Heirloom and Open Pollinated Seeds

Certified organic: Seeds harvested, stored, and handled under the guidelines
required by the USDA & National Organic Program (NOP).

Heirloom: An Open Pollinated Variety whose seed lines have been maintained and
passed down over 50 years by generations of gardeners and farmers, prized for traits such as
appearance and flavor. All Heirlooms are open Pollinated.

It is not considered synonymous with “organic”; while heirloom refers to the genetic makeup of a
plant variety passed down through generations, “organic” refers to how the plant was grown,
meaning an heirloom plant can be grown conventionally (with chemicals) or organically, so you
need to check the label to know for sure if an heirloom seed or plant is organic.

Key points to remember:

• Heirloom means genetics: “Heirloom” only describes the genetic lineage of a
  plant variety, not how it was cultivated.
• Organic means growing practices: “Organic” refers to a specific set of
  farming practices that exclude synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
• You can have both: You can have heirloom seeds that are also organic, but
  not all heirloom seeds are automatically organic.

Open pollinated (OP): A seed Variety that can reproduce itself in kind,
demonstrating relatively stable traits from one generation to the next. Seeds saved from OP
varieties will produce plants very similar to their parents. Whereas Hybrids will not.

Itself does not mean “organic”; it refers to how a plant is pollinated, not how it’s grown, so a
plant can be open pollinated but still grown with non-organic methods; however, most organic
seeds available are open pollinated, allowing gardeners to save seeds from their harvest to
plant again in future seasons.

Key points:

• Open pollination: This means a plant is pollinated naturally by wind,
  insects, or birds, not through human intervention with specific pollen sources.
• Organic: This refers to a growing method that avoids synthetic pesticides
  and fertilizers.

Seeds can be kept for years in proper storage. Ideally cool and dry temperature less than 40 degrees. Can also be kept in the freezer.