I actually have a Ph.D. in plant science and I approve of your quick overview of seeds. Just one extra thing, most GM plants are F1 hybrids that ensure you won't get the same plant if you saved seed each year. Also, I've been breeding/crossing my own tomatoes from heirloom varieties for years. If you want to give some a try, I can send some your way!
Ok, since you've got that Ph.D I have a question. Isn't selective breeding genetic modification since you're specifically choosing which expressed traits get passed on to the next generation? I remember reading online that selective breeding is a form of genetic modification, but the internet is dubious at times so I'd rather get a definitive answer from someone in the field.
That's awesome! I'm a cellular molecular microbial biologist, I just graduated and I am considering making my own hybrids too. Have you ever patented a hybrid? I'm semi intrested in create commercial varieties or better varieties for people who grow their own.
I've saved seeds from a hybrid cherry tomato. The plants that grew from those seeds produced tomatos that were bigger and oblong shaped instead of round like a cherry tomato. I'd figured this was due to cross polination from other tomatos in the garden, but your explanation about unstable hybrids makes sense too.
I think the easiest way to explain what hybrid and heirlooms are is basically what a cross between two pure bred dogs would looks like and then having that mut cross with an other one. If you cross say, a golden retriever with a poodle, you'll get a Golden doodle (hybrid). Keep crossing a golden with a poodle, you'll always get a golden doodle. Now, if you cross two golden doodles together, who knows what you will get! But, cross two poodles together, you'll get poodles! (heirlooms).
Massive respect for you with this video dude. I see a LOT of people saying that "natural" is inherently better. Or that GMO is as bad as nuclear waste (without providing any evidence). Life is not as simple as good and bad, why should we expect plants we've messed with for thousands of generations to be any different.
I did the organic versus conventional and had mixed results. The organic out performed conventional in the garden but in pots the conventional out performed the organic. Most of our planting is in the garden so organic it is but with yields I had last year I may have to go back to conventional because it was too much haha. Bought a squash plant from aldi's a few years ago and it had seedlings inside when we opened it so we planted it and had great results. We're now onto the 3rd generation of the squash and each year we have an abundance of squash. Needless to say we've mastered the different ways to cook with it.
Love all this seed talk...got my seeds, got my rack, got my trays, got my lights...just waiting for the right time to start my seeds...I don't wanna jump the gun and plant too early...exciting. Awesome video, lots of information Kevin, Thanks bud. Cheers, Chad from up in Ontario, Canada.
@@xianseah4847 The wild has no plants like what we farm. And even if there were wild stands of corn, soy or alfalfa they could only benefit from GMO DNA. If they got the resistance gene for glyphosate, it would not matter. Who randomly sprays weed killer in the wild? Nobody. Natural selection has never stopped working outside of farms.
I really appreciate you pointing out that none of these things are "bad" our need to assign moral values to things like foods and seeds causes so many issues! Great video, great info, as always!
Thanks for this video! As an ecologist I knew the definition of GMO and organic seeds (and you explained them well!) but I didn't know what the other terms meant. I am starting my second year of gardening soon and just purchased a bunch of heirloom seeds. Hopefully I'll grow more vegetables this year!
Perfect timing. I'm working on getting seeds together for the year and would like the option of saving seeds. I've done some research on this stuff, but was still a bit unsure. You've explained everything clearly. Appreciate it.
Just the other day I was researching this topic. You explained it great, in a simple and understandable way. A lot of people don't actually know that the history of modern genetics came from a friar in the 19th century experimenting with peas and observing what happened :D Back to the topic, I've noticed that smaller gardeners usually prefer heirloom and organic seeds, while big companies use hybrids for a bigger and better crop yield (at least in my country, as far as I know all the bigger corn plantations are all hybrids or gmo). Which for me makes sense: I want to save my seeds and be able to grow the same plants over and over again, because I grow things for myself. As for big companies and farms their livelihood depends on the crop yield - so they opt for hybrids or gmo to make sure they can get that required harvest.
I am 100% heirloom tomatoes all the way! I did grow 2 plants (of one hybrid) for its sheer production value.... to share with neighbors etc. But the flavor is soooo much better with the heirlooms... and I have never been able to be convinced otherwise...but I often get less fruit...
Keep in mind if you are raising two varieties of the same plant, proximity can affect them also You can raise two varieties of heirloom tomatoes in the same bed and some of the fruit will be from each of the varieties and some will become that F1 hybrid you were speaking of.
Your videos are getting addicting for me. All of these other garden youtubers do not have the humbleness you present with your MacGyver like ideas for using space. Keep growing my friend.
Very informative. In the hybrid point. I live at the coast and a lot of the vegetables I grow, come from inland. Some cant take a lot of water, so I buy the hybrid seeds that are “modified”, to be more water tolerant. I used to plant potatoes from potato sprouts from my store bought potatoes, and they would just rot in the ground coz they were always wet/damp. Coz the potato season is generally when we have rainy season at the coast. Now I have potatoes that doesn’t mind all the water and yields beautiful potatoes. BUT after the first season, I got what you explained about the plant reverting back to its original “version”. BUT I better understand the reason now. Thanks
I wish I had your explanations last year before putting in so much effort to come to you exact explanations of seed definitions. Would've save me hours of research. I agree whole heartedly on herluim definition. It's not the age of the breed but it's stability and ability to constantly reproduce traits generation after generation.
