Open Pollinated Seeds And The Advantages Versus Yesterday
The world that we live in today is fast changing. Changing is the opportunity for better paying jobs and changing is the health of majority of individuals. Thus, people are becoming more health conscious about themselves and their new generations too. While consuming food, people now bother to check if it has been produced with healthy and natural seeds or not. The quality of vegetables and food stuffs available in the market today is degrading day by dag with much of adulteration. People have now started planting their own seeds in the garden because of its natural goodness and ample availability at times when needed. However, before using open pollinated seeds, you need to consider certain factors so as to make sure that you have bought the best.
Anyone flipping through a seed catalog quickly becomes aware of a difference in the seeds offered. Many, if not most, of the seeds in many catalogs are designated as being hybrid seed. A hybrid is the result of cross pollination between two similar plants. This is usually done artificially as desirable traits from two tomatoes, say, will then be combined in one plant. The seed from this cross pollination is a hybrid.
The period before the end of world War II was mostly dominated by open pollinated seeds, and it only after this period that hybrid seeds began to dominate the market for seeds. Bigger crops do result from hybrid seed, but the seed itself from such plants is literally worthless. Seed from hybrid plants is normally sterile, and any plants grown from them will not have the same properties as the plant the seed has been taken from. There may be other undesirable qualities that can even ruin its worth as a plant for food.
Hybrid seeds have undergone further development to seed that have had their genes modified. Such seed is the result of the DNA from one organism being spliced into the plant. This way plants and seed can be engineered to have traits that allow them to use one particular type of fertilizer or even an ability to be repellent to insects. There has been really no long term research into the effects that the consumption of food from such plants has had on humans and animals.
On the other hand, open pollinated seeds are natural. The result of the breeding of these seeds would be 100 percent natural as these seeds are not altered by any means. Their quality is good and there would not be any side effects due to the consumption of crops produced from these seeds.
It is natural that you will be saving open pollinated seeds for next season from your present harvest but it is still a wise option to check seed catalogues when you need them. Seed catalog will label the type of the seed whether hybrid or open pollinated. Thus, you can select seeds depending on you needs without any trouble. However, still there are chances that seeds which have been labeled as open pollinated in the seed catalogue may not be 100 percent natural. The reason behind this is that majority of the seeds are bought from foreign countries and there is no guarantee that those seeds have been produces in healthy and pesticide free environment.
The only escape from this is that you have to rely on the companies which specialize in selling open pollinated seeds. Small farmers produce these seeds in Unites States without the use of any pesticides or other chemicals. You can buy a packet of these seeds with which you can plant vegetables in an acre. Moreover, it is your responsibility to check if these seeds have been tested for germination.
While you may want to use your open pollinated seed right away to start a garden, many people will keep the seed for a ‘rainy day’. Uncertainty about the future has prompted many people to buy what will amount to a survival garden in the future. If you want your open pollinated seeds to remain viable for years, it is important that they are packaged correctly.
Moisture, mold, and insects are the great enemies of stored seed. Too much moisture can cause the seeds to begin to rot and promote the growth of mold. Once a seed is moldy, it is useless. Insects have evolved to use seeds as food for their offspring, so if a package is not sealed properly, it is quite possible for eggs to be laid on the seed, and for it to be destroyed by ravenous larvae.
Make sure that the open pollinated survival seeds that you purchase are properly packaged. The best packaging is probably mylar, and many of the companies selling open pollinated seeds will enclose their seeds in this. Not only will mylar keep the seeds safe from moisture and insects, it will also protect them from the deleterious effects of the light. Most seeds packaged in mylar can be kept for five years, and if they are frozen, will last for ten.
This open pollinated seeds overview was merely one thing to help you grow healthy foods. To find out more of the unique advantages of open pollinated seeds, click on the of the links on this article for more information.


