this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2024
45 points (97.9% liked)

Gardening

3563 readers
1 users here now

Your Ultimate Gardening Guide.

Rules

  1. Be respectful and inclusive.
  2. No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
  3. Engage in constructive discussions.
  4. Share relevant content.
  5. Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
  6. Use appropriate language and tone.
  7. Report violations.
  8. Foster a continuous learning environment.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
scarabic
sabbah
ManamaKhan
Spacebar
Bitswap
45
What's everyone's preferred seed vendor? (self.gardening)
submitted 1 month ago by SchmidtGenetics to c/gardening
25 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Lot of stuff I’ve been reading say to buy around mid December when the seed catalogs come out, but which ones?

I usually just get seeds and plants from Home Depot, it’s done the job, but I want to find some nice heirlooms and/or varieties they don’t carry. Also screw “white label” seeds. But that’s another discussion.

So this last year I got some different seeds from Lee Valley, but I wasn’t a huge fan, still felt like Home Depot just under another name.

So what’s your guys favorite website or place to get seeds. And when do you find the best time to order.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] evasive_chimpanzee 1 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I was hoping someone more knowledgeable would chime in. Do you think it would be fair to say that for your average gardener, using OP seeds would make it easier to save them?

[–] The_v 2 points 4 weeks ago

The process to save seeds is the same whether it's a hybrid or OP in most species.

The difference is on the variation in the next years crop. By year 4 or 5 of self pollinating they have an OP (inbred). I honestly think more average gardeners should attempt some amateur breeding. We need more locally developed and adapted genetics. Since the environment, pathogens and pests are constantly evolving, we need to encourage our food species to evolve with them.

Plant breeders rely on landraces/wild types for genetics to breed new varieties. A successful breeder replaces the landraces in the commercial markets. They are dependent on the thing they destroy.

You might not know it, but if you purchased a pumpkin this fall, the genetics were massively influenced recently by an amateur breeder in Michigan. An experienced commercial breeder used his genetics to create many of the varieties on the market today (I chose the best and named most of them).

https://youtu.be/CGRBJwC08FY