Excellent video Kevin. I teach 3rd graders a lot about gardening through a plethora of methods. Your video is a great source to support our studies. Thanks!
Open-pollinated is the thing to look for if you want to save your seeds. All Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated but not all open-pollinated seeds are heirloom.
@@BuddyCalyxed I don't know if you are still wandering about this but generally land races are a type of plant (race) that more naturally developed in a specific region (land).
My background is plant biotechnology and I think you did a nice overview. I enjoy heirlooms myself due to seed saving ease. But people have been hybridizing plants for a lot longer than a hundred years. What the F1 hybrid seeds do is generally give you a more vigorous plant (hybrid vigor) with disease resistance, size, flavor etc. This is because the seed companies will have two strains that are set like an heirloom (inbred lines) that they cross together to make the seeds you buy. But you can't remake those strains by saving the seeds of the plants you grew from the F1 seeds. I garden to be more self sufficient so as tempting as it is to go for those higher yields with F1s, I try to go with varieties I can preserve myself. I did save seed from one of my favorite F1 tomatoes that I have had trouble finding the last few years. And most of the plants were really good, but one produced super hollow tomatoes. Hoping I can contine to select good specimens from that cross. As far as organic, I'm not sure I agree with your logic. A conventional seed might be healthier since it came from a healthier plant. But I doubt it matters a lot one way or the other. Organic is just a bit expensive and unnecessary in my book. Very true about GMO seeds, most of them are simply not available for a home gardener. I would love to grow a Bt zucchini so I could be done with squash borers, alas it doesn't exist. ;)
Well am 16 now. And i started gardening last year. We had a good produce of spinach ; coriander ; tomato ; pumkin ; gourd ; bitter gourd ; potato . But the most we had are 3 local variety of chillis which overflowed. So we sold like around 5kgs and made a few chilli pickles. It was fun all thanks to your videos :)
Hi! Kevin i love your explanation on the topic of about seeds. I prefer to used organic heirlooms and organic seeds. My passion is gardening so been doing it a long time. My grandparents and my parents are a farmer they saved seeds for their future used. This practiced are passed on from generation to generation. I am almost 70 yrs. old and living here in states. I would think those seeds are heirlooms. So I too practiced the same as they do for the goodness of my family. Thank you for sharing.👍Happy Gardening!
Omg 😆 I absolutely love the way you approached the organic and non organic topic that was the best explanation I’ve ever heard. As always you hit it out of the park. I hope this helps a lot of people see how that whole system works.
Wow, this is the first time I've ever heard anyone explain the differences there. That was remarkably helpful. And thank you for emphasizing the science behind it vs the fears.
I appreciate your knowledge of GMO and organic labels. The information on both is accurate and clear. It's not often that someone is able or willing to explain them with accuracy and an unbiased viewpoint. There are some GMO varieties of "roundup ready" sweetcorn sold to home gardeners, but they are very expensive! thanks for the great video.
When it comes to organic v. regular seed my viewpoint is simple: if you are going to use synthetic plant food, don't spend the extra money on certified organic. Once you use synthetic stuff on it, it will no longer be organic so why waste the money. Now, if it is to support a small business, go for it! Edit: about heirlooms, if you have a bit of extra space and patience, get some heirlooms that are a zone off or two from yours and try to get fruit from it. I got a tomato heirloom variety that grows awful in zone 11b, but I got ONE tomato plant to fruit and got tons of seeds from that one plant. Now I have 7 tomato plants from that variety growing and fruiting! I also did the same with a heirloom eggplant and now I got 17 plants growing! It took me two years to get that eggplant, but that one eggplant gave me hundreds of seeds and now they are perfect! Thanks for sharing!
I don't know much about gardening, I've grown some things but I've bought a few heirloom types to eat and grow - carrots, ornamental corn, brandywine tomatoes. When you reuse the seed do you just use the eggplant and save the seeds? What variety would you recommend?
@@emc7056 you have to allow the eggplant to ripen. At that point, it is not really edible. Just leave one on the vine - the prettiest one - and allow it to turn fully yellow. Once yellow, you can harvest the seeds. The eggplant will be pretty dry inside (I allow it to "prune" a bit on the vine before collecting the seed) and the seeds come off fairly quickly. I live in the tropics and can dry the seeds outside all year long, but I have heard of using the oven on the lowest setting with the oven door cracked a bit to dry the seed before saving it. The only problem with that method is that you might end up overdoing it and cook your seeds. A dry warm place is the best place to dry them, but don't forget to bring them inside, critters love seeds...
