organic seeds?

[brekehan]

I noticed at the store that some seeds are marked organic and are more expensive than seed packets that aren't.

Question is, how could a seed possibly not be organic? It came from a plant not a test tube right? IT would bve awefully hard to synthetically reproduce seeds, no?

What are the differences in organic vs not organic seeds? Advantages? Worth the extra money at all?

[Diane]

Just like you I wonder how a seed can be anything but organic.
Maybe the seed itself came from a plant grown organically.
Is it worth the extra price? I really don't know. What makes it a better choice?

[rainbowgardener]

Non-organic seeds are of course still seeds, grown from plants. But not only may the plants they come from be grown with chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc, the seeds may be "treated" with various preservatives, growth enhancers, pesticides, etc. They may also be from GMO's, genetically modified organisms and do not have to be labeled as such.

Is it worth the money difference? Depends on your philosophy and only you can decide that, but IMO even organic seeds are still a big bargain. I get a lot of my seeds from Park Seed organics. Depending on seeds of what, you get a packet of any where from 30 to 200 seeds for between $2 and $4. So what if you could save a quarter somewhere?

[applestar]

Rainbowgardener didn't specifically mention it, but seeds are very frequently fumigated with chemical fungicide as well. I guess this falls under "preservatives" now that I think about it.

Sometimes, you see seeds offered as "UNTREATED" but not labeled "ORGANIC". I'm guessing "untreated" seeds fall somewhere between "UNLABELED" and "ORGANIC".

I've always understood "ORGANIC" seeds to be from organically grown, non-GMO plants in addition to not being treated. I seem to remember that seeds are embryos and embryonic cells concentrate toxins as wells propagate them in the process of cell division.

[The Helpful Gardener]

But the seed itself is a vehicle for germ plasm for the most part, right? SO if we start with a seed grown chemically and raise a plant grown organically, what part of the plant is actually non-organic? The first few cells?

I am of course playing devil's advocate so I will switch my hat back around and contend that to buy the organic seed is to support a company that does not pollute with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, is dedicated to healthy species no matter which ones they are, and is certainly worth the 25 to 30% more they are asking.

Personally I am a neutral on this topic (as my wishy-washy switch hitting answer might allude to); I feel it is best to grow from organic stock but do not fault people who are trying to do it cheaper. THAT said, if we do not support right-thinking with right-spending, there will always be a premium to right-doing. We will only get our cheaper organics by spending now and developing demand, where supply will follow. Catch 22, eh?

HG

[Diane]

I've given this more thought. Organic seeds should not be genetically altered, right? So that alone makes them worth the price.

This is just my opinion. I mostly buy plants as I have little luck with seeds.

[soil]

buy organic seeds once, and then collect your own from then on out. not only will you be benefiting from organic seed, you should be selecting plants that grow better in your area. so given some time your plants will grow better in your area.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Excellent point soil; nothing more earth friendly than do-it-yourself...

HG

[rainbowgardener]

Re the collect your own seedS: I do collect a lot of seeds, have a bunch of envelopes full of them on my kitchen table right now. However, not everything is easy to collect seeds from and if you grow hybrids, they don't necessarily come true from seeds. And I always like to try new things that I haven't grown before . So even though I harvest seeds, I also buy them and when I do, I buy organic!

[soil]

and if you grow hybrids, they don't necessarily come true from seed

to me that is the best part. a nice diversity of selection to choose from, and over time choosing your favorite or the ones that do best in your climate. gives me much more satisfaction.

but hey...to each his own...