of our seeds are heirloom. About 6 #10 cans full. Make an aquaponics outfit for growing. Then you will have the cleanest, healthiest crops. No fertilizer, no pesticide, no bugs, no chemicals, no acid rain, no chemtrails, no pollution. Build it outdoors in a greenhouse. Have fresh fish to eat with your veggies. It is the cleanest contamination free way to produce food.
Good advice. I’ve raised catfish now for years in my backyard ponds. Good eating!
Cool! I planted some catfish in the pond by our cabin 2 years ago and also some in my friends pond. Those babies are TOUGH! Can’t wait to try some once they breed more! Do you feed them? If so, what do you feed them?
Yes, freeze dried worms. Only spring summer and part of fall. They won’t eat in winter.
Gen,
Years ago I saw fish farms in CA using this kind of food for their private lakes that they let people fish in and charged for the fish they caught. My uncle loved to fish for catfish.
ht tps://www.purinamills.com/fish-and-aquatics-feed/products/detail/purina-catfish-chow-sr
Got it, thanks guys!
With all due respect the product;
“Ready Nutrition offers a wonderful “Garden in a Can”” .
has very little I’d want.
Most these seed mixes has stuff I don’t want.
Does anybody out there have canned longterm storage of simple stuff ? Carrots, green beans, cantaloupe, spinach, watermelon, white corn, sweet onion, and green pepper, red potatoes, you know, common people foods.
I can get about any kind of plant I want now, but I’d like to store some seeds long term just in case of a bad year for everyone and no commerce from the mainland.
I’m sure I could survive on local foods, but I’d rather have a 1/4 of Cantaloupe than a Papaya once in a while. An occasional Tamale rather than a Laulau. When we run out of imported rice, Potatoes are a good substitute( nobody grows rice here).
Thanks in advance!
Relik I’ve found some good sellers on ebay and have bought many thousands of heirloom seeds there as well as local here in NC. You just read what they’re offering and ask them questions until you find the right seller. I have used some of what I’ve bought and it’s genuine. Shipping to Hawaii will be more but worth it. They come packaged in mylar. I like plain and simple myself.
call your local extension office and ask if they know any good seed trading groups
Thanks for yet another infromercial.
You’d think all the preppers would already know this information re seeds.
The idiots are the seed savers that don’t practice proper distance isolation when growing multiple varieties.
Before buying a can of seeds, compare shop buying each variety separately. Many times you are paying 500% more getting the can. And almost always you’ll be getting better varieties buying them one packet at a time from many sources.
Bert,
I use cans because I have to deal with Cane rats.
That is the only reason.
You ought to see what they do to my Bananas!
“You’d think all the preppers would already know this information re seeds.”
dont assume. what might now be common knowledge for you or I was once unknown. we had to learn it ourselves. others may benefit as well.
Arrogance breeds contempt.
I’ve been growing heirloom and hybrid plants for over 50 years. Saving seeds from hybrid vegetables is not as useless as you are lead to believe. I have de-hybridized the useful Early Girl hybrid tomato in two generations, and the famous “Kumato” in only one generation. Sometimes you get wildly divergent plants and sometimes you get plants that are as good or better than the hybrid that the seed came from. Try it sometimes and you will find that most of the time the F-2 line of the hybrid seed will approximate the original. It is then considered a “Grex” and will generally settle in variation after a generation or two. Beware of propagating a gardening myth without testing it yourself.
The only myth is that GMO seeds are worth a shit.
Firstly, anything grown in monoculture, over successive generations, will become it’s own variety.
OP is mildly mixed up. Planting near ancestral species would have improved vigor.
Unstable hybrids occasionally occur between different species.
Secondly, the ancient methods of crop rotation and amending the soil would have kept it from becoming so depleted and pest ridden.
We have regions, where former dairies (manure) still supports life. Nothing will grow, where there were old vineyards, here.
Where no more will grow, is another example of money and absolute authority demanding what is physically impossible.
Yep. Heirloom is the only way to go. With the proper soil and nutrients, I’ve never seen a reduction in the yields. Three ears of corn off one stalk. Plus you have to factor in the nutritional value. Plus you can save the seeds. Been doing it for over ten years. Also, some of you may want to learn how to hand pollinate. I know potatoes taste way better than the store bought. You know, like they used to taste before factory farming.
Something I learned from the Asians around here: prep your soil, then cover with black plastic. Cut holes for your plants. No weeding. Maybe it’s not for everyone, but mama-san knows her shit. ?
Baker Creek has been good for most things. They don’t sell tobacco seeds anymore. You just have to look around, there’s still plenty out there. I’ve had great luck storing seeds in a cool dark place. Harvesting seeds isn’t hard. There’s lots of info available. Remember, we’re talking shtf scenarios where a freezer may not be viable. Have had tomato seeds last 10 years. Others may have less shelf life. What I’ve been looking for is Arkansas Traveler. Best pink tomatoes ever! I live in NorCal, 300 miles from San Franshitsco. Can grow almost anything here. Sadly, I have to escape Commiefornia soon. Not. Great place, except for the Communists. Shadow out.
Pretty much everything stated in this article is false.