I like the idea of an heirloom that I let evolve to work best in my location, and just keep saving the seeds from. That just seems like it would make my life easier. 😄
So true about GMO but also need to take into consideration that sometimes the packets we buy can be "contaminated" by GMO and that would affect us if we were saving our own seeds at the end of that growing season. I had gotten beet seeds from baker creek and they contacted me saying their sugar beet seeds tested positive for gmo contamination :/
I am in southern California so I grow veggies all year long. I know, I am blessed. Anyway, last year by accident I broke an 18 inch branch off my tomato plant and decided to stick it in the ground. That was around July of 2020 or so. Today, that very branch is now a huge producing tomato plant with more than 30 tomatoes on it and they are the sweetest tomatoes ever!!! I am sooo surprised that it grew and produced. This particular variety is hybrid which I normally do not grow, I tend to grow heirloom and I save my seeds. I grew a hybrid because we have a root knot nematode problem and my heirlooms were just not surviving those nasty critters so for the first time in many years I grew the hybrid. I believe it is the Big Beef Tomato and it is root knot nematode resistant and has certainly proven itself to be just that. I don't know if an heirloom tomato would do the same by breaking off a branch and planting it but I plan to try this year. Sooooooo fun!!!!
Hierloom tomatoes, and in fact, all tomatoes, would do that. They're incredibly easy to clone. So easy in fact that if you're in a high humidity area, the plant will start sprouting air roots all over its stem and branches, and they'll naturally propagate themselves if one gets broke off.
Another great video with points made very clearly. Here in sub-tropical Brisbane, Australia a lot of heirloom varieties succumb very quickly to fungal diseases like powdery mildew so Hybrids have been a godsend although I still persevere with many heirloom tomatoes and peppers because the varieties I grow have better flavour. Luckily when these summer vegetables and fruits succumb to disease I still have plenty of time for a second crop. I even have a tomato plant that is 2 years old and still bearing fruit. It is about 15 feet tall,
Very concise explanation. Question..... If you have the real estate, time, and patience, could one grow to a F1 plant to mimic the F1 you originally bought? Save seed from the most desirable plant. Sow 8 next year. Again save seed from the best plant. Maybe 2 grow right, and so on, until all seeds saved grow similarly or true to what you want? Or at least close to the originals? Seems Heirloom seeds are taking a back seat to F1's year after year in regards to availability. So for beginners, all the more important to learn proper seed saving technique's. Paste Tomato's at Johnny's, 16 varieties, 11 F1's. Boils down to growing for fun, or sustenance, and deep are your pockets.
Your content is phenomenal. So very informative with so much practical information. I’m new to gardening and learning a lot from you. Thank you so much for sharing the information.
Can you do a walk around and talk about why you set up your yard the way you have. I'm looking for info on where to put trees with spacing and sun exposure. You got alot going on now and I'd love a tour.
Kevin, thanks for taking your time to explain this , this question comes up weekly if not daily in different gardening groups, now I have a quick reference for this question on seeds.
You didn’t mention the nutrition facts of those hybrids, how the hybrids lack on nutrition. Can you please talk about that. BTW huge fan of your channel
Wow I was just talking about this with people at work! But with your break down, I’ll be way better at it next time haha 😅 homestead looks gorgeous in the Cali sun
As a new gardener I appreciate you making this topic more clear for me. It helped me plan for purchasing spring planting seeds. You are a wonderful resource.
don't know if they have this everywhere, but you can also contact your county extension office for information about things to grow in your area. I know they are incredibly helpful in my area of Georgia, and nobody ever thinks to take advantage of the services they can provide like soil tests.
Thank you for giving an honest overview of the differences between the seed types, especially what an GMO is. The GMO free labeling most seed distributors print on their labels has always been a thorn in my side.
I would like some clarity about organic seeds. When you buy organic, are all of them heirloom or some of them may be hybrids?? A huge fan of your channel. Thanks in advance.
Love your vids. True to type are the only seeds i keep. Because regardless of where they came from, once i grow them out they have joined my epic plant family!
Love to hear your input on safty of the seeds and different quality of seeds. Looking to start a new garden with different type of seeds. What about things like white strawberries. Things that taste different then they should. Pinapple strawberries for example
Being my first year of gardening in North Texas, the best seeds for me are the ones that produce well. Also I completely support small seed companies: I bought quite a few things from MIGardener this year.
Love your explanation of organic vs conventional seeds. Most seeds are perfectly suitable for organic gardening. Organic certification is a cash grab more than anything. There are so many great small scale farmers using completely organic practices that just don't bother with the certification bit because it's too expensive and lengthy of a process.
Kevin, look up Joseph Lofthouse, he gives some additional info that leads to wanting to grow your own varieties, and he has drought tolerant varieties that you would be interested in, considering the climate in your area.
I only know about hybrids and F1 from cannabis. I think it makes more sense how they pollinate because there is a clear male and female. What's the best way to cross pollinate self pollinating plants? And how do you know they're crossed.
