Oro-Medonte Horticultural Society Updates

by Suzana Wilmot

Tiny Seeds, Big Personalities

Plant seeds are amazing – they come in all kinds of intricate shapes and sizes and grow into beautiful plants and delicious vegetables that bring fresh goodness to our meals. But are all seeds the same? This winter, as you browse through seed catalogues, you will notice terms like open-pollinated, hybrid, heirloom, or organic, among others. Understanding these terms can give you a bit of extra insight into the seeds you are considering for your garden.

Open-Pollinated

A few years ago, I purchased some Black Prince snapdragon seeds. I planted them, saved the seeds, and they come back every summer, just as beautiful and steadfast as that first year.

That’s what’s special about open-pollinated seeds. They’re pollinated naturally, by bees, wind, or other plants of the same variety, so when you save their seeds, you get plants that are just like the parents. There are no surprises. Over time, open-pollinated plants even start to adapt to your own backyard, to the soil, weather, and even your way of watering.

They may not always give the biggest blooms or produce the largest harvests, but they offer the traditional, reliable cycle of planting, harvesting, saving, and starting again. If you wish to save the seeds and plant them again next year without buying new packets every spring, this is the type of seed to use.

Hybrid

I must admit that some of the best bloomers come from hybrid seeds. They don’t mind the heat, barely catch a disease, and keep blooming their hearts out long after other plants have given up. They are simply stunning. I’ve grown a few hybrids and have never received more questions from passersby about what type of plant was growing in my garden. Hybrids never fail to make an impression!

Hybrid seeds are created by crossing two different, but related, plants to bring out the best traits of both. You might get better disease resistance, bigger blooms, higher vegetable yields, or more uniform fruit. They’re not genetically modified; instead, they’re made through the careful cross-breeding of selected species, a process that involves a lot of planning, care and time.

The one downside to this type of seed is that the next generation won’t be the same. If they germinate at all, you might get a mix of odd flower shapes and fruit flavours; in other words, they don’t ‘breed true.’ So, if you like growing hybrids and enjoying what they add to your garden, it’s best to buy fresh seed each year. But hybrids will certainly give you reliability and performance. They are stunners!

Heirloom

Each heirloom seed comes with a story. They’re open-pollinated varieties that have been passed down through generations, often linked to a particular place or a person. Some of these varieties are over a hundred years old, and when you plant them, you’re keeping the work of those who gardened before you alive.

Heirlooms come in wild colours and shapes (like striped tomatoes or white carrots), and they taste like real, delicious food. They might not all grow perfectly, but that’s part of their charm. They don’t need to. They are super tasty and carry a bit of history.

Organic, Treated, and Pelleted

If you garden organically, organic seeds are something you’re looking for. They’re grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, and come from farms that care about healthy soil and biodiversity. The production of organic seeds is highly regulated, and it’s not easy to get such a designation.

Unlike organic seeds, treated seeds are coated with a chemical to help protect them from disease or rot when they’re first planted. Clearly, while they offer benefits of their own, they’re not allowed in organic gardens.

Some tiny seeds, like lettuce or carrots, are often pelleted, which means they’re coated in a thin layer of clay. This makes them bigger and easier to plant, especially if you have trouble handling small seeds. They’re more expensive, but they can make sowing neat, even rows, much easier. If you’ve ever dropped a hundred seeds in one spot, while another spot ended up bare, you understand the benefit of pelleted seeds. It’s also best to buy them fresh every year, as their germination declines quickly due to the coating.

Which One is the Best?

Well, there’s no one single ‘best’ type. If you like saving seeds and watching your plants adapt over time, go for open-pollinated or heirloom varieties. If you want dependable, high-producing plants that perform well in harsher conditions, hybrids are likely your best bet. And if you care about growing clean and sustainably, organic seeds are worth the investment. Treated and pelleted seeds serve a specific purpose – they just might be your cup of tea.

Consider trying all of them to see which ones grow well in your soil and in the conditions your garden provides. Each type of seed has its own gifts to offer, and there’s nothing quite like discovering this firsthand. You might be surprised at the results! After all, gardening is about discovering what works best in your space and what you enjoy most.

So, plant a seed and let it surprise you!

Celebrate your love of gardening with an Oro-Medonte Horticultural Society membership or delight a special gardener in your life by gifting one. Single Memberships are $15, and Family Memberships (two people) are $20. You can purchase memberships at www.oromedontehorticulturalsociety.ca.

Our next meeting will take place on Monday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m via Zoom. Our speaker will be Baz Conlin from Haliburton Micromeadows.

Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a very Merry Christmas from all of us at the Oro-Medonte Horticultural Society.