Introduction

Section: Introduction

Section: What is an heirloom seed?

Section: Heirloom seeds come in two main categories.

Section: Heirlooms are newer than hybrid (hybrid = hybrid) seeds and they’re also more expensive.  They’re also worth it because they save you money and keep the species alive, while hybrid plants go extinct. They’re a lot of work, but worth it if you want to plant and save the seeds for your future garden.  How to plant an heirloom variety of vegetable or flower is on page 8!

Takeaway: Planting heirloom vegetable seeds keeps them from going extinct, which is nice for future generations that can’t replant the same varieties. Section: Heirlooms vs Hybrid vs GMO Seeds

Section: The history of heirloom seeds…

Section: Why should we plant hybrids?   GMO crops are not organic, which means that you can’t harvest the seed for future gardens…you have to buy more seed every year because it’s not available as a store-bought product anymore. Section: How to plant and save heirloom seeds… Section 2 – What are Heirloom Seeds? o o o o o o o Section 1 – Introduction

Takeaway : Know what your vegetables are before buying them! Section 3 – Types of Heirlooms There is a lot of confusion around heirlosm types–sometimes people get confused between open pollinated (OP) and hybrid (HY).   In this article I’ll explain what these mean so that everyone can be clear on how they differ from each other–what makes them different so they aren’t interchangable in some cases! This will also help us make sure if we’re planting something OP or HY first…oops haha 🙂 Section 4 – How To Use The Guide

Heirloom vs hybrid vs GMO seeds

If you’re new to gardening, it’s important to know that there are three main categories of seeds: heirloom, hybrid, and GMO.

• Heirloom seeds are open pollinated varieties. They’ve been around for many years, have been passed down from generation to generation, and have not changed genetically over time. In other words, they’ve always reproduced exactly the same way even though multiple people have grown them throughout history.
• Hybrid seeds are bred with specific traits in mind—they may be more disease resistant or grow faster than their non-hybrid counterparts. Hybrid plants can be created through various methods including cross-pollination between genetically different types of plants (called hybridization), or using chemicals & radiation during development (called mutagenesis).
• GMO stands for “genetically modified organism.” These types of seed contain genetic material from organisms other than those used in traditional breeding methods resulting in heritable changes that would not occur naturally through conventional breeding practices; these are also known as transgenic seeds because they contain DNA sequences from other organisms such as bacteria or viruses inserted into their genome by human intervention.

Heirloom seeds come in two main categories.

You probably have a few questions about heirloom seeds. What are they? Where can you get them? And how do they differ from other types of seeds? The answers to these and other queries are below.

Heirloom seeds come in two main categories: open-pollinated and hybrid. Open-pollinated varieties are crossed by pollinating naturally with wind or insects (this means that there’s no human intervention involved), while hybrid seeds contain two different parent plants, both of which have been crossbred to create a new variety with specific characteristics (these can be engineered through genetic modification). Heirloom seed sellers may also sell GMO (genetically modified organisms) varieties online; however, these will not be labeled as such since it is illegal for companies to label their product as organic if it contains GMO ingredients.

What makes a seed heirloom?

Now that you have a good idea of what an heirloom seed is, it’s time to look at some of the characteristics of heirloom seeds that make them so special.

• Heirloom seeds are non-hybrid, meaning they’re open-pollinated and not genetically modified. While hybrid seeds may produce great results, they also limit your options when it comes to choosing which plants you want in your garden. Heirlooms give you more freedom because there are multiple varieties available for each type of plant!
• Heirlooms aren’t patented either; this means no one owns or controls the rights on these types of flowers and vegetables. In other words: if you buy some rare plants from a company like Johnny’s Selected Seeds (which we love), their genetic material can be shared freely between growers without penalty from copyright laws or patents—so go wild!

The history of heirloom seeds.

Heirloom seeds have been around for thousands of years. They were bred for specific climates and conditions, for taste and flavor. They were passed down from generation to generation, from farmer to farmer and gardener to gardener. In recent times, however, heirloom seeds have become scarce. Modern agricultural practices emphasize uniformity over diversity; in other words, one seed produces one exact plant with the same characteristics every time you plant it—or something close enough that it doesn’t matter if there is variation (as long as there’s only a little). But this has caused problems for farmers who want variety in their crops but can’t get access to it anymore because the big seed companies own patents on all new varieties of plants created through cross-breeding (which most modern hybrids are).

Why should you plant heirlooms?

There are a number of reasons why you should grow heirloom seeds. They have been passed down for generations, and for good reason: they are better for your health, the environment and taste better than their hybrid counterparts. Here’s what makes heirlooms so special:

• Non-GMO

Heirloom seeds are not genetically modified, so you don’t have to worry about them being altered in any way that negatively affects their nutritional value or flavor (and they taste amazing!). You can feel confident that when it comes to heirlooms, you are getting the real deal. We don’t recommend eating hybrid plants because we think they’re unhealthy! In fact, some people wrongly believe that all GMO foods cause cancer or other serious health problems—but this isn’t true! Some non-GMO foods do contain pesticides but these chemicals aren’t harmful if they aren’t ingested at high levels over an extended period of time (like during growing season). And even then there has never been a single case where someone has “gotten sick” from eating them so long as proper safety precautions were followed during harvesting/storage/cooking etcetera.”

How to plant and save heirloom seeds.

So now that you know a little about heirloom seeds, it’s time to get your hands dirty. Here are five tips for planting and saving this precious resource:

• Save the seeds from plants with the traits you want. For example, if you plant an heirloom tomato seed and find out that it’s not sweet enough after all, simply save the seeds of another tomato plant that has more flavor next year.
• Plant multiple varieties in a variety of locations to increase the likelihood of getting a good crop every year! You might have success with one type in one spot but not another, so try them all out before making any final decisions about where to grow your favorite types of heirloom vegetables/fruits/flowers next season!
• Consider saving some space for non-edible plants too—they’re just as important as food sources when it comes down to survival situations where our ancestors lived without refrigerators or stores nearby (and filled us up with vitamins A&C today!). Also consider growing wild grasses such as wheatgrass which can be juiced into delicious smoothies made from fresh ingredients like carrot tops if nothing else is available.”

If you want to be sure that your vegetables are truly organic, plant heirloom seeds.

If you want to be sure that your vegetables are truly organic, plant heirloom seeds.

Because heirloom seeds aren’t genetically modified or hybrid, they are not subjected to the same type of testing that other seeds must pass in order for them to be approved for sale. This means that anyone can grow and harvest them without having to pay any fees or royalties. There is no patent on heirloom plants so no one owns the rights to them either… but there’s also no guarantee that your seed will produce the exact same plant as last year’s batch! If you’re looking for consistency in taste and appearance with your veggies then maybe try some hybrid varieties instead?

Conclusion

If you’re looking to grow vegetables or other plants, or if you just want to know that your food is truly organic and grown with care, heirloom seeds are the way to go. You’ll be able to see the difference in taste and quality right away. For those of us who care about the environment, heirloom seeds have no downsides. They allow us to grow our food without polluting nature by using pesticides (which may even harm bees).