Thank you for the video. I am a home gardener who lives in Malaysia (S.E.A.). I started with hybrid seeds and recently heirloom. Had to get some from the US via mail. I love hybrid for their disease resistance and heirloom because they are unique (can’t buy those veggies from the market here). I hardly see any organic seeds around here though. And thnx for explaining what GMO seeds are 🤭
What is the best/easiest/most fun indoor house plant to grow from seed? How about the process of cross pollinating indoor house plants we current have in our house but don’t (yet) realize we can cross-pollinate into interesting hybrids? Love your videos! Thanks!
I have always understood that the main difference between OPEN POLLINATED and HEIRLOOM is ... that Heirlooms have been around a long time, still breeding true. All Heirlooms are Open Pollinated, but not all Open Pollinated are Heirlooms. There are some good Open Pollinated varieties that are not Heirlooms... YET! My personal policy is try to buy open pollinated to that I can save the seed. Some things like cabbages take two years to get seed. But I'm determined to get some... somehow. I have saved seed from Amish Paste tomatoes, Cayenne peppers, Leeks and bunching onions from the store, beans of all sorts, as well as peas. I'm working on squash and cucumbers this year.
I had German Queen going nearly 5 feet tall, was soooooo excited to perpetuate that line from 2020 on, but they were a day late and a dollar short ripening and I lost it to a hard freeze. I take the loss of heirlooms so much harder than anything else.
Great job disseminating the seed definitions. Thanks! My question is why the big seed boxes? I buy seed and use it or share it. Don’t seeds get old, “expire” if you will. Why do people save big boxes of seeds?
How do you deal with pests? My first go at a garden was swarmed with slugs, bugs, and I think possibly vermin. And thanks for making these vids it's really helped me out!
It's starting to get a little creepy that every time I have a gardening question, that same week you'll upload a video answering my question. Am I living in the Twilight Zone, or are you just really good at long distance mind reading? Either way, I freaking love it and I appreciate everything you do !:)
To be fair, and slightly less creepy, in the northern hemisphere we're *all* thinking about or even starting seeds at the moment, so it's hardly surprising that Kevin is talking about it 😉
I actually have a Ph.D. in plant science and I approve of your quick overview of seeds. Just one extra thing, most GM plants are F1 hybrids that ensure you won't get the same plant if you saved seed each year. Also, I've been breeding/crossing my own tomatoes from heirloom varieties for years. If you want to give some a try, I can send some your way!
That would be amazing! My PO box is in my description I think
Ok, since you've got that Ph.D I have a question. Isn't selective breeding genetic modification since you're specifically choosing which expressed traits get passed on to the next generation? I remember reading online that selective breeding is a form of genetic modification, but the internet is dubious at times so I'd rather get a definitive answer from someone in the field.
That's awesome! I'm a cellular molecular microbial biologist, I just graduated and I am considering making my own hybrids too. Have you ever patented a hybrid? I'm semi intrested in create commercial varieties or better varieties for people who grow their own.
@@averythegamer4949 Technically it is and there is nothing wrong with that, because you are free to determine what goes in your food!
Interesting how you dropped this bomb of misinformation in January and have not responded to anyone who commented to your statement, hmmmm.
you’re the elite four grass pokémon master obviously :)
LOL
@@epicgardening i love u ❤️
@@That_dawg420 no fucking duh bro
I've saved seeds from a hybrid cherry tomato. The plants that grew from those seeds produced tomatos that were bigger and oblong shaped instead of round like a cherry tomato. I'd figured this was due to cross polination from other tomatos in the garden, but your explanation about unstable hybrids makes sense too.
Im experiencing this with butternut
I think the easiest way to explain what hybrid and heirlooms are is basically what a cross between two pure bred dogs would looks like and then having that mut cross with an other one. If you cross say, a golden retriever with a poodle, you'll get a Golden doodle (hybrid). Keep crossing a golden with a poodle, you'll always get a golden doodle. Now, if you cross two golden doodles together, who knows what you will get! But, cross two poodles together, you'll get poodles! (heirlooms).
Yep. That's why seed vendors need to isolate. I do.
Massive respect for you with this video dude. I see a LOT of people saying that "natural" is inherently better. Or that GMO is as bad as nuclear waste (without providing any evidence). Life is not as simple as good and bad, why should we expect plants we've messed with for thousands of generations to be any different.
I did the organic versus conventional and had mixed results. The organic out performed conventional in the garden but in pots the conventional out performed the organic. Most of our planting is in the garden so organic it is but with yields I had last year I may have to go back to conventional because it was too much haha. Bought a squash plant from aldi's a few years ago and it had seedlings inside when we opened it so we planted it and had great results. We're now onto the 3rd generation of the squash and each year we have an abundance of squash. Needless to say we've mastered the different ways to cook with it.
Love all this seed talk...got my seeds, got my rack, got my trays, got my lights...just waiting for the right time to start my seeds...I don't wanna jump the gun and plant too early...exciting. Awesome video, lots of information Kevin, Thanks bud. Cheers, Chad from up in Ontario, Canada.
I'm in Pittsburgh PA and have already started my hot peppers and tomatoes.
Wishing you a great season
Im with you 100% on the GMO and seed packs. Thanks for informing everyone.
