The Difference In Types of Seeds: GMO, Hybrid & Heirloom

Today, there is a lot of concern about where our food comes from. How can we feel confident, even when we plant our own gardens, with so many people shouting terms like GMO, hybrid, F1 hybrid, organic, open-pollinated, and heirloom vegetable seeds?

Selecting seeds for the garden can feel overwhelming! How do you know which ones are best, what is the difference, and why does it matter? In this blog post, I will explain the types of seeds to shed some light and hopefully ease your worries so you can use seeds and eat garden produce with confidence!

The Need For Seed

Whether you’ve grown a garden before, have been dreaming about different types of gardens, have been planning a garden, or are starting a garden for the first time this year, you need seeds! And you’ve come to the right place.

We have over 750 varieties of high-quality flower, herb, and vegetable seeds, seed potatoes, garlic bulbs, flower bulbs, dormant plants, gardening supplies, and other great merchandise for you to choose from. Plus, MIgardener videos and blog posts are a wealth of information to help seasoned gardeners and beginners alike succeed in growing from seed.

Types of Seeds

Before you start seed shopping, you need to understand the main seed types categorized by origin: GMO, hybrid, open-pollinated, and heirloom. I will explain what each one is while answering these most common questions about types of seeds:

GMO Seed: What’s The Big Deal

GMO stands for genetically modified organisms; you may also see the term genetically engineered (GE) or bioengineered (BE). Genetically modified seeds are a hot topic, especially regarding whether they are safe for consumption.

To create a genetically engineered seed, genes from another plant or animal are usually injected into it to give it desired traits, such as enhanced frost tolerance or resistance to herbicides. Some people are concerned that these foreign genes could be harmful to the people and animals that consume them.

Many assume GMO seeds are sold anywhere and everywhere, but this could not be further from the truth. Genetically modified seeds are only ever sold to large commercial farmers and they are never sold to small home gardeners. GMO seed manufacturers focus on cash crops like soybeans, sugar beets, cotton, and corn.

Anyone concerned about accidentally getting GMO seeds when shopping at a seed retailer has nothing to worry about. You can, however, purchase genetically modified produce and food products from a grocery store.

The USDA requires sellers to label GMO foods. To identify them, look for labels that say “BE” or “bioengineered.” To avoid GMOs, look for labels like “Certified Organic” or “Non-GMO Verified.”

What Are Heirlooms and Open-Pollinated Varieties

Heirloom vegetable seeds are open-pollinated varieties with a long history of being passed down from generation to generation. While all heirlooms are open-pollinated, not all open-pollinated plants are heirlooms. (Open-pollinated means that plants are pollinated through natural means, like the action of pollinators, self-pollination, or wind.)

When seeds are grown to maturity year after year and prevented from cross-pollinating to preserve the genetics, the variety will eventually stabilize. Once a variety has been stabilized and can produce the same fruit every time, it can be considered an heirloom.

Heirlooms are reliable because they have been grown for so many years. Their yields, growth habits, disease resistance, and other characteristics can be assessed to reliably predict what to expect when the crop is grown.

Heirlooms are the most desirable, and you can save seeds from them. At MIgardener, we are committed to preserving heirloom heritage and biodiversity!

Are Hybrids Good or Bad

Hybrid is another term thrown around, especially by home gardeners and strict heirloom growers. Hybrids receive a lot of criticism because they are mistakenly believed to be genetically modified when they are actually not.

A hybrid is a plant whose parents are different varieties of the same species. Hybrids can occur naturally when two heirloom plants of differing varieties cross-pollinate to create a new variety. They are also created intentionally by plant breeders in hopes that the offspring will have good traits from both parent varieties.

If we took a red hot pepper and pollinated it with a yellow sweet pepper, the hybrid (offspring) might be a red sweet pepper. If you think about it, every heirloom variety you grow was, at one point, a hybrid!

The frustration with hybrids is that they like to revert back to their parent types. A hybrid isn't useful for seed savers and people trying to preserve genetic biodiversity because saved seeds from hybrids will have unpredictable results. Hybrids are safe, though and should not get the flak they do from gardeners!

What About Organic Seed

The highly sought-after "organic seed" is more of a marketing ploy than anything else. I hate to say it, but it is true.

Most seeds are cultivated organically since the seed farmer does not care about the aesthetics of the fruit but rather the seeds inside. Many seeds do not have the organic label simply because farmers do not have the money to pay an organization like the USDA to certify their seeds as organic.

From a genetics standpoint, organic is better because the plant that has to fend off pests naturally without the aid of pesticides (except potentially organic pesticides) will indeed be stronger, more resilient, and better suited to grow in adverse conditions. But is it worth the 30%-75% premium? You be the judge.

If you are concerned about harmful chemicals in your food, as most are these days (me included), you have to approach it with some thought. The amount of chemicals that could be contained in a seed is very minuscule, so the amount transferred to the plant or fruit you will eat is even more infinitesimal.

I wouldn’t lose too much sleep over buying organic vs. non-organic seeds because organic seeds are just as safe from a health standpoint as inorganic seeds. The more important health safety factor is your growing practices. I strongly encourage you to grow organically in your home garden!