THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE: Seeds, seeds! Open-pollinated? Heirloom?

The best plant sale ever on August 22 and 23 at Occidental Arts
& Ecology! Hours both days are 9 am to 5 pm, with free tours at
11 am and 1 pm. Fall/winter annual and perennial plants include
herbs, flowers, and their heirloom, organic, open-pollinated
vegetables. Don’t miss it! Call them at 874-1558 for more
information.
Speaking of open-pollinated and heirloom, what exactly do these
terms mean?
I recently visited with Theo Bill, who with his partner, John
Fendley (affectionately known as “Farmer John”), have in the last
year, started a seed company called Sustainable Seeds. We met at
the Russian River Vineyards where the two are partnering with the
vineyards to grow open-pollinated, heirloom and organic seeds. They
have over 150 varieties of tomatoes in the plot with species which
are adapted to our climate of cool foggy nights, cool soil, and
often cool summers.
We talked about the definitions of open-pollinated and heirloom
seeds. There is really no mystery about the terms, although there
is a mystique about them. Open-pollinated simply means that a seed
from an open-pollinated plant will breed true. It is pollinated by
natural means: the wind, as in corn; or by insects such as
honeybees, bumblebees, flies, or any other native pollinators.
A hybrid seed will not breed true. Hybrids, or F1 seeds, are
bred by the crossing of two plants, each with qualities that make
them attractive. An example is crossing a plant with
mold-resistance with a plant that is perhaps tall and aesthetically
pleasing. However, if you plant the seeds from that cross, the F1,
you will not get the same plant, but an ancestor of that plant.
Heirloom seeds are those that have been under cultivation for at
least fifty years, most likely many more. Heirloom seeds may come
from all over the world and are highly sought after by seed
companies. Seeds in general take several years of growing before a
seed becomes “stable,” meaning it has been breeding true for at
least twelve generations before it is offered to the public.
Seed companies that offer these types of seeds contract with
growers to supply them. A local vegetable grower told me that
growing vegetables is a whole different ball game from growing
seeds. The processes are very different, each of course, labor
intensive. Seed growers are responsible for cleaning the seeds from
the crop, drying them, storing them in cool, dry places, and making
them available to the seed company. The seed distributor receives
the seeds and packages them up for sale.
It is a competitive business. Large corporations own some of the
well-known companies. For instance, Seeds of Change is owned by
M&M/Mars. Johnny’s was rumored to be owned by Monsanto; it is
not, however, they do buy some seeds from Seminis Seeds, which is
owned by Monsanto. Territorial Seed Company in Oregon, Fedco Seeds
of Maine, and Seed Savers out of Iowa are other reputable seed
companies.
We are lucky here in Sonoma County to have several seed
companies that are locally owned. These include Bountiful Gardens
in Willits (bountifulgardens.org); The Natural Gardening Company in
Petaluma (naturalgardening.com); and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is
in Petaluma, although they are owned by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
of Missouri. We also have a fairly new company, The Sustainable
Seed Company (www.sustainableseedco.com), formerly of Monte Rio,
but in the process of moving its headquarters to Petaluma, where
they have several acres. There are plans to open a demo garden and
offer seed-saving seminars and other classes.
If you are interested in saving and growing your own seeds,
check out Suzanne Ashworth’s book, “Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and
Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners.” If you buy seeds from
any of the seed companies, and you want open-pollinated, heirloom
or organically grown seeds, ask the company exactly what you are
purchasing. Customer demand creates the market.
Do you know of any other seed companies in the
area?
Write me at: [email protected].