So are they good or bad lettuce wise
Anything GMO is unnatural, and should never be released into the wild.
@@cherisecoleman264 They're perfectly fine
@@xianseah4847 The wild has no plants like what we farm. And even if there were wild stands of corn, soy or alfalfa they could only benefit from GMO DNA. If they got the resistance gene for glyphosate, it would not matter. Who randomly sprays weed killer in the wild? Nobody. Natural selection has never stopped working outside of farms.
I really appreciate you pointing out that none of these things are "bad" our need to assign moral values to things like foods and seeds causes so many issues! Great video, great info, as always!
Thanks for this video! As an ecologist I knew the definition of GMO and organic seeds (and you explained them well!) but I didn't know what the other terms meant. I am starting my second year of gardening soon and just purchased a bunch of heirloom seeds. Hopefully I'll grow more vegetables this year!
Perfect timing. I'm working on getting seeds together for the year and would like the option of saving seeds. I've done some research on this stuff, but was still a bit unsure. You've explained everything clearly. Appreciate it.
Perfect!
Just the other day I was researching this topic. You explained it great, in a simple and understandable way. A lot of people don't actually know that the history of modern genetics came from a friar in the 19th century experimenting with peas and observing what happened :D
Back to the topic, I've noticed that smaller gardeners usually prefer heirloom and organic seeds, while big companies use hybrids for a bigger and better crop yield (at least in my country, as far as I know all the bigger corn plantations are all hybrids or gmo). Which for me makes sense: I want to save my seeds and be able to grow the same plants over and over again, because I grow things for myself. As for big companies and farms their livelihood depends on the crop yield - so they opt for hybrids or gmo to make sure they can get that required harvest.
I am 100% heirloom tomatoes all the way! I did grow 2 plants (of one hybrid) for its sheer production value.... to share with neighbors etc. But the flavor is soooo much better with the heirlooms... and I have never been able to be convinced otherwise...but I often get less fruit...
Keep in mind if you are raising two varieties of the same plant, proximity can affect them also You can raise two varieties of heirloom tomatoes in the same bed and some of the fruit will be from each of the varieties and some will become that F1 hybrid you were speaking of.
Yup :D
Your videos are getting addicting for me. All of these other garden youtubers do not have the humbleness you present with your MacGyver like ideas for using space. Keep growing my friend.
I appreciate that!
Very informative. In the hybrid point. I live at the coast and a lot of the vegetables I grow, come from inland. Some cant take a lot of water, so I buy the hybrid seeds that are “modified”, to be more water tolerant. I used to plant potatoes from potato sprouts from my store bought potatoes, and they would just rot in the ground coz they were always wet/damp. Coz the potato season is generally when we have rainy season at the coast. Now I have potatoes that doesn’t mind all the water and yields beautiful potatoes. BUT after the first season, I got what you explained about the plant reverting back to its original “version”. BUT I better understand the reason now. Thanks
I wish I had your explanations last year before putting in so much effort to come to you exact explanations of seed definitions. Would've save me hours of research. I agree whole heartedly on herluim definition. It's not the age of the breed but it's stability and ability to constantly reproduce traits generation after generation.
Excellent video Kevin. I teach 3rd graders a lot about gardening through a plethora of methods. Your video is a great source to support our studies. Thanks!
Open-pollinated is the thing to look for if you want to save your seeds. All Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated but not all open-pollinated seeds are heirloom.
So open polination, would they be landrace or not..? If not where do landrace strains come into this categorisation?
@@BuddyCalyxed I don't know if you are still wandering about this but generally land races are a type of plant (race) that more naturally developed in a specific region (land).
Wow, I think this is one of the best seed explanations I have seen on UA-cam. Thank you so much.
Thank you for this. Its amazing the confusion over seeds. Finally a nice clear decisive video I can share with the oh so confused. Great job !
My background is plant biotechnology and I think you did a nice overview. I enjoy heirlooms myself due to seed saving ease. But people have been hybridizing plants for a lot longer than a hundred years. What the F1 hybrid seeds do is generally give you a more vigorous plant (hybrid vigor) with disease resistance, size, flavor etc. This is because the seed companies will have two strains that are set like an heirloom (inbred lines) that they cross together to make the seeds you buy. But you can't remake those strains by saving the seeds of the plants you grew from the F1 seeds. I garden to be more self sufficient so as tempting as it is to go for those higher yields with F1s, I try to go with varieties I can preserve myself. I did save seed from one of my favorite F1 tomatoes that I have had trouble finding the last few years. And most of the plants were really good, but one produced super hollow tomatoes. Hoping I can contine to select good specimens from that cross. As far as organic, I'm not sure I agree with your logic. A conventional seed might be healthier since it came from a healthier plant. But I doubt it matters a lot one way or the other. Organic is just a bit expensive and unnecessary in my book. Very true about GMO seeds, most of them are simply not available for a home gardener. I would love to grow a Bt zucchini so I could be done with squash borers, alas it doesn't exist. ;)
right of course, when I said that I meant more a commercial hybridization for the home garden market. Appreciate your comment and extra info!
