Saving Seeds From Hybrid Plants

Saving seeds from our favorite plants in order to grow them again next year, is a great way to propagate your own fruit, flowers, and vegetables.

A word of caution however if you're thinking about saving seed from hybrid plants. You need to understand that any plants grown from seeds of hybrids will not come true to type.

Let me explain.

Hybrid seed is created by crossing two highly inbred cultivars.

When the two inbred parents are crossed with each other, the result is F1 hybrid seed.

The seed companies have to repeat this exact same cross every year to produce F1 hybrid seed, such as 'Bolero' marigolds, or 'Early Girl' tomatoes.

These F1 hybrids have the best of both parents giving them hybrid vigor, but any seed that comes from a hybrid will be something completely different.

This is no bad thing. You just might come up with a really great new tomato growing seeds from hybrids. Just keep in mind, that any seed from a hybrid plant will not be true to type, and will not resemble the plant it came from.

You will always easily know if the plants you have are hybrids or not because every plant and seed packet is marked on its label.

For more about seed saving and how to do it - read: How To Save Seeds

For more Gardening Tips and Gardening Advice visit our main gardening website at Weekend Gardener Monthly Web Magazine - www.weekendgardener.net

Have good week!