Flower & Vegetable Seeds

Hybrid Seeds

• Commercial farmers of flowers and vegetables generally rely on hybrid seeds. Hybrid seeds were developed by seed companies during agriculture's Green Revolution of the mid-20th century. Today they are largely developed and produced in labs. Hybrid seeds are the products of intentional breed and cross-pollination practices. Hybrids are not necessarily genetically-modified organisms. While hybrids are more expensive and sometimes criticized, they do have many advantages over traditional seeds like heirlooms, including higher yields and better compatibility with commercially available fertilizers and pesticides. Fertilizer and pesticide compatibility is a matter of some debate. This compatibility is seen by some horticulturists as a strength, one that makes hybrids easier to protect from pests with chemicals. Others see this feature as a weakness, limiting the resilience and sustainability of hybrid seed use.

Heirloom Seeds

• Heirloom seeds are varieties that generally predate hybridization and industrialized agriculture. According to Primal Seeds and researchers at Clemson University, heirloom are considered by some horticulturists to be more sustainable than hybrids. This is because, unlike hybrids, they are not specifically designed to be compatible with or reliant upon commercial pesticides or fertilizers, which are often synthesized from non-renewable resources like petroleum. In addition, heirloom varieties are open-pollinated, meaning that they have a long genetic history of breeding true. As a result, heirloom seeds can generally be saved and used again in the next growing season while seeds saved from hybrids generally cannot.

Organic Seeds

• A common source of confusion in flower and vegetable seeds is the distinction between organic seeds and heirloom varieties. Heirloom varieties are generally compatible with organic gardening and agricultural practices, but they are not necessarily certified organic seeds. Additionally, it is possible for a hybrid seed to be certified organic, though genetically modified organisms cannot. This is because organic standards generally involve the practices of seed producers. Certified organic seeds must meet certain standards for sustainability, and producers of organic seed generally do not use artificial pesticides or fertilizers on their seed crop.

Seed Saving

• Growers of flowers and vegetables -- especially in the home garden -- are often interested in saving seed in order to reduce costs. Saving seeds is also pretty easy, as it simply involves the collection and reuse of a crop's excess seed at the end of the growing season. It's important to remember that some varieties -- especially hybrids -- do not predictably produce the same plants as those which seeded them. These varieties should generally be repurchased each year, as they are not appropriate for saving.