Well am 16 now. And i started gardening last year. We had a good produce of spinach ; coriander ; tomato ; pumkin ; gourd ; bitter gourd ; potato .
But the most we had are 3 local variety of chillis which overflowed.
So we sold like around 5kgs and made a few chilli pickles.
It was fun all thanks to your videos :)
Hi! Kevin i love your explanation on the topic of about seeds. I prefer to used organic heirlooms and organic seeds. My passion is gardening so been doing it a long time. My grandparents and my parents are a farmer they saved seeds for their future used. This practiced are passed on from generation to generation. I am almost 70 yrs. old and living here in states. I would think those seeds are heirlooms. So I too practiced the same as they do for the goodness of my family. Thank you for sharing.👍Happy Gardening!
Ty kevin I really enjoy watching your videos while learning many things. That was "Epic explanation"!.
Using the photo boxes for seed storage, is an excellent tip! That really helped me to organize my seeds and keep them that way.
💚💚💚
Thanks for the video! Just starting to plan this year's crop now! Stay well!
Omg 😆 I absolutely love the way you approached the organic and non organic topic that was the best explanation I’ve ever heard. As always you hit it out of the park. I hope this helps a lot of people see how that whole system works.
Thanks so much for the valuable information. I didn’t know what the difference was and you explained it so clearly. Happy gardening!
Wow, this is the first time I've ever heard anyone explain the differences there. That was remarkably helpful. And thank you for emphasizing the science behind it vs the fears.
This was a video full of respect! 🎯🌱 Honest, but with respect for all type of gardners! Blessings from the Netherlands
I'm glad to hear just the facts about exactly *what* all these terms mean. It gets confusing, and overwhelming, to look at all these terms! Thanks!
I appreciate your knowledge of GMO and organic labels. The information on both is accurate and clear. It's not often that someone is able or willing to explain them with accuracy and an unbiased viewpoint. There are some GMO varieties of "roundup ready" sweetcorn sold to home gardeners, but they are very expensive! thanks for the great video.
When it comes to organic v. regular seed my viewpoint is simple: if you are going to use synthetic plant food, don't spend the extra money on certified organic. Once you use synthetic stuff on it, it will no longer be organic so why waste the money. Now, if it is to support a small business, go for it!
Edit: about heirlooms, if you have a bit of extra space and patience, get some heirlooms that are a zone off or two from yours and try to get fruit from it. I got a tomato heirloom variety that grows awful in zone 11b, but I got ONE tomato plant to fruit and got tons of seeds from that one plant. Now I have 7 tomato plants from that variety growing and fruiting! I also did the same with a heirloom eggplant and now I got 17 plants growing! It took me two years to get that eggplant, but that one eggplant gave me hundreds of seeds and now they are perfect!
Thanks for sharing!
if you don't intend on selling it, why does it matter that it's no longer organic?
@@francescofavro8890 it doesn't.
I don't know much about gardening, I've grown some things but I've bought a few heirloom types to eat and grow - carrots, ornamental corn, brandywine tomatoes. When you reuse the seed do you just use the eggplant and save the seeds? What variety would you recommend?
@@emc7056 you have to allow the eggplant to ripen. At that point, it is not really edible.
Just leave one on the vine - the prettiest one - and allow it to turn fully yellow. Once yellow, you can harvest the seeds. The eggplant will be pretty dry inside (I allow it to "prune" a bit on the vine before collecting the seed) and the seeds come off fairly quickly.
I live in the tropics and can dry the seeds outside all year long, but I have heard of using the oven on the lowest setting with the oven door cracked a bit to dry the seed before saving it. The only problem with that method is that you might end up overdoing it and cook your seeds. A dry warm place is the best place to dry them, but don't forget to bring them inside, critters love seeds...
@@PRDreams cool, I have ornamental corn which I think is the same process to dry out, in order to be able to make it into popcorn,
Had a random question and this guy perfectly explained what I wanted to know. Pog
I like the idea of an heirloom that I let evolve to work best in my location, and just keep saving the seeds from. That just seems like it would make my life easier. 😄
I am totally in love with your new place kev. Can not thank you enough for these videos you put out. Much appreciated.
So true about GMO but also need to take into consideration that sometimes the packets we buy can be "contaminated" by GMO and that would affect us if we were saving our own seeds at the end of that growing season. I had gotten beet seeds from baker creek and they contacted me saying their sugar beet seeds tested positive for gmo contamination :/
I am in southern California so I grow veggies all year long. I know, I am blessed. Anyway, last year by accident I broke an 18 inch branch off my tomato plant and decided to stick it in the ground. That was around July of 2020 or so. Today, that very branch is now a huge producing tomato plant with more than 30 tomatoes on it and they are the sweetest tomatoes ever!!! I am sooo surprised that it grew and produced. This particular variety is hybrid which I normally do not grow, I tend to grow heirloom and I save my seeds. I grew a hybrid because we have a root knot nematode problem and my heirlooms were just not surviving those nasty critters so for the first time in many years I grew the hybrid. I believe it is the Big Beef Tomato and it is root knot nematode resistant and has certainly proven itself to be just that. I don't know if an heirloom tomato would do the same by breaking off a branch and planting it but I plan to try this year. Sooooooo fun!!!!
