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Open Pollinated definitions

I'm sure there is a very simple, techie way to describe OP vs hybrids, but 
for me, it's the ability for a seed to reproduce itself exactly like it's 
parent plant. Most hybrids have lost this ability through crossbreeding.

I attempted to send this response to someone who asked me directly, and it 
bounced. So, I'm sending to the whole square foot gardening list instead.

Open Pollinated seed -vs- hybrids.

Not a dumb question, and if you're going to garden and learn about the 
things you put in your gardens (and hopefully, your families), you need to 
know this.
Open Pollinated simply means that a pair of identical plants made that seed. 
Sounds pretty simplistic, but, actually, crossbreeding has been the rage and 
norm for many years and OP seed is becoming somewhat hard to find. The 
reason they hybridize is because of 'hybrid vigor', usually more drouth and 
disease resistance built into the seed capabilities. But, you have to rebuy 
your seed annually, so they get you there.

I'm a cheap gardener, and so I want to save seed from my own harvests so I 
can replant the same thing if I truly liked the outcome.  (I've seen my 
vegetables adapt to my own microclimate if I have the patience to plant seed 
from successive generations.)
If you plant a VFFNT Better Big Bob tomato (made up the name & the letter 
designation), but you'll see similar in all the popular catalogs), you can 
bet it's a hybrid.  That is, if you saved seed from the tomatoes you get, 
you might get another bbb, but chances it will revert to a wilder, less 
stable parent.

Now, even trickier because you can plant two open pollinated types of corn, 
and if they are setting silks at the same time, you'll have created your own 
hybridization program, and unknowingly, next year, have oddball corn 
harvests.  Good squash will rampantly interbreed with other types, and 
generally, the outcome is disaster for the producer.

You probably have planted tomato or other seedlings you bought in the 
nursery. Chances are they were hybrids and probably did ok for you. The real 
underlying problem with hybrids is that they're created to work 'ok' over a 
wide range of climates.  More of the commercial growers turn to hybrids 
because the seed is cheap and readily available, and the crop will produce 
something they can depend on to do whatever it says for their particular 
market. The problem is in case of some truly disastrous seasons, much of a 
certain type can become wiped out over the entire growing range.  This could 
spell disaster for the livestock feed producers, or the commercial vegetable 
grower who depends on only one or two types of produce for their livlihood. 
Open Pollinated seed equals to diversification, and the more types of plants 
we can grow, the better chance more of it will flourish.

I probably told you more than you asked for, but 'in a nutshell', there it 
is!
If you want to discuss this more, please e-mail me at my home address:
flylo@txcyber.com  (the server at work is fairly unreliable about when 
messages will be sent.)
thanks,
martha
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