Heirloom Seeds

I agree with coppice.... and I am not as impressed with the OP fruits as I think I ought to be. I grow both Op and hybrids, I have had better results with the hybrids than OP's. I like to save seeds when I can and I have seen a few video's on returning a hybrid to an OP. If I had a garden where I could do the work I would try it. It takes about 7 seasons to grow a plant back out selecting the best or most desirable traits you are looking for and a bit of room to do it as you will need to grow quite a few of them.

If I am not mistaking a variety has to be at least 25 YO in order to qualify for heirloom.

An open pollinated plant is a plant that there was no control on how it was pollinated, but it should come true to the parent plant. This is true for the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, they are all in the same family. They have what is called a perfect flower. the pollen forms and drops onto the stamen (due to movement of the plant from the breeze) before the flowers open, therefore pollinating itself before any insects or the wind can cross pollinate them. this is why you don't generally see insects buzzing around them in the garden. Cross pollination takes place when the gardener makes the effort to remove the flower petals from the plant before it is open and hand pollinates (with a preselected pollen) the stamen that is exposed. The flower parts that are hand pollinated then get a bag of some kind over it to protect it from any contamination from another flowers' pollen floating in the wind or the insects looking for a drink.

This is an interesting thread. Thanks everyone for your input. I save some seed but not all. My goal is veggies and flowers that can can handle this dang desert heat.

Every year I save Roma and punta banda tomato seed because they do well for me. If I had to, I could get by with just those varieties. But I also plant Early Girl hybrid tomatoes and I'm trying Super Sioux (hybrid) this year because it's supposed to handle heat. We'll see.

I planted a hybrid bell pepper, Karma, that grew like gang busters. Then I got heirloom fever and didn't plant any last year. That was a mistake. The OP varieties didn't do nearly as well. So, I'm going plant both this year.

I have some black-eyed peas (pole type) that the Native Americans plant here. I love that pea and save seed every year.

I've been saving watermelon seed for several years. They were from the grocery store. My guess is sugar baby but I really don't know. Anyway, they grow every year.

In this heat, I've learned to go with what grows well. I don't care if it's hybrid or open pollinated although OP is my preference. I figure at $1.00 for one bell pepper, if the hybrid does best I'm planting that.

Heirloom varieties have been around a long time because people who grow them have good luck with them and like the flavor. I'm not convinced it means superior variety for every gardener.