Organic Garden Seed Terms

When it comes to garden seeds, especially organic garden seeds there are all sorts of kooky sounding terms that go along with it. Sort some of the basics out below.

Genetically Modified Organism: More common is the abbreviation GMO. This term applies to any animal or plant that has been genetically engineered. Most folks who believe in organic gardening do not support GMO due to the fact that much more research is needed before it’s considered 100% safe. Also note, most GMO seeds are sold to commercial not home gardeners. Learn more about the GMO debate.

Heirloom vs. Hybrid: These two terms do not mandate organic or non-organic. Both can be organic or not. Heirloom simply means the seeds from a plant have been saved over the long term and grown for years. A hybrid seed is not the same as a GMO seed. Hybrid means a cross breeding between plants that results in a new plant with attributes of both; it does not necessarily mean that a plant is GMO. Hybrids can occur naturally.

Natural seeds: This is a bunk term. It could mean anything, it certainly does not mean certified organic, and should be ignored if your goal is actual organic.

Treated seeds: Some seeds are treated with chemicals in order to make the seed more resistant to disease, fungus, or to make it more likely to germinate successfully. Since organic seeds can not be treated with chemicals (see below), treated seeds should not be considered organic.

Certified organic seeds: True USDA organics must, by law, be grown without the aid of synthetic fertilizers, chemicals, pesticides, or herbicides.

Note, organic certification is different than the organic label. For example many seed companies carry the USDA organic seal, but have different certifying parties. If you want to be sure that a company is carrying seeds that meet your standards, you should look for the USDA label but you can also look up information about the organization who certified them and look up their GMO statement. Reputable organic seed companies will list all of this info at their website, in their catalogs, or tell you about it if you call them up.

[image via stock.xchng]