Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

I ran a quick search, but didn't see a thread in this regard.

I have a garden. I buy garden seed. Stuff grows like crazy where I live. I let some plants go to seed. I save the seed through winter. When I plant the seeds, the germination rate sucks.

Doggone it, my grandfather NEVER had to go to a store to buy seed! Every year, he re-filled a batch of carefully market empty yogurt containers with next year's seed.

I want that kind of seed. I want to produce my own groceries consistently. Does anybody have suggestions? Please feel free to PM me.

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

Are you using open pollinated ( sometimes called 'heirloom' seeds ) or hybrid seed ?

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

There is a real art to seed saving. You need correct seeds, allowed to reach full size, then they need proper dormancy/freezing. Then you can sort out only the largest 10% and test germination on a wet paper towel. These may not be the sort of thing you'd see evidence of, but your grandfather might have been doing it.

There are a few books on Seed Saving on Amazon, easy to find, and there's a seed savers organization called, "seed savers".

Good choice as seeds are way more important than canned food.

TS

Give a man a fish...

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

Does anyone have a report on how these seeds did for you and what zone are you from?

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

I'm going to start looking for hydroponic seeds if this fricken rain don't stop ....


But the grapes luv it.

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

Pass some of that rain over here. We're down for the decade.

We don't have much of an area but I think something may grow in our patio. Have to convince family to become urban farmers though. In the meantime, I'll investigate seeds.

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

There is a National Seed Storage facility at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO. They save seeds of all kinds. You never know - when the end of the world happens - they may come in handy....

I don't think they sell them, but worth a look see. http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_ma...de=54-02-05-00

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

Sadly, genetically modified seeds are what most stores sell.

The company that "created" the seeds feels like you are stealing from them if you harvest your own seeds for the next year. They want you to pay for them every year for the rest of your life. So, the genetically modify them to create only one harvest and produce sterile seeds. If you are getting a few sprouts out of the seeds, perhaps they haven't perfected the process yet.

The very major problem that we all need to be aware of is: These genetically modified, sterile seed producing plants get pollinated by bees and wind and get cross polinated with other nearby wild plants. In some cases, I have heard, wild plants nearby are also beginning to produce sterile seeds. Thus, vegetation nearby crops is dying out and not being able to reproduce. The implications are staggering.

Sterile seed producing seeds really should be banned.

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

I get non hybrid, or open pollinated seed from several sources. Seeds of Change is a high dollar but good company. Seed savers mentioned above is a nice network of people all over who save seed so it can provide information as well as seed.

I also ordered a bunch here
http://www.aaoobfoods.com/nonhybridseeds.htm#Melons
and liked the very friendly and personal service and the large number of varieties.

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

http://www.seedsavers.org/

Here is a place located in Decorah, Iowa that has thousands of varieties of vegetable seeds available. I have had great success with their products.

Odin

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

The seeds are called 'Heritage Seeds'. I now have onions that are reseeding themselves. And they WERE hybrid's.

So don't think that ALL hybrids will not produce viable seeds.

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

I understand that keeping genetic diversity is very important, we can't dismiss millions of years of evolution but the hybrids are more disease resistant and require less herbicides. My heritage tomatoes usually get eaten up by mid summer. I usually have to dust the heck out of them in the bug infested area I live. I like both but as you say, cross pollination is a problem.

.

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

I did not have that problem with mine.

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

That is true. Most hybrids are viable, but it is kind of like breeding a peekapoo: you don't know what you will get. We let some hybrids reseed and got interesting plants, but not food.

On the other hand most varieties were developed by crossing back somewhere, then keeping the best to reseed.

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

I favor Johnnyseeds.com, not for seeds or price, necessarily, but the information they provide I'm happy to pay for. They have a very large selection of heritage (seed-saving) and organic (untreated and thus edible) seeds as part of their customer base. They are in Maine, and thus cover the North(east).

A Hybrid is a mule-seed with probably a viable, producing parent, and a wilder strain that has some traits they wish to give the hybrid. It's any easy way to get difficult traits into a seed, as opposed to pure-breeding them, and the seed companies naturally make more because it goes faster and can't be saved. A specialized business.

That said, you can't guess where a hybrid will return to without knowing the lineage. Sometimes it falls to something so wild it's inedible. Sometimes unviable. Other times you can hardly tell the difference. But it's pot-luck unless you want to do the research.

Stores have hybrids because they are stronger, more productive, and more-promoted. Most racks will have 1/3-1/2 non-hybrids as well, but they won't tell you ont he package. That's where Johnny's comes in. If you are familiar with the names you could walk into any Home Depot and leave with a bucket of non-hybrid seeds. It would be better for you and them, if you simply plant some, then save all you want for free. You get experience and cheap seed. Other people who weren't as forward-lookng get seed left on the shelves. Everybody wins.

Genetically modified seeds are even more technical specialty. It appears they can cross traits with nearby plants, as int he Star corn (non) scandal. Any hybrid could theoretically produce a non-viable cross with wild plants, not just GM. But what wild plant would you be talking about? A cotton field next to wild cotton? A cornfield next to Teosinte? Like other powerful tools, GM can be a salvation or a nightmare. We can grow cotton without field-killing pesticides (although we should grow linen or hemp in the first place). However, criminal carelessness and corporate control a la Monsanto shows a world of Chestnut-blight sized risks, and permanent corporate control of the food chain. Iraq was not allowed to grow viable seed, but corporate seed, for instance, if you'd like to know where your risks are.

Just do your gardening bit and get familiar with it. Reading on it, you'll find it's easy as pie--the plants do all the work! All you do is eat them.

TS

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

I cannot find the info on Johnnyseeds.com. The latin names listed don't seem to help as there are many varieties under the latin names. How do you match up the rack ones with what Johnny's got?

Re: Garden seeds that will yield more seeds
 

I didn't have any trouble. Just common names (Blue mtn beans) with the F1 (their symbol for hybrid) in the catalog. Like knowing cars, bikes, or guns, once you know a lot of names, it's second nature to remember what's what.

Online is a bit annoying. The paper catalog has all their symbols (OG, F1, Heirloom) listed.

TS