Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 24
th, 2024 at 12:25pm:
What is the 'attraction' to heirloom tomatoes?
A friend has one to give me soon.
I like romas.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/saving-seeds-guideWhat Types of Seeds Are Best to Save?To guarantee that your seeds will produce the same plant variety the following growing season, only save seeds from open-pollinated and heirloom varieties. While all heirloom seeds come from open-pollinated varieties, not all open-pollinated plants are heirloom plants.
Open-pollinated seeds: Open-pollinated seeds come from plants that are fertilized by natural methods like pollinator insects, birds, rain, and wind. When two plants of the same variety are cross-pollinated by one of these methods, the resultant seed grows into a plant that is similar to the parent plants, with only slight variations. These variations lead to genetic diversity, which allows the seeds to gradually adapt to the local climate.
Heirloom seeds: Heirloom seed varieties originate from open-pollinated plants and have a history of passing down desired traits from parent plant to child plant. These valuable characteristics are developed through years of cultivation and may include hardiness, flavor, productivity, pest and disease resistance, and climate adaptability. To be considered an heirloom variety, the seeds typically must originate from plant varieties that are at least 50 years old. Heirloom seeds will always produce offspring true to their parent plant so you can save your seeds to grow next year. You can purchase heirloom seeds at your local garden center or nursery, or you can find heirloom seeds that are fit for your specific region through local seed exchange groups.