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RE: Heirloom Seeds Part 1: The Importance of Seed Saving & How to Select The Best Seeds
Hey! I noticed you didn't mention F1 seeds: how do you feel about them? Also, do you have any issues in Canada with seeds being purportedly heritage, but having been sterilised (for "hygiene" purposes I guess)? Now I'm off to read the rest of your series...
I only deal with small seed nurseries and we share the same values so I've never encountered such a problem. I suppose anything from a big box store could have issues of that nature, especially if the seeds have been imported from other countries but I am not aware of any issues like that, I am quite behind on the news and such. We are really lucky in Canada to have a grass roots movement of small scale heirloom seed cultivators all over the country. There's a lot of pride and love behind these businesses so that's who I support.
Your F1 question is a good one. Do you think I over simplified my explanations? Adding that next tier of F1 seeds & naturally wild crossed seeds .... seemed overly complicated for a beginners guide. Do you think I did people a disservice by not breaking it down even more?
A disservice? No, not at all! But the more I look into seeds, the more complicated it seems to get. I really do think that unless you personally know the seed grower (or somebody honest who does), the chances are that something unnatural has been done to the seeds at some point. And, considering how deeply many people feel about their food and seeds (thank goodness, too!), it seems a shame that so many of them are in a way being fooled... I really envy you in Canada and my friends in France where it is still possible to get pure seed, but I think the situation here in Japan is unfortunately probably more typical. Anyway, you don't need to go into the details: maybe just pointing out that if there is a number at the end of a seed variety's name, it's probably not for serious growers. Either way, you're doing a great job and I look forward to the next installments!