Bentley Vegetable, Herb & Flower Seed Packs

Guide to vegetable seed lingo:

Hybrid cultivars are produced by cross-pollinating different varieties within the same species. Seeds labeled as hybrid or F1 occurred because breeders wanted plants with a desirable trait, like disease resistance. If seeds from hybrids are saved to grow again, the plants will revert back to one of the parent plants.

Open Pollinated varieties are seeds produced through natural pollination, without any help from humans. Seeds saved from open-pollinated plants will regrow the same plant each time.

Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated varieties that have been passed along across generations. All heirloom seeds are open-pollinated, but not all open-pollinated seeds are heirlooms. Heirloom seeds can be saved to grow again.

Organic seeds are those that are grown and processed following the standards set by the USDA’s National Organic Program. The “USDA ORGANIC” label on seed packets assures gardeners the seeds were grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides or genetically engineered seeds and materials.

Treated seeds are those coated with a chemical, like a fungicide or pesticide. Treated seeds are identified by their label or the color of seeds and are not organic. Some gardeners choose to plant treated seeds, like beets, so they can avoid problems due to soilborne pathogens.

GMO seeds are genetically engineered by modifying genes from unrelated species in a laboratory. There are no genetically modified garden seeds available for sale to the general public. GMO production crops like field corn, soy, canola, and sugar beets are grown in the U.S. but are not available to the home gardener.