Stupid Question seeds
 

Okay, I will be planting a garden this year, It is my understanding that I should get either Heirloom seeds or organic seeds?

Will I be able to save the seeds from the heirloom and organic plants and replant the seeds next year?

My inentions will be to harvest the seeds from the vegetables and replant next year

And is hybrid a no good?


Thanks for any input

Re: Stupid Question seeds
 

Hybrids won't breed true. Though there is an extensive "de-hybridization" process that might ultimately produce results similar to the original hybrid. This is probably not what you want to try right out the gate!

Best to get some experience first.

Use the heirloom, non-hybrid seeds if you intend on seed-saving. The seeds you save should ideally also be a separate crop from those plants you intend to eat from, since you wish to save the best seeds from the best plants (healthiest, good maturity, etc.), and thus your objectives are different.

You'll also want to pay attention to possible cross-pollination of similar plants in related families. My favorite gardening forum is gardenweb. They have a forum dedicated to saving seeds as well:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/seedsave/

Re: Stupid Question seeds
 

Thank you very much


Freedom1

Re: Stupid Question seeds
 

There is nothing really wrong with growing hybrid veggies if you can get the seeds. F1 hybrids have numerous virtues, but their generated seed just does not come true.
There are, for instance, few if any open-pollinated broccolli cultivars that form a central head, which I prefer, so I grow the F1s.
But I buy seed every year.

Re: Stupid Question seeds
 

There are wild plants that can get into your breeding also like queen Ann's lace I think can breed with carrots and there are lots of wild radish where I live that would breed with the domestic.

Re: Stupid Question seeds
 

We grow genetically modifidied crops(not vegtable)and i know their seeds will work year after year.

What is coming down the pipeline for us but is not here yet is called"terminator gene" were the seeds will not germinate from such plant.

I dont know for sure about the vegetable end of things but i do not think there are any problems yet.

If you are storing seeds make sure you freeze them.

The smaller the seed the less viablity from year to year-generally

Re: Stupid Question seeds
 

Other thought

You can NOT harvest seeds before they reach a certain maturity,they will be useless!

For safety sake let mature.

Re: Stupid Question seeds
 

CanuckFarmer,
What do you grow?

Re: Stupid Question seeds
 

Spring wheat,durum wheat,oats,barley,canola,lentils,field peas,mustard,chick peas,sunflowers,flax.

Re: Stupid Question seeds
 

Awesome. :applause_