Patriot Net DailyWhen you plant open-pollinated seeds and save the seeds from that crop, the next generation is going to be like the one before. When a seed regenerates over and over for many years and remains unchanged, or stabilized, it’s then called an “heirloom” variety.
Here’s why you should consider heirloom seed…
How old are heirloom varieties?
There are some disagreements over the age at which an open-pollinated variety should be categorized as “heirloom”. Some say that 25 years is adequate while others insist that the minimum age should be 50 years or older, assuring that they’ve stabilized. Some people even say 100 years or older.
Hybrid seeds are different
Hybrids are created by cross-pollination of varieties to produce a seed with the most desirable traits. They are typically created by large companies with different goals.
Hybrid seed manufacturers want something that transports well and looks ‘pretty’ on a grocery store shelf. The thing is, when you breed for those purposes, you may lose other traits, such as flavor, and the ability to reproduce from the crop’s seed.
Who buys heirloom seed?
Owners of large farms typically don’t buy heirloom seeds. Instead they are often purchased by small-scale, home gardeners and preppers who want those original traits, and the ability to save seeds for the next season – a renewable food resource.
Heirloom or Hybrid?
The use of heirloom varieties also bring on the nostalgia of growing what your grandparents once grew – the recollection of such good flavor.
Most varieties of vegetables at grocery stores are hybrids bred to have long shelf life and tough skins for hardier transportation purposes. They also are bred to have regular shapes for attractiveness – again often at the expense of flavor (and any other yet unknown detrimental effects of hybrid or GMO).
These days, heirloom varieties are trending in the produce aisles of major supermarket chains across the country, indicating the increasing concern that people have regarding the vegetables that they eat.
If you are a gardener or prepper, heirloom seeds and heirloom vegetable varieties are a highly economical choice since in theory you only need to buy the seed once. You may purchase a packet of seeds, grow them and allow some of the plants to bolt to seed – for next year.
Having said all this, it is true that hybrid seed-plants may be easier to grow in some cases because of the disease tolerance that may also be bred into them. Heirloom varieties may require more attention to best-practices while gardening and catching any potential problems early – as they do not have any special disease tolerance other than their natural ability to deal with a given environment.
The rewards though are great. Natural food, excellent flavor, and self-sustaining.
source: modernsurvivalblog.com
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good post #1
Iv never had a problem with a hybrid seed. I do try staring with organic grown seeds though.
Spent a few years taking(after purchase of course) and growing seeds from grocery store produce. Had good luck with many of them as well. This year I’m trying a bunch of purple varieties. A few of them are heirloom. Most are CO hybrids.
What do you grow? Besides the medication that is. lol
Really no room to grow anything in this concrete jungle, Nottoobitter.
My brother used to grow bud, but he moved to Washington (state, NOT the District of Criminals)
I have planted both, last year my hybrid tomato never produced any tomatoes. This year I have both planted again, we will see, I have started seeds, some from Joe, and I bought plants, several different varieties. We will have to tend them and see which do better. I have 15 different pepper plants, 20 tomatoes, about 10 different cucumbers, 2 different bean variety, about 30 different herbs, honeydew melon, eggplant, swiss chard, kale, lettuce several kinds, carrots, radishes, potatoes, several fruit trees, asparagus, blackberries, 8 blueberry plants, and over 30 strawberry plants. I think I got all, plus about another 60 to 70 other seeds of various things started. I am hoping for bumper crops, oh wait I forgot artichoke and small pumpkins, too. This is all in my suburban hood for now, once we move to the country this will be done in the thousands. We watched a documentary on Netflix, called food fight, a farmer in Milwaukee feeds so many people, he has inspired me to do the same, I just have to learn, I really recommend the documentary!! Everything I grow is organic, also, no poison here!!!!
Ill check that vid out Missy.
sounds like you are going full tilt gardening. Good for you.
Iv done guerrilla gardening the last 5 years too. Plant anything and everything everywhere. post shtf it will be nice to have food all along the places I travel. Plus most people dont know its food. they think its weed so only the slackers with junky yards get the free food.lol
3600 sq. ft. of nothing but heirloom vegetables here in east central Indiana.
Last year we grew 5 varieties of tomatoes , canned a lot of blue cocoa beans….we run an honor system roadside stand with 100% of the proceeds going to a local struggling veteran via my Legion.
Two people can make a difference.
My lady makes a dandy pepper mustard and last year sold 400 pints.
Old Mommas.
Her and her best friend make it in a certified kitchen.
No chemicals, no pesticides.
We catch rain off my roof. 1 1/4″ gets us 300 gallons and we have a 900 gallon capacity.
Our goal is to have a working farm, so here in the suburbs I am just learning. We have 12 acres on a gravel road 2 Parishes over, we are hoping to be living out there by next summer. I will also build a certified kitchen, I plan on teaching people how to be more self reliant, and doing a community type garden where people from the city can come and grow their own food.