Hybrid vs Heirloom
Ash Barsody, Anoka County Extension Master Gardener
When a gardener goes to buy vegetable seeds, one of the first questions they must approach is hybrid or heirloom? But how do we know to choose one over the other? Each type serves it's own purpose and each gardener must determine what is the best fit for them. Specifically, let’s look at tomatoes, but this question is applicable to other vegetables as well, such as cucumbers or peppers, fruits and even flowers like snapdragons or petunias.
First of all, what is an heirloom variety? Heirloom plants are open-pollinated, meaning that the seed they produce is the same as the parent plant. They rely on natural pollination from insects or wind. Often heirloom varieties have been saved and passed down in this way for many years, handed down through multiple generations of families. Heirloom tomatoes offer a great variety of colors, shapes and flavors for home gardeners. However, they often lack disease resistance to common garden problems like blight or fungal wilt. Sometimes they are just not as vigorous producers as hybrids. Some varieties have soft skins that may be susceptible to bruising during harvest.
Hybrids, by contrast, are not open-pollinated. They are developed as first generation crosses between two very specific parent varieties by transferring pollen from the flowers of one variety, to the flowers of another variety. The resulting fruit is harvested for seeds known as F1 hybrids. These hybrids often show increased vigor and heightened disease resistance. Growers often select hybrids for fruit uniformity or skins that better withstand some handling. Not all crosses between two parent strains produce superior child plants, but the exact crosses for each successful variety is a secret to whoever produces that particular hybrid.
There are some downsides to hybrids, as well. The seeds produced on hybrid plants won’t produce true, so there’s no telling what qualities the child plants might have. Sometimes the hybrid either creates sterile offspring or doesn't produce any seeds. Hybrid seeds have to be repurchased from the supplier every year or when they run out. Also, many people find that they don’t enjoy the flavor of hybrid tomatoes as much as heirloom, but as taste is subjective, that’s up to the individual.
When discussing hybrid plants, it’s important to mention what a hybrid plant is not. Hybrid plants are not GMO, or genetically modified organisms. GMO plants are developed in laboratories, while hybrids are created out in the field via pollen transfer. GMOs are a hot debate topic, but hybrids are not involved in it.
So which one to grow, hybrids or heirlooms? You don’t have to choose between them. If you’re growing more than one tomato plant, you can choose one or two of each for variety. I like to grow half hybrid and half heirloom, so that I get a few interesting heirlooms each year and have a few strong producing hybrids as well. So pay attention to what the varieties say they are, and choose according to your garden’s needs.
Save the date April 4, 2020 for Anoka County Master Gardener's Home Landscaping & Garden Fair. Register online www.anokamastergardeners.org or call 612-301-1210.