Hierloom tomatoes, and in fact, all tomatoes, would do that. They're incredibly easy to clone. So easy in fact that if you're in a high humidity area, the plant will start sprouting air roots all over its stem and branches, and they'll naturally propagate themselves if one gets broke off.
Awesome!
@@brandon9172 Yes! I have seen those air roots before! I wonder if pepper plants will do the same.
Very helpful! I’ve been watching your videos for about 6 months.....this season, I’m planting! So excited carrots 🍅🥒🥬🥕🍓🥔🍠
Another great video with points made very clearly. Here in sub-tropical Brisbane, Australia a lot of heirloom varieties succumb very quickly to fungal diseases like powdery mildew so Hybrids have been a godsend although I still persevere with many heirloom tomatoes and peppers because the varieties I grow have better flavour. Luckily when these summer vegetables and fruits succumb to disease I still have plenty of time for a second crop. I even have a tomato plant that is 2 years old and still bearing fruit. It is about 15 feet tall,
Unrelated to seeds, but are you thinking of doing beehives at all? I'm getting honeybees for the first time this spring and I'm so excited!
May do a small hive!
Very concise explanation. Question..... If you have the real estate, time, and
patience, could one grow to a F1 plant to mimic the F1 you originally bought?
Save seed from the most desirable plant. Sow 8 next year. Again save seed
from the best plant. Maybe 2 grow right, and so on, until all seeds saved
grow similarly or true to what you want? Or at least close to the originals?
Seems Heirloom seeds are taking a back seat to F1's year after year in regards
to availability. So for beginners, all the more important to learn proper seed
saving technique's. Paste Tomato's at Johnny's, 16 varieties, 11 F1's.
Boils down to growing for fun, or sustenance, and deep are your pockets.
Thank you so much for sharing this educational information. You are doing an amazing job!
Your content is phenomenal. So very informative with so much practical information. I’m new to gardening and learning a lot from you. Thank you so much for sharing the information.
Can you do a walk around and talk about why you set up your yard the way you have. I'm looking for info on where to put trees with spacing and sun exposure. You got alot going on now and I'd love a tour.
This was so succinct and thorough. I knew the basics, but still learned so much. Thank yiiu!!
Kevin, thanks for taking your time to explain this , this question comes up weekly if not daily in different gardening groups, now I have a quick reference for this question on seeds.
Wow...thanks! Super comprehensive. Finally clearer in my head.
Great informative video. Perfectly explains the definitions for a newbie like me. And also dispels the myths of bad seed. Thank you 🙏 👍🏻
lovely job...thanks for the information.
I would love to see you do a vlog on seed starting and options. ie no green house, containers, etc
A lot of people use milk jugs to start seeds.
You didn’t mention the nutrition facts of those hybrids, how the hybrids lack on nutrition. Can you please talk about that. BTW huge fan of your channel
Wow I was just talking about this with people at work! But with your break down, I’ll be way better at it next time haha 😅 homestead looks gorgeous in the Cali sun
Thanks for the explanation! I hoped you talked a bit about treated and untreated seeds as well? Maybe in a future video...
As a new gardener I appreciate you making this topic more clear for me. It helped me plan for purchasing spring planting seeds. You are a wonderful resource.
Thanks, this videos was super helpful in understanding the difference between the different categories of seeds.
don't know if they have this everywhere, but you can also contact your county extension office for information about things to grow in your area. I know they are incredibly helpful in my area of Georgia, and nobody ever thinks to take advantage of the services they can provide like soil tests.
Great breakdown. Thanks for presenting this information in such a clear way. Super helpful!
Thank you for giving an honest overview of the differences between the seed types, especially what an GMO is. The GMO free labeling most seed distributors print on their labels has always been a thorn in my side.
I would like some clarity about organic seeds. When you buy organic, are all of them heirloom or some of them may be hybrids?? A huge fan of your channel. Thanks in advance.
1M subs!!! Im happy for you man!
Love your vids. True to type are the only seeds i keep. Because regardless of where they came from, once i grow them out they have joined my epic plant family!
Well said!
Love to hear your input on safty of the seeds and different quality of seeds. Looking to start a new garden with different type of seeds.
What about things like white strawberries. Things that taste different then they should.
Pinapple strawberries for example
Those are a wild version of strawberries in MOST cases (alpine type), and quite tasty
A very useful video. Thanks for the video Kevin
You’re a blessing Kevin. Thank you.🌸
Being my
first year of gardening in North Texas, the best seeds for me are the ones that produce well. Also I completely support small seed companies: I bought quite a few things from MIGardener this year.
Backcrossing vs. Selfing is also a very interesting topic
Excellent information, thank you for very clear explanation over the different terms of seeds 🙏
Love your explanation of organic vs conventional seeds. Most seeds are perfectly suitable for organic gardening. Organic certification is a cash grab more than anything. There are so many great small scale farmers using completely organic practices that just don't bother with the certification bit because it's too expensive and lengthy of a process.
