Seeds

Seeds are seeds--right? Not in today's world. Nature will naturally cross two or more corn plants, or two or more melon plants, and create a new corn or melon; but corn will not cross with melons. Scientists have cross-bred plants of two parents (ie-two corn, or two melons) to create a unique, super wonderful offspring, that has taste, color or growing patterns that are superior to either of the parents and are called hybrids [genetically they can cross corn with melons]. When you plant hybrid seeds, you get the exact plant that you expect. If you keep seed from the offspring and plant them the next year, the plants will revert back to one of the parent plants, and is not something you would want. To help keep seed cost down, purchase "open-pollinated" or "heirloom" seeds, so that you will have plants that produce seeds that you can use the following year. These seeds grow true to the parent plants (which is what you want). Heirloom seeds have been grown and used for at least 50 years, and with some going back 100 or more years. I grow Summerfelt beans that are descendents of seeds that were growing in Germany back in 1805! They are a tasty dry soup bean and still a strong grower. Besides that, Summerfelt is my father's mother's maiden name! So far I haven't made any connection of the bean to my specific family, but maybe someday!