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Not everyone agrees on what an heirloom seed (variety) is. Some define an heirloom is one that has been grown for a certain number of years or since a certain year. Others define an heirloom as one that has been handed down from one family member to another for many generations. Another classification of heirlooms is "commercial heirlooms," those that were introduced many years ago and have been saved and handed down even if the company that sold them dropped them or went out of business.
Though not all agree on exactly what am heirloom is, most agree that heirloom varieties must be open-pollinated. Open-pollinated seeds can be saved from the current year's plants to be grown the next year.
Hybrid varieties which are created using conventional breeding techniques of crossing one plant of a species with another of the same species (a tomato with a tomato, for example) can be heirlooms if they have stabilized (produce true to the plant the seeds were saved from) and are open-pollinated.
One type of seed that is never classified as an heirloom is a genetically-modified variety. Genetic modification uses non-conventional breeding techniques, most often to inject a particular trait of one species into another (a trait from a fish into a tomato, for example). GM seeds are patented by the companies that create them and the companies protect the patents with vigor.
A word about patenting seeds: Some believe seeds that companies create using conventional breeding methods which result in hybrid varieties can be patented. Not so! Though companies attempted to patent hybrids, patents were denied. Only when GM plants started being produced did that change and only GM plants can be patented today.
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Can GMO seeds be heirloom seeds which you can plant over and over again?
No, GMO seeds cannot be heirloom seeds, and they cannot be saved from year to year to plant the following year. There are a few reasons for this: GMO seeds are transgenic (meaning a gene has been removed from one organism and inserted into another in a lab) and heirloom seeds are not transgenic, GMO seeds are patented and saving them from year to year is a violation of that patent whereas heirloom seeds can be saved for planting the following year, heirloom seeds have been grown for decades, often longer and GMO seeds were introduced fairly recently (1996 was the first commercially planted GMO crop).
Where can one purchase heirloom tomato seeds?
Heirloom tomato seeds can be purchased from several different places. Some of these include Amazon, Tomato Fest, Territorial Seed Company, and Burpee Gardening.
Where can you buy cushaw squash seeds?
Try Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds. I know they have it. Seed Savers Exchange probably has the seeds too.
Are organic seeds heirloom?
Organic and heirloom are two different classifications. Seeds are classified as organic if their mother plant was grown without the use of any chemicals. This would include products that would have been put on the soil. An heirloom seed is from a variety that has been around over 70 years.
What are the release dates for Farmers Almanac TV - 2006 Heirloom Seeds Tractor Restoration 1-9?
Farmers Almanac TV - 2006 Heirloom Seeds Tractor Restoration 1-9 was released on: USA: 1 September 2006
Can you plant mr stripey tomatoes from previous years seeds?
Yes. Mr. Stripey is an heirloom tomato, so the seeds can be used to plant the next year.
How do you make a sentence with heirloom?
I will treasure the heirloom. An heirloom is a familial treasure.
Should you use heirloom tomatoes Roma tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine to produce the least seeds for making a seedless tomato sauce?
The 'Roma' tomato is not an heirloom. It is however an open pollinated, so it is somewhat like an heirloom, just not old enough to fit the category. 'Roma' is a very good tomato for sauces as is the 'Amish Paste' heirloom tomato. Both of them have very little seed and meaty flesh which is what you want for doing up tomato sauces and salsa.
How do you spell heirloom?
The correct spelling is 'heirloom'.
Why should you not throw away seeds of a useful plant?
You should share your seeds with other gardeners if you have no other use for them. There are groups that save heirloom seeds because if we become to dependent on only one type of plant, we risk a blight or virus wiping out a plant species.
When was The Heirloom Mystery created?
The Heirloom Mystery was created in 1937.
When was The Heirloom created?
The Heirloom was created on 2005-09-16.
