Non-hybrid seeds..and some raised bed experiments

If any of you don't know this, The seed you buy for your garden are 'hybrid'. THat means that they are genetically engineered to produce full fruits and large plants. The by-product of this manipulation is that they are also 'sterile'. The seeds from these fruits and vgetables will not produce more plants.

I have a case of non-hybrid seeds from 99. They are only good for 3-4 yrs at room temperature. Mine are 6 yrs old and have been stored poorly. From below freezing to 100. Bad, I know but I just cracked a can and did the second grade sprouting experiment with some of them.

I put 2 different types of beans and corn in a ziploc with a wet paper towel. They are sitting in the window sill right now. I figure I'll give them 4-5 days to sprout anything. If they do, I'll keep the seeds. If not, I'll feed the birds before they get H5N1...

I just purchased a few more cases of Non-Hybrid from Ark... These things do need to be rotated every few yrs. Next time around, I'll make sure and plant them before they expire.

 

Nice link andy.

I was looking at these "packages" from ArkInstitute. A little of everything
http://www.arkinstitute.com/nonhybridseed.htm
40 varities for $79

 

mm, I have never seen NH or Heirlooms around me at any store...
I almost feel it's a duty of mine to have andnurture some of these seeds as we may not have any non-genetics 20 yrs from now

 

But I bet that some of those heirlooms are a branding thing... Like "from teh heirloom XXX tomatoe line" Hybrids may or may not sprout from thier seeds but the gen after that will more than likely not sprout.

I don't trust the name heirloom myself. Needs to say non-hybrid

this link on a grdening forum show a diffence
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/newgard/msg1113505720773.html

 

http://www.organic-foods-produce-healthy-diets.com/heirloom-seed.html

but this link uses the term differently...

I still doubt that my local hardware store that has mass/bulk packets of seed that may say heirllom, are really open pollinated and non-hybrid

I could be wrong

What is an “Heirloom” seed?

Basically, an heirloom seed comes from the old, genetically "un-altered" plant varieties which reproduce through open-pollination. This means the plant, whether vegetable, fruit or flower, comes true to type from seed through succeeding generations. With the aid of wind, rain and/or pollinating insects, these heirloom plants "set" their seed naturally. Although opinions among experts may vary about the required age for a plant to be considered an heirloom, most people define heirloom varieties as those that are at least 50 years old. However, many well known vintage varieties date back 100 years or more, and some may even have several centuries of history.

Many heirloom plants are native varieties, but some were brought to the United States by immigrants. Over the years, different varieties of heirloom seed have been saved by a single family or maybe a group of people, like Native American Indians for example. Sometimes the individual histories of a seed are well-known, other times the background is vague and referred to as a legend. In any event, knowing the history of a particular variety can add to the enjoyment of growing and eating it.

What is a “Hybrid?”

Unlike heirloom seed, the more modern hybrids are produced as the result of cross-breeding two parents of different genetic makeup. This is similar to breeding a male donkey (jack) to a female horse (mare), in order to get a mule. A mule is a hybrid, bred for favorable characteristics of both of these species of quadraped, however, a mule cannot reproduce another mule.

Just like the mule, cross-bred hybrids can not reproduce true-to-type. Instead, hybrid seeds are highly variable and are not desirable for saving and replanting. With greater world-wide demand for food, hybrids were originally developed for commercial food production because of their high yields, uniformity of size and wide adaptability. In addition, these hybrid vegetables ripen in a shorter period of time and often have a tougher skin, allowing them to be shipped great distances. The ability of the hybrids to remain in cold storage for extended periods of time is another favorable characteristic desired among commercial growers.

Open-pollinated Versus Hybrid

Today's hybrids were actually developed to "counteract" some of the qualities of heirlooms such as the tender skin of the heirlooms (which caused them to bruise easily). Heirlooms also have a shorter shelf life and may have a less-than-perfect form and shape. Through the bio-engineering of hybrids, the beefing up of certain characteristics, such as tougher skins and longer storage life, meant a corresponding decrease in other traits. The main characteristic of the older heirloom varieties that modern hybrids have yet to approach, is flavor. Heirlooms simply taste much better than the newer "man-made" varieties can hope to. This is why today's supermarket tomatoes, even though uniform in size and color, may have the consistency and corresponding taste of a tennis ball.

A very important factor to remember, is that hybrid seed must also be purchased new, year after year. This creates a dependence upon commercial seed producers and "big brother" organizations for our seed, thus eliminating our freedom to determine what we choose to eat. Saving and replanting open-pollinated heirloom seed prolongs our liberty to control our choice of food and nutrition. With genetically modified organisms (GMO's) and experimental bio-engineering in our food supply, this could prove to be the most important difference.

 

Nothing yet...

I'm betting they are dead

 

I may have sproutage... I had to run out but saw some blurriness under the paper towel. I'll open it up tonight

Edit: nothing tonight... must have been a dog hair

 

well,

Here are all 8 seeds I tested... 7 yrs old and have been stored horribly.

All of them sprouted! 2 types of bean and 2 types of corn. I'll dig the can out for the exact varieties. I have some more testing to do as I was just about to toss this entire case out.

methinks that this is a very good indicator of our upcoming In Vitro procedure next week

 

Cool on the wet towel trick and the very best luck next week.

 

cool to see they sprouted. Aim well. Hit the cup!

 

Regular Mr Green Jeans…. Very cool test

 

Even better...

 

Wow Looks great weekly pic please.