Open Pollinated Seeds

Open pollinated seeds are only one of the two types of seeds that you can purchase for your garden. The other option is called hybrid seeds. These hybrid seeds are usually a cross between two types of varieties – often done to produce a better product that will be more acceptable in a commercialized agricultural environment.

On the other hand, open pollinated varieties are usually more stable in terms of its qualities. They are usually self pollinating so planting them under open pollination conditions is alright because they will not mix. Choosing between two options is easy enough if you know what kind of produce you want to get out of your garden.

Open pollinated seeds are usually the preferred type of home gardeners. It allows them to harvest seeds from very ripe fruits and vegetables so they can be planted again. It makes seed variety preservation work quite easy – without the need for special machinery to preserve the seed’s qualities.

This type of seed also make long term seed storage possible and the seeds will surely have the same characteristics as the original one. For instance, the same sweet corn seed that you planted last year will produce that same ones in your next harvest.

Most rare heirloom seeds are actually open pollinated. This is what preserves them to have the same qualities as the ones that people used to pick off their garden and eat on their table a century ago. It makes for a great historically significant garden if you choose to plant heirloom seed – another trend that is gaining popularity with home gardeners everywhere.

Open pollinated seeds have several varieties. Lettuce, beans and peas are some of the open pollinated ones that you can plant in your garden. You can also choose to plant heirloom seeds – if you want to preserve the original form of the produce in your garden. Though hybrids usually dominate the agriculture market, there is still something to be derived from the open pollinated ones. You can try to plant both – just make sure to strategically plant the seeds so you get the right hybrid that you want.