Are All Heirloom Seeds Open Pollinated?

The terms "heirloom" seeds and "open-pollinated" seeds can be used interchangeably to describe the same seeds in slightly different ways. Both terms correctly establish a distinction to hybrid seeds.

Significance

• "Heirloom" seeds are defined variously as either seeds from lines that have been in circulation for more than 50 years or more precisely, those that predate World War II or the creation of hybrid flowers and vegetables. Open-pollinated seeds are those fertilized by wind, insects or simply the proximity within the flower of stamen and pistil. All heirloom seeds are indeed open-pollinated.

Time Frame

• Hybrid seeds arose as the result of seed purveyor David Burpee's field trials in the 1930s, fertilizing tomatoes and other plants by hand to create hybrids with superior traits to each parent. Industrialized agriculture in California and other states undertook a widespread adoption of hybrid vegetables after the 1950s, leaving heirlooms to languish until the sustainable agriculture movement began in the 1990s.

Features

• Heirloom seeds often produce tastier vegetables and fruits because hybrids may be bred for traits useful for shipping long distances or mechanical picking rather than taste. You can save your own heirloom seeds for later seasons, given that the offspring of the open-pollinated plant will resemble its parent, whereas second-generation hybrid seeds behave unpredictably.