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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] heirloom tomatoes

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  • From: Pat Meadows <pat AT meadows.pair.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] heirloom tomatoes
  • Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 17:54:56 -0500

On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 15:46:48 -0700, you wrote:

>
>As usual, I agree with Pat. May I add, you can't save seed from those
>hybrids so if you're saving seed from your heirlooms your seed cost goes to
>zero. The price is hard to beat ;-) And traditionally you save the seed of
>the best plants so you're continually refining and adapting your varietes
>for your own locale. There's a hidden cost in some hybrids we don't always
>notice.

There's also the fact that hybrids can be (and are being)
discontinued whenever the giant corporations that now
control the seed business decide they aren't worth it. (For
instance, the largest seed seller in the USA was recently
bought by Monsanto.)

I cannot sell, for instance, Jingle Bell Hybrid Pepper
(although I would like to), because it seems to have been
discontinued. Or Pixie II Hybrid tomato: gone for quite a
while. These were both useful varieties which meshed
particularly well with our (niche) market.

By good luck, I was able to get seeds for a dehybridized
Pixie tomato, btw, and will grow it out this summer. If it
lives up to expectations, I can offer it for sale next year.

Not only can you save your own open-pollinated seed, but
most likely others are saving it too - many of them members
of the Seed Savers Exchange - http://www.seedsavers.org - or
similar organizations.

Pat
--
ContainerSeeds.com - vegetable, herb, fruit and edible
flower seeds for successful container growing.
http://www.containerseeds.com




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