February 1, 2009 - Gardening with open-pollinated, heirloom plants

Today in Relief Society there was a spotlight on gardening. The Sisters were reminded that help was available if anyone was interested in being mentored through the gardening process. The sign-up sheet was circulated again so that Sisters could sign up to become a mentor to another Ward member or to sign up to get a mentor. There was also a discussion on the difference between buying "hybrid" seed and buying open-pollinated, standard or heirloom seed. Saving seed from hybrid plant varities is not recommended because the saved seed will most likely revert back to the dominant strain from which it was developed. On the other hand seed can be saved from the open-pollinated, standard or heirloom seed varieties. Considering the cost of seed or what a global crop failure could mean, it would be important to have a source of viable seed year after year. So, consider planting at least some standard varieties and practice seed-saving this year. There will be more information on seed-saving this summer.