Telling difference between GMO, Non-GMO, and Heirloom vegetable seeds - Ask Extension
I want to plant some vegetables starting from seed this year. I've been to a few places and looked at seeds but I'm having difficulty knowing what to ...
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Telling difference between GMO, Non-GMO, and Heirloom vegetable seeds #859569
Asked February 21, 2024, 12:57 PM EST
I want to plant some vegetables starting from seed this year. I've been to a few places and looked at seeds but I'm having difficulty knowing what to buy. My husband says that if it isn't labeled as Heirloom seeds, the fruit/veg produced seeds won't be what they should be. I hope I'm saying that correctly. Some seeds are labeleled very small that they are Non-Gmo and I saw a very few labeled as heirloom. I would very much like a definition of the three terms and whether or not the seeds from them can be planted the next year and be the same plant. Basically, if I grow tomatos and keep the seeds from what i grow, will those seeds produce the same tomato they came from?
Thank you for your help.
Betty Dunbar
Marion County Oregon
Expert Response
Dear Betty,
Thank you for contacting us about seeds. It is highly unlikely you will encounter GMO seeds unless you try to save your own from certain store-bought vegetables like corn. GMO seeds are sold only to commercial growers and they are contractually prohibited from propagating, selling, or trading those seeds. GMO seeds are developed only in laboratories so they are very expensive. Usually they are crops that not grown by home gardeners (ie. wheat, soy, etc.)
Your husband has the right idea but his details are inaccurate. Among the seeds available to home gardeners, there are open-pollinated (ie. heirloom seeds) and hybrid seeds which are a cross between different species of the same genus.) This differs from GMO seed where the actual genes of a species are modified by laboratories.
The fruit of hybrid seeds often do not reliably produce a plant of like kind. The offspring may take features of one or both parents or can be unlike either of them. This is one pitfall of trying to grow seeds of commercially-grown foods from the grocery store.
Heirloom species, also called legacy seeds, are the result of selection over several plant generations. There is no fixed time period, but the term heirloom generally applies to varieties that have been grown for decades or more. This is how many of our long-established varieties have been developed by gardeners. Each successive crop has been sorted and chosen for particular traits such as sweetness, disease resistance, unusual color, or cold hardiness. Eventually, the seeds will reliably exhibit the desired characteristics. It's a natural process except the grower, not nature, is doing the selection. There is some evidence indicating that seeds grown in a particular location over time become better adapted to those growing conditions.
Both open-pollinated and hybrid seeds may be produced organically or with conventional fertilizers and pesticides. It is important to note that even organically grown crops may use chemicals, but they are more restricted as to what types of chemicals are used.
Both conventionally grown seeds and hybrid varieties are considered safe by the USDA. Choosing them is a matter of personal preference.
I hope this information is helpful. Feel free to write again if you have other questions. Happy gardening!
Thank you for contacting us about seeds. It is highly unlikely you will encounter GMO seeds unless you try to save your own from certain store-bought vegetables like corn. GMO seeds are sold only to commercial growers and they are contractually prohibited from propagating, selling, or trading those seeds. GMO seeds are developed only in laboratories so they are very expensive. Usually they are crops that not grown by home gardeners (ie. wheat, soy, etc.)
Your husband has the right idea but his details are inaccurate. Among the seeds available to home gardeners, there are open-pollinated (ie. heirloom seeds) and hybrid seeds which are a cross between different species of the same genus.) This differs from GMO seed where the actual genes of a species are modified by laboratories.
The fruit of hybrid seeds often do not reliably produce a plant of like kind. The offspring may take features of one or both parents or can be unlike either of them. This is one pitfall of trying to grow seeds of commercially-grown foods from the grocery store.
Heirloom species, also called legacy seeds, are the result of selection over several plant generations. There is no fixed time period, but the term heirloom generally applies to varieties that have been grown for decades or more. This is how many of our long-established varieties have been developed by gardeners. Each successive crop has been sorted and chosen for particular traits such as sweetness, disease resistance, unusual color, or cold hardiness. Eventually, the seeds will reliably exhibit the desired characteristics. It's a natural process except the grower, not nature, is doing the selection. There is some evidence indicating that seeds grown in a particular location over time become better adapted to those growing conditions.
Both open-pollinated and hybrid seeds may be produced organically or with conventional fertilizers and pesticides. It is important to note that even organically grown crops may use chemicals, but they are more restricted as to what types of chemicals are used.
Both conventionally grown seeds and hybrid varieties are considered safe by the USDA. Choosing them is a matter of personal preference.
I hope this information is helpful. Feel free to write again if you have other questions. Happy gardening!
