How to Select the Right Seeds for Your Garden

Blankets of snow and cold weather have most people hunkering down for the winter. While this is not a common time for growing food in Iowa, it can be one of the most fun and inspiring times for gardeners and food producers. As the planting beds are sleeping, this is a wonderful time to plan what to grow next season and to do your garden seed selection.

A special aspect of growing your own food is the ability to select different plant varieties than what you typically find at the grocery store. Many classic fruits and vegetables have unique and vibrant varieties that can add extra color and flavor to your garden and kitchen. This allows you to vary your diet and get creative. Additional plant diversity is also beneficial for the soil, which can enhance your plants even further.

As experienced food growers know, it is essential to only select seeds that can grow and thrive where they will be planted. Thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plant hardiness map, this is easy to determine. The map divides the country into zones based on temperatures and growing seasons. For example, there are four growing zones in Iowa, as can be seen on the map. Marion County, where we are, is in Zone 5b.

USDA ​​Map

Garden Seed Selection Types

There are many terms you may-or may not-see while browsing for seeds. Knowing what these mean can help you choose the best varieties for your needs. Types of seeds include:

• Open pollinated –These seeds are produced by plants that pollinate naturally on their own, whether through self pollination, interactions with pollinators, or via the wind. Their seeds can be saved from year-to-year and when properly cultivated will grow a similar plant each time. These seeds are typically very common and affordable.

• Heirloom – These are open pollinated seeds that are a result of continued seed saving. Heirloom varieties have often been passed down for 50 years or more, or have specific cultural significance. Many have their own stories and specific histories that can add a meaningful element to their continued cultivation.

Harvest of various heirloom tomatoes, including Amish paste, white tomesol, black beauty, and blue berries tomatoes. Photo by Kelsey Willardson

• Hybrid –These are created by hand-pollinating specific parent plants to create a consistent seed variety with specific, intentional characteristics. Hybrids are not made in a laboratory, but require very human cultivation or isolation to produce precise results, such as greater pest or disease resistance or increased fruit production. These seeds cannot be saved from year-to-year like open-pollinated seeds. While some seeds harvested from hybrid plants may grow, they will not reflect the plant they came from but rather one of the original parent plants and will typically have poorer production. Due to the increased labor needed to produce these seeds, they tend to be more expensive than open-pollinated varieties. 

• Genetically modified organisms (GMO) – These seeds are developed using advanced technology which combines the DNA of unrelated plants or organisms to create specific plant characteristics when grown. As of right now, these are not commonly available or sold to gardeners. The few that are sold are done through special order. These seeds may not have a GMO label, but the packaging will contain words like “bioengineered” or “patented variety.” They will also have a disclaimer limiting the sale of produced fruits or seeds. These seeds are not meant to be saved year-to-year and are expensive.

These types of seeds can then be further categorized by how the parent plants were grown:

• Conventional – This is the most common type of seeds, often seen in grocery, hardware, and gardening stores. Synthetic, or man-made, pesticides and fertilizers are able to be used on the plants that create these seeds. They are not labeled as “conventional,” but it can be assumed if it is not otherwise labeled as organic. 

• Organic – These seeds come from plants that were grown organically. All inputs, including any fertilizers or pesticides used, must be organic or approved in organic guidelines. If you would like to learn more about how “organic” is defined and labeled, please join us on January 15th at the Knoxville Public Library for The Roots of Organic event.

Early season Filius blue hot peppers. Photo courtesy of Kelsey Willardson

Growing different variations of your favorite fruits and vegetables, or growing something new altogether, have many benefits. For example, yellow and white tomatoes are often lower in acid, making them easier for some to eat raw while maintaining flavor. Plant varieties of different colors can offer additional nutritional benefits while also brightening your pantry and plate. 

Heirloom seeds carry history and give us the ability to grow favorites from our childhoods all the way to the foods our ancestors ate.  

As you plan for the coming growing season, consider the benefits of adding more plant diversity into your space to enrich your soil and your plate. Be bold and try out a new variety of an old favorite or something entirely new!

Seed Sources

Here are a few of our favorite local sources for seeds. Check them out!

• Seed Savers Exchange – Based in Decorah, Iowa, this organization collects and preserves seed varieties. You can purchase or exchange seeds on their website. 

• Baker Creek/Rare Seeds – Located in Mansfield, Missouri, this farm produces an extensive variety of heirloom seeds. They encourage seed saving and sharing.

• Thresh Seed Co. – They produce over 600 varieties of chemical-free heirloom seeds in Stuart, Iowa. 

• Sand Hill Preservation Center – Located in Calamus, Iowa, this farm producers heirloom seeds and poultry and have been responsible for saving more than 675 plant varieties since 1988.

Written by Kelsey Willardson, Community Health Outreach Manager at Mint 'N More Foundation.