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It amazes me that people who are dedicated
to composting kitchen and yard scraps, applying organic methods
to gardening, and other 'eco-friendly' tactics have not gone the
loop and save their own seeds.
The benefits are numerous. Everyone
who is involved in open pollinated and heirloom gardening is generally
amazed at the diversity of selection, and the 'old time' taste
that is missing in the produce aisles of the grocery stores.
Raising plants from seed takes a little
more planning and thought than just buying what's available in
season, but the rewards are well worth it.
There are numerous books on methods
of saving different kinds of seed, as well as how to start plants
from seeds.
An added benefit, is that your garden
is a microclimate factoring in such things as moisture and soil
nutrients, as well as the more obvious zones and general area
weather conditions.
After you have grown the same seed,
selecting for type and quality and choosing offspring seed from
plants that were completely maintained within your own system,
the future generations are more adapted to your own micro'zone'.
Within two or three season, the gardener
often will see changes and improvements in the plants as opposed
to those plants ancestors. Still true to type, but frequently
may be on a healthier plant, or more abundant producer, exhuberant
climber, etc.
An example are my habanero peppers.
I brought seed back from Belize in 1972 from plants I knew to
be among the fieriest in the world! I haven't become enough of
a chile-head to enjoy eating them, but I put them in my meat rub
spices, and in a garlic pepper tea I brew for the garden itself.
I grow out enough to grind and dry, and to keep the seed current
and viable.
The last few seasons, I've noticed
that I 'almost' can eat one! As a test, I bought a few from the
store and harvested some of my own in the same stages (yellow
green). Sure enough, a sliver from mine was juicier and somewhat
milder than the 'newly imported' one from the market.
To myself, this is a real benefit,
but to someone else, it might be sign to replace seed on occasion.
Another is Luther Hill sweet corn.
I started planting it because it was reported to produce up to
4 small ears on a 4 foot stalk, bear early, and be generally disease
resistent. Luther Hill may have been the forerunner of the 'baby
corn' so popular today.
The seed I bought had none of these
qualities! It took well over 85 days to mature two semi-large
ears. I kept back the very first ears, however, trying to encourage
the early, smaller ear cycle. The last few harvests have looked
promising!
By keeping back the first of the ready
seed to replant, this trait was once again reinforced in the offspring
plant. I have a few stalks that make the traditional 3 - 4 ears
per stalk, and you can bet those will be my prime seed to save
for the next planting cycle.
Hopi Indians very commonly chose their
corn selection, based on what each individual family preferred.
One field might be more hard dent and the next might be a sweeter
corn, or a combination of several types, not only in the field,
but on each plant itself!
Note that corn is wind pollinated
and requires up to 1/4 mile between the different types if a true-to-type
seed is to be maintained.
Beans are another crop where an individual
gardener can show off specific tastes. Many traditional Italian
gardens are maintained, using the true Romano beans that Grandma
brought from Italy years ago.
I ran across one problem with using
hybrids several years ago when I planted a national variety called
Gator Green snap bean. I had several acres of truck crop, so once
planted, it didn't get a lot of attention. These beans grew and
produced like crazy, and I knew I wanted to use them the next
season also. I looked through the catalog from the company I purchased
these beans, and they were missing from the next year offering.
I looked elsewhere, but no one carried them any more. One explanation
was that 'Gator Green' was for a specific (Florida) market, and
they were pulled from the shelves in favor of another one with
less regional appeal. If these had been open pollinated, they'd
still be used today, at least in my garden!
Tomatoes, also, can run the rainbow
of reds, pinks, maroon, sunburst yellow, to black or even white
fruit, when you select open pollinated or heirloom varieties.
Since these tomatoes are designed for the home garden and not
for shipping or long-term storage, the taste is incredible, also.
What about Baby White Tiger eggplant
if you enjoy the crunchy seeds and thin skins for salads? Or those
gorgeous globular Rosa Bianca lavender eggplants that are equally
as striking? Many heirloom eggplants of Turkish heritage are red
hued and strong flavored, perfect to hold up to heavy spices of
those dishes.
If you are a gardener, tired of the
choices offered to you every Spring, try some of the seeds our
ancestors once grew, or get exotic with European and Oriental
imports. The selections are limitless when you start looking at
growing your gardens from seed.
Seeds
Of Change:
This is one company I strongly support. All seeds are organically
grown, many or most are open pollinated so you can save your own
seed from your harvests, and the catalog is wonderfully informative.
Text
and images copyright 1998 Martha
Wells
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