Heirloom vs. Hybrid and GMO…What’s the difference? And why should I care?

It’s hard to believe that it’s that time of year again…when I peek into the mailbox, there sits yet another seed catalog!  As the seed catalogs arrive in the mail, it reminds gardeners that the planting season lurks on the lighter side of the winter solstice.  For gardeners, this is an exciting time of year as the catalogs provide us with some of our favorite reading material.  Seeds are a tricky thing in that there are so many types and varieties and colors and shapes and, ahhhh, but it’s so much fun to figure it out.  The most important thing to consider when ordering seeds is the source.

I last wrote about purchasing seed in January 2010.  Since it’s been two years, and though in those two years words like heirloom and genetically modified have become much more mainstream, even Willie Nelson makes a call for us to Occupy the Food System.  If you are not familiar with the terms heirloom, hybrid, GMO or GEO, here is some information for you because not all seeds are created equally.

Heirloom vs. hybrid and GMO…what’s the difference?  And why should I care?

Vegetables from hybrid seed have some benefits like disease resistance, greater productivity, and a more uniform fruit.  Hybrid seeds are hand pollinated, patented and often sterile.  Hybrid seeds are bred, like horses, for characteristics to produce a bigger and better vegetable.  You can try to save the seed, but you are not guaranteed the same qualities of the vegetable you saved it from. Because they are bred for certain qualities between  different varieties, they usually show unpredictable characteristics in their offspring (if they weren’t bred to be sterile).

GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) or GEO (Genetically Engineered Organism) seeds have been genetically altered using DNA molecules from different sources (sometimes animal) to create a “super seed” or “Franken seed” as some call it.  GMO seeds are patented by companies like Monsanto, Dow, DuPont, Sygenta and Bayer.  Monsanto corn’s DNA has been altered to include Roundup,  YieldGuard corn borer and YieldGuard rootworm insect control.  GMO seeds promise things like better pest resistance, herbicide tolerance, disease resistance, cold tolerance, drought tolerance, salinity tolerance, added nutrition, and pharmaceutical vegetables (Yes, you read that right!  Researchers are working to develop edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes. These “vaccines” will be much easier to ship, store and administer than traditional vaccines.)

These Franken plants pollinate.  Their pollen travels in the wind and is carried by our friends, the bees, as much as any other pollinating plant. Many are concerned that the “Franken pollen” will contaminate other non-GMO vegetables and threaten the purity of seeds.  Claire Hope Cummings at Natural Awakenings writes: “Genetic engineering…takes DNA from one organism and combines it with DNA from another organism. It does what nature avoids, crossing the natural boundaries between species. GMOs are new, living organisms, capable of spreading, reproducing and recombining. Their presence is invisible and irreversible.”

 Other criticisms and concerns of hybrid and GMO seed:  harm to other organisms like beneficial insects; reduced effectiveness of pesticides; resistant bacteria; reduced effectiveness of herbicides creating “super” weeds; increased human food allergies; unknown effects on human health like cancers and tumors; and economic dependency since GMO and hybrid seeds don’t assure the same quality fruit or vegetable as the original seed.

Heirloom seeds are passed from generation to generation and are always open-pollinated naturally by the wind and friendly little insects like bees; not in a lab or greenhouse by machine or hand.  When saved properly, you are guaranteed the same variety year after year.  Many times, but not always, there is a history behind the variety…a story from where it came from and how old it is.  Not only are Heirlooms pure and offer more variety,  they also have better flavor.

Buy buying heirloom seeds (or seedlings started with heirloom seeds), you assure your sustainability by being able to save seeds that will produce the same crop year after year.  With heirloom you can enjoy and eat something a grandparent or an ancestor grew and ate.  (If you buy seedlings, ASK  if the plants come from heirloom seed.)

GMO and hybrid seeds are not labeled as such. There is no law requiring companies to do this.  Be sure that the seeds you buy are labeled heirloom or heritage.  You may even check to see if the company has signed or professed the safe seed pledge:

“Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.  The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families or kingdoms, poses great biological risks as well as economic, political, and cultural threats. We feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release. More research and testing is necessary to further assess the potential risks of genetically engineered seeds. Further, we wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and ultimately people and communities.”

Some companies that declare the safe seed pledge are:  Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Terroir Seeds (Underwood Gardens), John Scheeper’s Kitchen Garden Seeds, Victory Seeds and Amishland Heirloom Seeds.  This is by no means a complete list of heirloom and heritage seed suppliers.  For a more detailed list visit Garden of Eatin’: How to Avoid GMO/Monsanto.

Many seed companies carry heirloom seeds.  Some catalogs don’t tell you much about their seeds.  They may have heirloom varieties, but you have to read each description carefully to ensure that heirloom is what you’re buying.

If you are putting together your first garden and want to start everything from seed, the catalogs seem intimidating.  You may wonder, “What do I do?”  Here are a few tips:

Start with what you know.  What do you like to eat vegetable wise?  What are your favorites?  What do you like to cook?  Now stop.  Don’t read any farther until you answer the questions above.  Write down your answers.

If you completed the above task, you have a general idea of what you should grow.  If you are limited by space and time, pick three to five of your favorites and start there.

If you really like tomatoes, for example, you will notice that there are hundreds of varieties of tomatoes.  Don’t fret.  Maybe you really like orange varieties and dislike red ones.  By narrowing down what you like to eat, you can go directly to that section in the seed catalog.  (Baker Creek organizes their catalog in alphabetical order by vegetable then breaks down  larger categories into sub categories making it a very easy-to-read catalog.)

If you have never grown a garden from scratch, start small.  Next season, you can add variety once you feel more confident in your gardening and catalog reading skills.

Don’t make the mistake of ordering too much of one variety.  You won’t have  enough growing space and you won’t be able to expand your growing skills for other types of vegetables.  Pick no more than two varieties of the same vegetable.  That’s plenty for your first year and gives you something to look forward to growing and tasting next year.

Whether you choose to start your vegetables this year from seed or if you choose to buy seedlings please choose heirloom.  Your buying power shows corporate industrial agriculture that we want to preserve our heritage and history, as well as our right to save seeds.

**UPDATE**
Forewarned is Forearmed: Veggies Owned by Monsanto by Kevin Lee Jacobs; A Garden for the House.