Loved this video. You explained without the politics, thank you. Love your channel and your approach.
This video is so dorky! I love it. Great info. I didn't really understand what heirloom meant until now
If only every one explaines things like you very sample and forward thank you.
Kevin, look up Joseph Lofthouse, he gives some additional info that leads to wanting to grow your own varieties, and he has drought tolerant varieties that you would be interested in, considering the climate in your area.
I only know about hybrids and F1 from cannabis. I think it makes more sense how they pollinate because there is a clear male and female. What's the best way to cross pollinate self pollinating plants? And how do you know they're crossed.
Will have to do a vid on this!
Hey bud. Love all your content. Would you mind doing a seed variety brand video please. Burpee, Jonny Seeds, Migardmer, Gaea etc. Thanks
Excellent description of seed types. No I know why the Burpee Big Boy Hybrid seeds I saved and grew didn't seem quite right!
Did it taste worse?
@@Pixics They were smaller. They tasted like a good tomato, but not quite as good as the regular Big Boy.
@@chrisvanderwoerd9932 I see, yeah, that may be what this video was mentioning.
Thank you for the video. I am a home gardener who lives in Malaysia (S.E.A.). I started with hybrid seeds and recently heirloom. Had to get some from the US via mail. I love hybrid for their disease resistance and heirloom because they are unique (can’t buy those veggies from the market here). I hardly see any organic seeds around here though. And thnx for explaining what GMO seeds are 🤭
thank you thank you thank you for the breakdown. i was recently trying to explain this to someone, i now can explain it better
Congratulations on 1 million 🎊 😀😀
Thank you so much for making this video .. i was specifically looking for this information and thank you for explaining it so even i can understand it
Thank you for this video! I’m new to gardening. Very educational.
Very informative and helpful!!! Thanks so much!
What is the best/easiest/most fun indoor house plant to grow from seed? How about the process of cross pollinating indoor house plants we current have in our house but don’t (yet) realize we can cross-pollinate into interesting hybrids?
Love your videos! Thanks!
If i was organic certified, i would try to buy organic certified seed. But you really want healthy disease free seed above all.
Great information for a new gardener...Thank you!
thanks Kevin this was perfect! saved my first seeds last year and dotting the earth with lots of new ones this year!
You didn't get into the weeds. This was EPIC; you truly are EPIC. Thank you!
I have always understood that the main difference between OPEN POLLINATED and HEIRLOOM is ... that Heirlooms have been around a long time, still breeding true. All Heirlooms are Open Pollinated, but not all Open Pollinated are Heirlooms. There are some good Open Pollinated varieties that are not Heirlooms... YET! My personal policy is try to buy open pollinated to that I can save the seed. Some things like cabbages take two years to get seed. But I'm determined to get some... somehow. I have saved seed from Amish Paste tomatoes, Cayenne peppers, Leeks and bunching onions from the store, beans of all sorts, as well as peas. I'm working on squash and cucumbers this year.
Well said here!
I had German Queen going nearly 5 feet tall, was soooooo excited to perpetuate that line from 2020 on, but they were a day late and a dollar short ripening and I lost it to a hard freeze. I take the loss of heirlooms so much harder than anything else.
That’s so sad 😞
Loved the breakdown. I have a science background, and this was very interesting to listen to.
It really cleared a lot of things up for me.
Great info!... so helpful, thank you 😌💕
Great job disseminating the seed definitions. Thanks! My question is why the big seed boxes? I buy seed and use it or share it. Don’t seeds get old, “expire” if you will. Why do people save big boxes of seeds?
I love having a lot of varieties at my disposal, and they will last 2-10 years depending on seed so I can use for many years in a row!
Fantastic info for someone like me who’s eyes begin to glaze over when it gets too technical.
Your presentation was very helpful! Thanks.
How do you deal with pests? My first go at a garden was swarmed with slugs, bugs, and I think possibly vermin. And thanks for making these vids it's really helped me out!
Thanks so much for explaining these terms so clearly. Much appreciated.
Here with peace and love from the David Pakman Show!
Thanks for the information. I'm fairly new to gardening and this helps
It's starting to get a little creepy that every time I have a gardening question, that same week you'll upload a video answering my question. Am I living in the Twilight Zone, or are you just really good at long distance mind reading? Either way, I freaking love it and I appreciate everything you do !:)
The internet can read my mind.
I'm ALWAYS WATCHING MUAHAHA
@@epicgardening I knew it! 😂😂
To be fair, and slightly less creepy, in the northern hemisphere we're *all* thinking about or even starting seeds at the moment, so it's hardly surprising that Kevin is talking about it 😉
@@georgeprout42 haha yes if course! But I seem to ask myself a question and then he uploads the answer 😂 It's actually very useful!
Thanks for your excellent video!
I think you did not mention OP seeds.... Are OP same as Heirloom?
Wow, so much information, thank you so much!!