All heirloom plants are open-pollinated and produce seeds suited to saving.
The seed will produce a plant similar to the parent.
Heirloom seeds are often associated with a specific geographic region where they perform especially well.
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The seeds are saved to produce plants with superior flavor, appearance, or overall performance.
Open-pollinated heirloom seeds produce plants that are similar to each other but not as uniform as hybrids.
Open-pollination creates a more genetically diverse gene pool which allows plants to slowly adapt to local growing conditions.
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While all heirloom seeds are open-pollinated seeds, not all open-pollinated plants are heirlooms.
See: hybrid seeds.
Hybrid Seeds
The majority of flower and vegetable seeds available to the home grower are hybrids.
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This is not the same as genetically modified seeds.
Hybridization can occur naturally through random crosses.
A hybrid forms when open pollination occurs between two varieties of plants.
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Vegetable plants grown from hybrid seed are often high-yielders, but they are not reliable for seed saving.
The seed will be genetically unstable and may not produce any fruit or flowers at all.
Seeds packaged for home garden use are not and cannot be genetically modified.
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