Why Use Open Pollinated Seed?

Open Pollination

• Some of the most beautiful, unusual and tasty vegetables come from open-pollinated seed. Open-pollinated tomato varieties vary in color from red, yellow, purple, black, green, orange, white and every color in between. Open pollination refers to the way that the flower was pollinated, and the resulting seed. Pollination occurs naturally through wind, rain or insects. Open-pollinated varieties are genetically stable, and the resulting seeds will produce a plant and fruit with characteristics identical to the parent plant.

Benefits to Using Open Pollinated Seed

• Imagine a poor farmer who would like to save the seed from his corn crop for the next harvest. This would save an enormous amount of money. Growing an open-pollinated variety of vegetable allows you to save seeds from year to year. Even though the genetic sequence is stable from generation to generation, you will get some differences in shape, height or color if cross-pollination between two varieties takes place. To ensure true-to-type seeds, plant a block of one variety of vegetable.

Hybrid Seed vs. Open Pollinated

• The main difference between hybrids and open-pollinated seed is the way in which the seed was formed. Hybrid seed is hand pollinated from two specifically chosen parent plants, with the resulting seed forming the new variety. Characteristics from the parent plants are chosen for specific reasons including; vigor, disease resistance, shape, color and other qualities. The resulting seed is called an F1 hybrid. The seed that is formed from this F1 hybrid will not come back true-to-form. Seeds from hybrid plants cannot be reliably harvested year to year.

Pros and Cons to Planting Hybrid Seed

• Even though you cannot reliably save seed year to year, there are many benefits to choosing hybrids. Hybrids have what is called hybrid vigor. They tend to survive the seedling stage better, flower earlier, have higher yields and greater disease resistance. These factors can help to reduce pesticide applications. Hybrid seeds tend to be more expensive due to the high cost of hybridizing. Many gardeners agree that hybrids do not carry the flavor of an open-pollinated or heirloom variety because they were bred for purposes besides taste.