Seed Search Time!!!

It is super easy to buy seeds. The choices are endless! You can buy anywhere from grocery and big box stores, through phone apps, to internet seed companies.

Sometimes too many choices can become overwhelming. Here are a few things to consider when buying seeds;

Seeds from brick and mortar stores: they generally carry hybrid seeds that are popular varieties. Hybrid seeds are great if you only want to plant them for the season you are buying them for. Replanting seeds from a hybrid plant will give you a plant that won’t produce the same fruit as its parents. Instead the plant reverts back to one or more of the original parents that were crossed to create a hybrid plant in the first place!

Organic seeds: companies that offer certified organic seeds follow strict standards. Standards include the prohibition of chemical pesticides and genetically engineered seed.

Open-pollinated seeds: these are plants that are self-pollinating or that were pollinated naturally (wind, birds, insects).

Heirloom seed: these are seeds that have been carefully selected varieties whose seed lines have been maintained and passed down from generation to generation.

Company details to look for: is this company established? Is it a small company or owned by a corporation? Is it privately owned by a family or by the employees? Does it offer free education about the products they are selling?

Safe Seed Pledge: companies that adhere to this pledge believe that gene manipulation of the food supply is immoral. The “safe seed pledge” states: “ Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners, and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy, sell, or trade genetically-engineered seeds or plants.”

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