Found Fruit

Your Connection to Bay Area Local Food and Sustainable Living

How To Identify Heirloom, Organic & Open Pollinated Seeds

Retail Seeds are often labeled in different ways...

"U" - Untreated:

  •  These seeds have been produced without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. or subject to genetic modification.

"O" - Organic:

  •  These seeds are taken from parent plants which have been organically grown.

"OP" - Open-Pollinated:

  • These seeds are capable of reproducing themselves. Open-pollinated seeds can be dried and saved over winter, then used for planting in the next season.

"H" - Heritage (or Heirloom):

  •  These seeds are saved and passed down through generations by gardeners looking to preserve their genetic diversity and the unique qualities of the plant they produce. Heritage seeds may be carried by some of the smaller seed companies, but are more commonly found through local seed exchanges.

Hybrid Seeds:

  • These seeds have been developed to enhance a plant's growth and fruiting, as well as hardiness. Hybrids are produced by cross-pollinating plants of different varieties in order to improve the characteristics of the resulting offspring. However, hybrid seeds do not always reproduce true to type. That is, second generation plants may produce different results. If you are buying hybrid seeds, look for seeds which are labelled as reproducing "true to type".

Biodynamic Seeds:

  • From farms or gardens which use Biodynamic practices of managing land for ecological balance. The organic growing methods and planting cycles are integrated with the local environment where possible.

Reference Source

 

 



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