Comments on: Free Heirloom Seeds http://happyfarming.com/2010/01/22/free-heirloom-seeds/ How to Grow Your Own Food Sun, 20 May 2012 14:36:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Free beetroot & spinach seeds - Vegetable Gardening Forum http://happyfarming.com/2010/01/22/free-heirloom-seeds/#comment-14765 Free beetroot & spinach seeds - Vegetable Gardening Forum Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:12:45 +0000 http://happyfarming.com/?p=1104#comment-14765 [...] giving away spinach seeds too, grown in my garden in 2009. 4 bags left, one per person: http://happyfarming.com/2010/01/22/free-heirloom-seeds/ __________________ Learn how I grow my own food: [...] [...] giving away spinach seeds too, grown in my garden in 2009. 4 bags left, one per person: http://happyfarming.com/2010/01/22/free-heirloom-seeds/ __________________ Learn how I grow my own food: [...]

]]> By: Thomas W. http://happyfarming.com/2010/01/22/free-heirloom-seeds/#comment-7228 Thomas W. Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:12:45 +0000 http://happyfarming.com/?p=1104#comment-7228 @Mike: Thank you for explaining, and thank you for the tip about the book. I'll definitely consider getting hold of a copy, as I have seen it mentioned a couple of times now. @Mike: Thank you for explaining, and thank you for the tip about the book. I’ll definitely consider getting hold of a copy, as I have seen it mentioned a couple of times now.

]]> By: Mike H http://happyfarming.com/2010/01/22/free-heirloom-seeds/#comment-6733 Mike H Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:56:58 +0000 http://happyfarming.com/?p=1104#comment-6733 Thomas, I was looking back over this thread and your comment about <i>growing plants from 2009 seeds together with plants from 2010 seeds</i> made me realize that I skipped over how you get the seeds from open pollinated varieties to come true. You have to isolate the flower from pollinators and do the pollinating yourself. Once pollinated you have to keep the flower isolated from pollinators until fruit appears. One of the best books that I've come across is <i>Seed to Seed: Seed Saving Techniques for the Vegetable Gardener</i>Suzanne Ashworth. It's available at the http://www.bookdepository.com Thomas,

I was looking back over this thread and your comment about growing plants from 2009 seeds together with plants from 2010 seeds made me realize that I skipped over how you get the seeds from open pollinated varieties to come true. You have to isolate the flower from pollinators and do the pollinating yourself. Once pollinated you have to keep the flower isolated from pollinators until fruit appears. One of the best books that I’ve come across is Seed to Seed: Seed Saving Techniques for the Vegetable GardenerSuzanne Ashworth. It’s available at the http://www.bookdepository.com

]]> By: Thomas W. http://happyfarming.com/2010/01/22/free-heirloom-seeds/#comment-6612 Thomas W. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:30:56 +0000 http://happyfarming.com/?p=1104#comment-6612 @Mike: I agree, saving seeds does make a lot of sense. @Mike: I agree, saving seeds does make a lot of sense.

]]> By: Mike H http://happyfarming.com/2010/01/22/free-heirloom-seeds/#comment-6465 Mike H Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:54:25 +0000 http://happyfarming.com/?p=1104#comment-6465 Seeds coming true means that the seeds will produce plants that are the same as the parent. No, I harvest seeds from year to year but I grow only heritage seeds so I know that that I will always get plants the same as I had the previous year. The plants will adjust to my area over time and be hardier and stronger. I also like the idea of preserving genetic diversity by preserving heritage varieties. It's also a good way to keep costs down. :) Seeds coming true means that the seeds will produce plants that are the same as the parent.

No, I harvest seeds from year to year but I grow only heritage seeds so I know that that I will always get plants the same as I had the previous year.

