Could I get some suggestions on the best places to buy non-hybrid seeds?

-- tom k harder (tkh@earthlink.net), January 20, 1999

Answers

Try the following: Non-Hybrid Page

-- RD. ->H (drherr@erols.com), January 20, 1999.

There seems to be confusion on types of seeds to buy. It makes sense to not worry about hybrid seeds if you do not plan to save the seeds to plant next year. I was at a local farm store that had been there 75 years and asked about non-hybrid seeds. He said that he had various lines of "open pollinated" seeds. They were packaged in brown paper bags and would be suitable for the local climate. They were reasonably priced. He had a paper that gave planting dates for each variety, sun, shade, moisture requirements etc. Apparently hybrid seeds are not the only solution. I plan to try some of these and if successful buy more this fall and possibly freeze them for future use. Will people go to the trouble to save seeds this fall when there in no apparent problem until next year? It would be good practice. For example where are the carrot seeds on the plant and how do you save them? I have never seen any. Are open polinated seeds comparable to non-hybrid seeds? Any comments?

-- Steve (sfennel@nettally.com), January 20, 1999.

Hi Steve,

an open pollinated seed is one that will breed true - that is that, all else being equal, they are geneticly stable and will reproduce the same genetic characteristics in their offspring, as they themselves exhibit.

The idea behind getting non-hybrid seeds is that most hybrids are NOT geneticly stable and thus will not breed true. Thus any seed which *does* breed true takes care of this problem.

or in other words - yeah, if you trust the source, go with the open pollinated seeds, but FOLLOW the directions he gives you for growing them, as such seeds tend to be somewhat more sensitive to environmental factors than some of the more sturdy hybrids.

did that help at all? Arlin

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), January 20, 1999.

Tom, About carrot seed: Carrots, radishes, and other biennials will not produce seed until the second year of growth. These can be left in the garden over winter under a heavy mulch, or they can be dug and stored in damp sand in the root cellar for spring replanting. If they will be in the way of future tilling or succession planting, consider a separate area for seed production. When the seed head is almost ripe, tie a paper bag over it to collect those seeds that will otherwise fall to the ground. TJ

-- TJ (trickjames@hotmail.com), January 21, 1999.

Steve, be careful about freezing any seeds you want to grow. Freezing kills many seeds. Also, buy a book on seed saving. Some plants-such as the carrot example you gave-are biennial, which means that seed is produced by the plant only every other year. If you leave the root underground over winter, the next year it will produce seed capsules. Also some seeds, such as tomatoes need to be 'fermented' by soaking in water for 2-4 days before you dry and save them. Don't know why, just know they say you need to do this. I think (i'm doing this from memory) that broccoli, cabbages, cauliflowers, and the like all are biennial. Does anyone have a seed saving chart that they would be good enough to pring on this page, or a link to a chart? This would really help many people here. Most others (beans, peppers, etc) can be left on the plant until dry, then put onto a paper and dried and put into jars until you need them. Put them in a cool location, but don't freeze them.

-- Damian Solorzano (oggy1@webtv.net), January 21, 1999.

If you want to save seeds, I recommend the book 'Seed to Seed' by Suzanne Ashworth. And yes, save at least some varieties this year for the practice.

-- Maria (encelia@mailexcite.com), January 22, 1999.

In a couple of seed catalogs, I've seen the recommendation to plant different varieties of the same vegetable well apart from each other, as they will cross-pollinate and the seeds produced will develop somewhat differently from the parents. This esp. applies to open-pollinated varieties.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), January 23, 1999.