The SKINNY On Quality Seeds

There are a variety of brands and types of seeds available for purchase at garden centers, the local feed-and-seed and large box stores. Most gardeners have seen identifiers such as: hybrid, heirloom, open pollinated and G.M.O. on packets of seed but do not realize that the differences are buried deeper than the label. The quality of seed is ultimately controlled by it's DNA and the grower who collects it for distribution and sale. The seed grower may be responsible for lower quality seeds because of the variety and selection methods resulting in poor germination rates and weak plants.
Review of Terms:
Hybrid: " an offspring of two plants of different breeds, varieties, species or genera bread for improvements of shelf life, extended travel, to prevent bruising, disease prevention etc."
Heirloom: "a horticultural variety that has survived for several generations usually due to private individuals."
Open Pollinated: "pollinated by natural agencies (as wind or insects) without human intervention." (www.merriam-webster.com)
G.M.O.: Combining genes from different organisms using bio-technology not natural reproduction process. (genomics.energy.gov)

Good Seed Starts With the Grower:
Growers often choose to grow hybrid varieties which means their genetic building blocks have been selected to enhance certain desirable traits. Some of these alterations may be beneficial such as larger longer lasting fruits, disease resistance or drought tolerance. While these characteristics are helpful and profitable, the altered genetic makeup limits the ability to recreate similar successive plants and vegetables from saving their seed. In other words, plants grown from saved hybrid seeds will not breed "true" and will not present the same "enhanced" traits of the parent plants. Open pollinated, non-hybrid heirloom seeds contain genetic material that is consistently reproducible and has a history of being passed from one generation of farmer to the next. In essence, open pollinated, heirloom seeds offer the ability to save seeds to plant the next season. The true essence of recycling!

The grower determines the variety of plant, grows it to maturity and then collects the seed from the vegetable or fruit. The process for seed collection varies by plant species and may require soaking, drying, thrashing and then winnowing. Winnowing is the process of removing husks from seeds by fanning. The seeds that are heavier than chaff remain, lighter seeds with less DNA weight float away with the chaff and land on the growers floor. Unscrupulous growers will package the quality, DNA dense seed as commercial grade for farmers and collect the winnowed byproduct for "seed packet" sales.

In contrast to the micro farmer and home gardener, professional farmers require high quality commercial seed that performs uniformly with a known germination rate. Usually this high grade commercial seed is only sold in large bulk quantities. Farmers who invest thousands of dollars in seed, land, water, time and labor are more willing to sue seed growers for loss of profit and product than a home gardener who spent a dollar on a packet of seed. Gardener's believe it is something they contributed or omitted that results in their plants failing and not the initial seed quality.
Seeds are also adversely affected by the method in which they are stored. The optimal seed storage condition is a temperature of 70 F and thirteen percent air moisture. As the temperature and humidity increase the life span of the seeds decreases. Seed displays are conveniently located at the outdoor checkout counters but vitality of the seeds is being harmed simply by product placement unbeknown to the consumer.

Good Seeds=Good Results:
There are growers who have committed to the "Safe Seed Pledge" which states:
"We pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families or kingdoms, poses great biological risks as well as economic, political, and cultural threats. We feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release. More research and testing is necessary to further assess the potential risks of genetically engineered seeds. Further, we wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and ultimately people and communities."

Thankfully it is easy to research companies on the internet who have pledged at www.earthlypursuits.com. Purchases of seeds from companies that ascribe to the pledge will assure responsible propagation and procurement practice of high quality seeds. It is beneficial to look for germination rates on packaging. This simple standard shows the seed productivity and is easily left out of labeling on low caliber stock. Check the "packaged for" and expiration date to insure the seed is not old especially on heavily discounted seeds. Avoid packets that are on display outdoors due to unchecked temperatures and humidity. The last tip is to save the package the seed comes in as a reference for those plants that do not germinate, grow or yield well to refrain from buying the same brand in the future.

Favorite suppliers:
Seed Savers Exchange: www.seedsavers.org
Seeds of Change: www.seedsofchange.com
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange: www.southernexposure.com
Park Seed Company: www.parkseed.com
Territorial Seed Company: www.territorial-seed.com
Resources:
"Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times." Steve Solomon. (2005) New Society Publishers.

WWW.SeedSavers.Org