Anyone Have Trouble With Heirloom Seeds This Year? (water, soil, chickens)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I noticed that these new seeds are not sprouting like they usually do. Also the oens that do take alot longer than non hybrids.
Hope its worth the wait and frustration of using them now.I just raked up lots of leaves for compost that I'm late starting.I'm old now and hubby is disabled so its getting too hard to keep up the place.
I just cut back our chickens to 10,so that will be less feed and work.Its a good thign we moved here when we were younger almost 50.I just dug 3 more raised beds this winter and my get up and go has got up and went for sure.
Hubby came in and interupted me so I had to edit.
We were buying from Gardens Alive and had no problems with the non hybrid,and some Heilooms,but now we tried these from another seed seller and guess harvest time will tell.
We have some grape tomato plants that really do well so will save seed from those.Also the few lemon aquash we planted last year really was good,never had any of that before.
This year we have Ali Babba and Georgia Rattlesnake Watermellons ,both Hierlooms so will let ya know how those do.
Last edited by pokesalad4u2; 05-24-2013 at 01:54 PM..
The seed seller is your key here. All seed companies are not alike. Some of them sell 'old' seed, some of them sell "sweepins" from the floor. Some of them handle seeds like gold, with white gloves, as if they were precious (which they are). Those are the companies you want to buy from.
Up here in the northeast, we buy from Johnny's Selected in Maine, Fedco in Maine, and Stokes in upper NY. Yes, Stokes carries some GMO seeds for commercial use, but for the home gardener, they have the same heirlooms you'd find anywhere else. A Georgia Rattlesnake is the same no matter where it comes from. I'd rather buy from a high volume, high quality seed company for vigorous seed that can be stored a few years, and still sprout with gusto.
If your seeds are not sprouting well, look elsewhere next year.
I don't know if this has anything to do with your problem but i read this recently and it makes sense: you need to research your heirlooms and make sure they're ones that do well in your part of the country. I was always disappointed with Brandywine tomatoes--I'd heard they're the best but I never thought so. The article said that's true of a lot of people b/c BW do best in Pennsylvania. Oh yeah. A good indicator of what does best in your area is which varieties are being carried by local nurseries or you could do some googling I'm sure. Now we eat Mr. Stripeys, which are the best IMO.
The only problem I've had with heirloom & open-pollinated non-hybrids this year is finding them! I live in an isolated extreme climate so there is a limited supply of locally adapted varieties from small-scale suppliers, and they sell out quickly... most of the nurseries and box stores only sell hybrids up here
I've had to rely on northern adapted seeds from other parts of the country. Mainly the ones Noreastah mentioned out of New England, or Territorial Seed out of PNW... not a perfect match, but closer than seeds from southern states. The biggest issue with even those is some can't/won't ship to Alaska
A lot of bad seeds are how they are stored. Just a few days in the pack sitting on a window sill in the hot sun all day will cook the life out of them. Also if the seeds were picked and dried to early the inside doesn't mature to make a new plant. Heirloom seeds are always a gamble it seems, but you can take the measures to harvest your own seeds from your plants. And I have taken to planting more seeds in the same spot and picking the poorer growing ones before they set good on the planting. The internet has many many places to look on the subject.
I noticed that these new seeds are not sprouting like they usually do. Also the oens that do take alot longer than non hybrids.
Hope its worth the wait and frustration of using them now.I just raked up lots of leaves for compost that I'm late starting.I'm old now and hubby is disabled so its getting too hard to keep up the place.
I just cut back our chickens to 10,so that will be less feed and work.Its a good thign we moved here when we were younger almost 50.I just dug 3 more raised beds this winter and my get up and go has got up and went for sure.
Hubby came in and interupted me so I had to edit.
We were buying from Gardens Alive and had no problems with the non hybrid,and some Heilooms,but now we tried these from another seed seller and guess harvest time will tell.
We have some grape tomato plants that really do well so will save seed from those.Also the few lemon aquash we planted last year really was good,never had any of that before.
This year we have Ali Babba and Georgia Rattlesnake Watermellons ,both Hierlooms so will let ya know how those do.
I have had the issue this year that the heirlooms did not sprout as fast, in fact they took WAY longer than "regular" seeds. However, it turned out to be a good thing since I have heirloom tomatoes coming in after my regulars now
A few years ago, I bought heirlooms (can't remember where, online), and I had issues with everything but green onions. Grew very slowly, and never grew very big- had zucchini that would flower, never bore any zucchini at all. This year, I used some again- different company, same problem- out of a good three dozen plants, the only thing that is growing are one little batch of cherry tomatoes, and they are still only maybe four inches tall, and Anaheim peppers, which are still small plants- but that amazes me considering they need to grow in a really warm area, and I'm in the U.P. Michigan, lol.
I figured it was because I really don't have a green thumb, but this year I did everything right! I even checked out growing times (needed much shorter due to where I live), what grows well here, etc.- I talked to the owner of a plant place, and she told me that heirlooms pretty much take their time. I threw in some plants from her place (which dwarf mine), just so my poor straw bales won't look so empty, lol. I have to admit, I"m pretty disappointed, though...I really felt the need to be successful at starting from seed, with heirlooms- and it just really isn't working out very well.
The phenomenon of hybrid vigor is responsible for most of the fast growth and heavy yields when planting many of the commercial seeds (which are commonly F1 Hybrids), and these hybrids can overcome some poor planting conditions because of it.
Hybrids are good for first time gardeners because they give them a boost of confidence to continue gardening, but they aren't a long-term solution since you cannot save their seeds (F1 hybrid seeds often revert to parent).
While open-pollinated (heirloom, or otherwise) plants do grow a bit more slowly, may not have as heavy yields, and may require more attention to detail they do normally have some other traits that make them worth the effort (besides saving the seeds)... usually robust flavor or color.
Most true heirlooms have strong local adaptations, they won't grow just anywhere as easily as hybrids will. I think many people who aren't having success with their heirlooms are trying to grow seeds that are from somewhere with completely different conditions, and the plants don't respond well. I've never had any issue with OP/Heirloom seed from local suppliers, but have experienced some setbacks with seeds from other locations. I expect this, so it doesn't throw me, and after about 3-5 years of carefully saving seeds from the best of them, those plants become locally adapted to my garden and perform much better.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Oh yeah. A good indicator of what does best in your area is which varieties are being carried by local nurseries or you could do some googling I'm sure. Now we eat Mr. Stripeys, which are the best IMO.
