CORVALLIS, Ore. — Beautiful catalogs that arrive in January can make it easy to overbuy, but understanding the terms on packets helps gardeners choose seeds that fit their gardens.
Nicole Sanchez, a horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, tells gardeners to plan before choosing seed because it is so easy to get carried away. If that happens, she noted, there is usually someone willing to take extra packets.
Understanding the language on seed packets helps gardeners match plants to size, location, disease concerns and seed-saving goals. Sanchez covered those ideas in her session on Understanding seed characteristics in the Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series.
“Take squash for instance,” Sanchez said. “There are varieties that stay small (for patios and containers) and those that ramble. Vining types might be suitable for creating shade for weed control and moisture retention. For those interested in seed saving, not all vegetable seed is equally reliable. Much depends on the origin of the saved seed.”
Key terms to know
Cultivar
This horticultural contraction means “cultivated variety” and can describe a plant that is hybrid, heirloom, organic, pelleted or has other descriptors. The term signals a variety with specific, identifiable, consistent and reliable traits.
For example, ‘Merlot’ and ‘Two Star’ are both loose-leaf lettuces, but ‘Merlot’ has deep red, mildly frilly leaves and downy mildew resistance, while ‘Two Star’ has bright green, very frilly leaves, makes a larger plant and has no listed disease resistance.
Heirloom
This term and “open pollinated” are often used together and describe seeds that tend to be good for saving. Heirloom cultivars are older — often 50 to 100 years old — and many are tied to a region where they perform especially well or are treasured.
Sanchez pointed to yellow cabbage collards of the Carolinas, which are preferred for thinner, finer leaves and are often in short supply.
Open pollinated
Seeds with this designation perform true to type through pollination. True to type means saved seed in the second, third or later generations will have the same characteristics as the original plant. Open-pollinated seeds are the best choice for gardeners interested in saving seeds. Many open-pollinated seeds are heirlooms, but not all.
Hybrid
Most vegetable seed available to home gardeners is hybrid, which is not the same as GMO. Through breeding, traits from different varieties are combined to create plants with certain characteristics for size, color or disease resistance.
Hybrids are often high yielding and offer advantages to gardeners, but they are not dependable for seed saving. Because they come from two parent plants, saved hybrid seed may not sprout, may stall at the seedling stage or may produce fruit that looks or tastes different. Hybrids are not suggested for seed saving.
Resistance
Disease resistance and tolerance help gardeners manage problems with fewer inputs. Resistance is especially helpful when a disease has occurred in the garden more than once or when it is soilborne. Not every cultivar has resistance, and some have resistance to more than one disease.
Seed catalogs and websites usually provide charts that list diseases and abbreviations for each crop. For example, a seed description with “BLS” at the end would indicate resistance to bacterial leaf spot, which affects many vegetables.
Previously titled Learn the terms on seed packets to make the right selection
