Heirloom, Hybrid, GMO, and Organic Seeds

I’m sort of disappointed these past couple years that my seemingly endless supply of seed catalogues actually begins to arrive in my mailbox before Christmas.  It takes away that anticipation for something exciting to happen to chase away the January and February blahs.  This year, I’ve helped that let-down feeling by simply placing the seed catalogues in a pile without even looking to see what companies have seen fit to keep me on their mailing list this year.

So, now that it is time to actually look at seed catalogues, I can start looking through my piles, discarding any that I know I will never order from, either because of previous bad experiences, bad reviews, or them simply not carrying anything that is of interest to me.  Then, it’s time to start looking through the remaining dream books.

 I always get a little confused when I’m thinking about seeds.  I hear all kinds of “stuff” about GMO and GE seeds, but I’m not sure what that really means.  I know some gardeners who swear they will only ever plant heirloom seeds (this seems to be an especially hot button with tomato lovers for some reason) and others who swear they will only plant hybrid seeds.  And, then there are the organic seed enthusiasts who swear that organic is the only healthy and safe way to grow.  And, most seed-catalogues offer some of everything.  Decisions, decisions.

Let’s start with heirloom seeds.  In order to be considered an heirloom, the plants from this type of seed have to have been grown for many years, since 1940 or before.  These are seeds that are usually passed down from generation to generation, gardener to gardener.  They are always “open-pollinated” which means they are pollinated by insects or wind, without human intervention.   Gardeners who prefer heirloom varieties generally tell you the flavor is exceptional compared to others, the skin is more tender, the fruit is juicier, and a variety of other attractive features.  They will rarely tell you these varieties out-produce other types of seeds or that they are healthier plants.  Most heirlooms do not have disease resistance bred into them, so proper care must be taken to keep them healthy.  Also, because of the open pollination of these seeds, they may become crossed with other varieties and not give a reliable product from year to year.  If heirloom plants are separated from other similar plants, though, seed can be saved from year to year and produce reliably the same plant from which it originated.

 Hybrid plants come to be when breeders, in a controlled environment,  cross-pollinate different plants of compatible varieties with desirable features, trying to bring the best features of each plant into one new plant.  Hybridization can occur naturally in the environment when two compatible species are near enough for wind or insects to carry pollen from one to another, and have seed development from the meeting of the two types of pollen. 

Typically, hybridizers are trying to increase factors such as yield, disease resistance, fruit or vegetable size, or improved taste or texture.    Hybrid plants usually produce large quantities of uniform produce that are generally more resistant to disease than the parent plants.  Many taste savvy gardeners complain that hybrids just don’t have the same richness of flavor as heirlooms. 

Saving seeds from hybrids is not reliable.  The next generation will likely revert to one or more of the stronger characteristics of one of the parent plants.  So, if you planted Early Girl tomatoes last year and absolutely loved them, even if you saved the seeds from the biggest and nicest tomatoes, if you really want that same type of Early Girl tomatoes this year, you’ll have to buy new seed.

 Newer methods of hybridization have sped up the process of obtaining a reliable hybrid from ten to twelve generations of the plant in the past, to reliable hybridization in one generation.  These seeds are marketed as F1 hybrids and are usually owned by the seed company which introduced them.  That company produces the seed each year by planting male and female plants in controlled conditions, such as under row covers, and hand-pollinating the females from which they harvest the seeds.

Even though genetically modified organisms (GMO), genetically engineered (GE), and hybrid seeds are all created through man-made manipulation of the seed, they are different.  Hybridizing involves taking existing desirable characteristics of two plants and bringing them together to create a better plan, without changing the individual DNA characteristics.    GMO or GE seeds are made by genetically engineering seeds through cloning or splicing genes that carry a desirable trait from one plant and introducing it into another plant, actually changing the DNA of the plant.   This process is also known as genetic modification, biotechnology, biotech seeds, or genetic engineering.  Genetic engineering can be utilized between species of plants or even different kingdoms, such as the introduction of genetic material from Bacillus thuringensis (Bt )into corn DNA to make the resulting corn resistant to corn borers.  Genetic engineering introduces other DNA to plants that would not normally make it there under normal conditions.

 Organic seeds come from growers who use integrated pest management methods rather than chemicals to control weeds, diseases, and pests.   Organic refers to the way seeds are grown, while heirloom, hybrid, and GMO refer to the plant’s heritage.   To be labeled “Certified Organic”, the grower must have complied with a fairly rigorous set of standards.  Heirloom seeds and hybrids can all be grown organically.  Theoretically, GMO seeds could also be grown under organic conditions, however, the USDA’s National Organic Program prohibits the use of genetically engineered seeds, along with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, biosolids (sewage sludge) and fresh manure in the production of organic crops or seeds.  The purchase of organic seeds does not guarantee an organic product. The resulting product is only organic if the seed is planted and grown to production with continued organic methods.

I'm not sure if I will plant heirlooms or hybrids, organic or not, but this weekend I will be poring over my seed catalogues and making plans for warmer weather.  Maybe it will even make me forget about the piles of snow and the persistent minus sign in front of the temperature reading these past couple weeks.