Hybrid seeds
Hybrid seeds are seeds produced by crossing two (or more) parents of the same species but different varieties. Unlike open pollinated and heirloom seeds, seeds from a hybrid plant will not come back true to the parent type. Seeds from a Hybrid plant are viable but you will get at least three different varieties from that seed.
Hybrid seeds that you buy will grow up to be the type plant advertised on the seed packet, it is the offspring of a hybrid seed that will not come back true to type.
To produce hybrid seeds, plants are crossed with another to achieve the benefits of both families.
For example:
Family a is disease resistant.
Family b is tolerant to drought.
Cross pollinate a and b and you have a plant that might be disease and drought tolerant.
Organic seeds
Organic seeds are grown on organic farms and cannot be treated or GMO. They can be either Open pollinated or hybrid. The plants from which these seeds are derived have never been in contact with any man made herbicide, pesticide or fertilizer whether through direct application or animal waste. The seeds are from those plants that have never been treated with any chemical or hormone to help prevent disease or promote growth.
Containers for seeds
You can grow the seeds in any type of container.
Some of the different types of containers for planting seeds are
- peat pots
- little peat disks that expand with water
- plastic trays with individual wells
- separate plastic pots,
- recycled applesauce/fruit/yogurt cups
- a cardboard shoebox: line a box with tinfoil, extending it all the way up the sides; fill 1/3-1/2 with soil; plant seeds in rows; cover entire thing with clear cling wrap.
Sprouting mix
Temperature, sprouting mix, sunlight, and moisture are some of the factors that need to be considered before planting seeds.
Some people advise a sterile soil less mixture for starting seeds, and others say a soil made for containers. You want the mix to be free of weeds and heavy material like clays (one of the reasons not to use soil from the yard).
The different mixes have additives to help retain moisture, increase germination, and so forth. If you plan on starting seeds of plants that will be indoor plants or stay in containers, definitely use a container mix soil. It is advisable to stay away from regular soil mixes that have fertilizers in them (unless specifically manufactured for starting seeds) as the fertilizers can burn out the seeds.
Considerations while planting seeds
When starting planting seeds, there are a variety of things to consider. You may want to start with “fresh” seeds, seeds that were marked for the current year. A few types will start reliably after a couple of years, but many will not last longer than one season, so just be on the safe side and start fresh ones.
Second, see if there is a germination rate printed on the package, or if your source of the seeds knows what it is. There are germination standards in place, that is seeds can’t be sold if less than X% of the seeds germinate in standard conditions, but there can be some variability. For heirloom seeds, these numbers were very close to that low mark, so buyers were advised to sow the seeds thickly (sow more than you usually would to ensure some sprouting).
Germinating seeds
Some people prefer to germinate seeds using a paper towel. The procedure is as follows:
- Damp paper towel
- sprinkle on a few seeds
- place towel in plastic zip-type bag, place in sunny window
- When they sprout carefully tear the towel and place seedling on good potting soil.
- You can cover the pot with saran wrap or put it in a zip bag, creating a mini green house.
- When you have 3-4 sets of mature leaves, harden off, and plant outside.
Planting seeds
Procedure for planting seeds
- Fill a seed tray with seed compost
- Sprinkle the seeds evenly over the surface
- Sprinkle a thin layer of compost, just to cover the seeds (or follow whatever the instructions on the packet containing the seeds)
- Water evenly and carefully with a fine-rose watering can
- Keep in an illuminated warm place (keeping just damp) until germinated.
- As soon as seeds are ‘handle-able’ transplant them, either to pots or outside – depending on what seeds they are.
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