Organic Gardens Call for Organic Garden Seeds

There are several reasons for starting an organic garden. You may want to grow just enough food for yourself. You may want to grow food to share. You might intend to sell Organic Vegetables locally at the farmer’s market. Whatever you reason, though, you will need seeds. You will need organic garden seeds.

Organic garden seeds are especially necessary if you will be selling any of your vegetables. In order to get the USDA organic certification, all produce must be raised from organic garden seeds. Such seeds are grown just as you will grow your organic garden – without chemicals or synthetic products.

Who Cares?

Some gardeners shrug their shoulders at the idea of organic garden seeds. Who cares? As long as I grow the plants organically, it shouldn’t matter whether the seeds are organic.

But it does matter. Pesticides and chemical fertilizers can alter the seeds’ DNA. The seeds may not germinate well, and may not produce well. In addition, you will be growing chemically altered plants.

All organic garden seeds should be certified GMO free. That means they are free of genetically-modified organisms. A genetically modified organism (GMO) is a plant, animal, or microorganism that is created by means that overcome natural boundaries. To create a GMA, species that could never cross in nature are crossed by humans. For example, strawberries have been crossed with fish.

Hybrids and Non-Hybrids

Organic garden seeds may be purchased in hybrid or non-hybrid varieties. Both are certified organic garden seed, but there are differences.

* Hybrids: Hybridized varieties of plants are created by cross-pollinating two different plant species by hand. Hybridization is done to produce specific, desirable characteristics in plants. Vegetables and fruits grown from hybrid organic garden seed may be larger, juicier, more colorful, and so on. One problem with hybrid organic garden seed, however, is that you will not be able to save seeds for next year’s garden. The results will be unpredictable, and you may get plants that produce odd fruits and vegetables. Another problem with hybrid organic garden seed is that its use is causing non-hybrid organic garden seed – the genetic stock - to be lost.

* Non-hybrids: Non-hybrid organic garden seed is also known as “heritage” organic garden seed. These organically grown seeds come from old, non-hybridized varieties of plants. If you use non-hybrid organic garden seeds, and save seeds from your plants, you can use those seeds confidently the following year. There should be no change in the plants produced from them.

Your Choice

Ultimately, the choice as to whether to use hybrid organic garden seed or non-hybrid organic garden seed is yours. Many gardeners say the vegetables grown from heritage organic garden seeds have more flavor than those grown from hybrid seeds. Many use heritage organic garden seeds so that they can help save those plants from extinction. They join a seed-saver group. They may trade or sell heritage organic garden seeds.

Main Street Seed & Supply

We recommend Main Street Seed & Supply for certified organic garden seeds. We review Main Street on this website, and provide a convenient link so that you can go there directly. Click here to read our review, or go to the top of this page and click the blue button labeled “Organic Seeds“.