In the garden! Questions and searches for open pollinated plants.

[Wolf-Kim]

My husband and I are getting spring fever and the garden is just callin' our names. We are "de-evolving" this year and realized that us having to purchase those hybrid bonnie started plants everywhere, was not part of the long term goal. Not a terribly big issue, but I know that there are certain varieties out there where the seeds can be kept from year to year. I googled and found that these were 'officially' called open pollinated plants.

The goal: to have a well producing garden with a renewable seed source for the following years.

Why? Because I'm cheap like that! LOL No, I just think I would like to try it and try to steer in that direction.

Our main and favorite crop is tomatoes. For the past couple of years, we've been buying Bonnie's "Celebrity". As well as any of Bonnie's other types that we decide for the year, for example Cucumbers, Squash, and even a beautiful egg plant one year. Hey! Take it easy on us, we live where there are hundreds or thousands of bricks that would simply tear a tractor or tiller to shreds so we stick to raised beds and it's a little hard to build that "big girl" garden when you have limited space and places for plants. We'll have to make a new bed this year, simply because my strawberries spread and took over the whole primary bed. ((No, I won't cut them back, they are MY favorite 'crop')) LOL

So... Anyone else here follow that same guideline? I know that we have a sister site called Easy Garden and I may bounce over there and start a parallel thread, but thought I'd try here first since my lovely friends here have very similar goals and dreams to my own.

 

[FarmerDenise]

SO and I have been saving our own seeds for some time now. In my family we always saved seeds.
If you want to save seeds, do not start with hybrid anything. A hybrid is a cross intended to create a better plant. If you save the seeds from a hybrid, the offspring will go back to what the grandparent was. Which may not be a good plant at all.

If you are planning on going out and buying seeds this year, so you can save the seed for future crops, buy seeds that are labeled heirloom and or open polinated.

I highly recommend saving your own seeds, the seedlings sprout faster and better and the chances are you will get a better crop. Not to mention the $$ you save, by not having to buy seeds or plants.

It's pretty easy to save your own seeds for the most part.

It is wise to save seeds from the best plants, so you will propagate the best in your own garden for your micro climate. Make sure the fruit is good and ripe before harvesting for seed gathering.

 

[patandchickens]

It is pretty easy to find o/p (more or less synonymous with heirloom) varieties these days -- practically every seed catalog carries some of them, and many carry a good selection.

Remember that for some plants it is desirable or vital to control pollination if you're going to be saving seeds. Options include distance, timing, or bagging-and-hand-pollinating, the latter being the most all-purpose solution and not really that much work. For some things, of course, crosspollination is not an issue (e.g. beans) and for others (e.g. tomatoes) it is not *much* of an issue.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[meriruka]

I bought all my seeds from Bountiful Gardens this year so I can save the seed. All their stuff is non hybrid and the prices are pretty good, you get a lot more seeds for the $ then Seed Exchange.

 

[Iceblink]

Yeah, I ordered from Bountiful and was happy with their seeds, the shipping is pretty reasonable too.

I do save a few varieties of seeds, I'd like to do more this year.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

i get a lot of volunteers from the compost -- or little seedlings that just pop up (if they chickens missed them). sometimes you just dont know what you're going to get... but thats what the hens are for.

i love this book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1VZW22N63M4F0Q0HDYST

easy peasy