The plants will adjust to my area over time and be hardier and stronger. I also like the idea of preserving genetic diversity by preserving heritage varieties. It’s also a good way to keep costs down. :)

]]> By: Thomas W. http://happyfarming.com/2010/01/22/free-heirloom-seeds/#comment-6366 Thomas W. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:44:05 +0000 http://happyfarming.com/?p=1104#comment-6366 @Mike: What exactly do you mean by seeds coming true? Is it when the 2010 generation of spinach looks and tastes like the 2009 generation of spinach? I'm thinking of ways to test this, like growing plants from 2009 seeds together with plants from 2010 seeds, but I think that would mess up the genes instantly, like with humans. What is common practice, do you scrap every seed from last year, or?... Separating plant generations by more than a mile (2 km) as stated in you link above is not very practical in my garden ;-) Anyway, I'm planning on sowing my saved spinach seeds this year, and if I'm lucky I can probably dig up some photos of the mother plants from 2009 and do a comparison. @Mike: What exactly do you mean by seeds coming true? Is it when the 2010 generation of spinach looks and tastes like the 2009 generation of spinach? I’m thinking of ways to test this, like growing plants from 2009 seeds together with plants from 2010 seeds, but I think that would mess up the genes instantly, like with humans.
What is common practice, do you scrap every seed from last year, or?…
Separating plant generations by more than a mile (2 km) as stated in you link above is not very practical in my garden ;-)
Anyway, I’m planning on sowing my saved spinach seeds this year, and if I’m lucky I can probably dig up some photos of the mother plants from 2009 and do a comparison.

]]> By: Mike H http://happyfarming.com/2010/01/22/free-heirloom-seeds/#comment-6356 Mike H Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:47:50 +0000 http://happyfarming.com/?p=1104#comment-6356 Organic is good but not directly related to whether or not the seeds will come true. F-1 means that it's a first generation cross. Non-F1 simply means that more than one generation of breeding is involved. It is not likely that the seeds harvested will come true to what you grew. That's not necessarily bad because the parents were selected for desirable characteristics. Open pollinated come true because the genetic characteristics have been stabilized over generations. As I said, the only way to be sure that seeds harvested from this year's plants will produce the same plants next year, is to use open pollinated seeds aka heirloom seeds. Mike Organic is good but not directly related to whether or not the seeds will come true. F-1 means that it’s a first generation cross. Non-F1 simply means that more than one generation of breeding is involved. It is not likely that the seeds harvested will come true to what you grew. That’s not necessarily bad because the parents were selected for desirable characteristics.

Open pollinated come true because the genetic characteristics have been stabilized over generations.

As I said, the only way to be sure that seeds harvested from this year’s plants will produce the same plants next year, is to use open pollinated seeds aka heirloom seeds.

Mike

]]> By: Thomas W. http://happyfarming.com/2010/01/22/free-heirloom-seeds/#comment-6351 Thomas W. Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:45:03 +0000 http://happyfarming.com/?p=1104#comment-6351 @Mike: Thank you for the link! The seeds that produced the seeds in the above article were organic, non-F1 hybrids according to the seed company website. I don't know if that makes them open pollinated though?... @Mike: Thank you for the link!
The seeds that produced the seeds in the above article were organic, non-F1 hybrids according to the seed company website. I don’t know if that makes them open pollinated though?…

]]> By: Mike H http://happyfarming.com/2010/01/22/free-heirloom-seeds/#comment-6340 Mike H Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:50:25 +0000 http://happyfarming.com/?p=1104#comment-6340 Thomas, Do you know if these seeds were open pollinated? Many seed companies sell mostly hybrid seeds which means that harvested seeds won't come true. I've given up on the regular seed catalogues because they don't clearly identify their open pollinated seeds. I now buy only heritage seeds because they will all be open pollinated. Dan Jason at the Seed and Plant Sanctuary for Canada has a very good how-to on vegetable seed saving at http://www.seedsanctuary.com/articles/seedsaving.cfm Mike Thomas,

Do you know if these seeds were open pollinated? Many seed companies sell mostly hybrid seeds which means that harvested seeds won’t come true. I’ve given up on the regular seed catalogues because they don’t clearly identify their open pollinated seeds. I now buy only heritage seeds because they will all be open pollinated.

Dan Jason at the Seed and Plant Sanctuary for Canada has a very good how-to on vegetable seed saving at http://www.seedsanctuary.com/articles/seedsaving.cfm

Mike

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