Whats the difference between open-pollinated, hybrid and heirloom seeds and which ones are organically grown?
In our catalog, we sell all three of these types of seeds, although we offer more open-pollinated or heirloom seeds. Hybrid seeds are seeds that are obtained by cross-fertilizing two or more different plant varieties. Seeds collected from plants grown from these seeds will not grow true to type and/or they will be sterile. Hybrid seeds are usually produced with non-organic growing methods. Open-pollinated seeds are those that yield seeds that grow plants true to type, as long as no cross-pollination has occurred in the field. Heirloom seeds are those that have been around for more than 50 years, have a history and are open-pollinated. For instance, Amish paste tomatoes have been cultivated over the years by the Amish. Open-pollinated and Heirloom seeds can be produced using organic or conventional growing techniques. Unfortunately, there are not many seeds available that are produced organically.
