If you want to save the seeds and insure they remain true then you need to grow what are called "open-pollinated" varieties. All heirloom varieties are open pollinated but only some open-pollinated varieties are considered heirlooms. Most are not. "Heirloom" is more of a marketing/advertising ploy than anything else and seed vendors just love to slap that label on something whether it is true or not. You'll find a great FAQ and more details over on the Seed Saving forum here. Dave

I am a very bad forum user! I didn't search the forum before posting this question. I found my answers through a question that was exactly the same as mine. I don't know how to delete a post or I would have done that instead. So, ooops! Never mind. :-) Thanks guys. I promise to be better in the future!

The simplistic explanation is called climate adaptation (among other labels) - the seeds Mother Nature planted had time to adapt to their environment and maybe 1 in 100 adapted and survived to germinate and of those maybe 1 in 50 live a normal life. The seeds we plant have had no such adaptation time and we plant far less seeds and expect near 100% germination of healthy long=lived plants. And we often get it simply because we waited when Mom didn't. Mother nature is really a lousy mother when it comes to taking care of her kids. She's the "Good Luck, Kid. You're on your own." kind of mother. But that really is overly -simplistic and much of the confusion results from mis-interpretation or mis-applicationof guidelines. For example: guidelines are written in broad generalities in the hopes of applying to most situations and to provide the best odds for success. So "Plants started too early outside will end up less vigorous than plants started when warmer." is referring to seeds direct seeded outdoors when warmer, not to transplants - seeds and transplants are two very different things - and is very true simply because the seedling once germinated under ideal conditions will be less stressed, less damaged, more healthy than the seed that germinates under less than ideal conditions. Plus the folks that write these guidelines know that we always want to rush the spring planting season - to our own detriment - so they say anything they can to try to slow us down. It seldom works. ;-) Dave

First, I would get away from that term... 'inorganic'. Inorganic has a specific meaning, and it has little to do with organic certification, or horticultural practices. Perhaps a better term is non-organic - used in context (in the US anyway) of organic certification. Next, if you're hoping that a profit-seeking venture will be able to follow practices outlined in the organic certification, and compete with non-organic horticultural methods and products... meh... not easily done. Look at seed catalogues. Same varieties, but produced using different methods. The organically produced seeds cost more. Is it a true economic cost difference, or what the demand for organics will bear? I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me if the methods and practices to receive the certifications require more effort and cost. It's a conundrum. On one hand, the certifications have standards that must be met and 'proven' if inspected. On the other hand, without the certification, who's to say what the unscrupulous will pass off as 'organic'. And then there's the problem with marketing terminology. If I were to sell something at a farmer's market, and while I may have met every criteria for 'organic', without the certification problems could arise if I mention the term 'organic' in a way that would lead someone to believe I was selling it as 'organic produce'. And then there's someone like me who has little concern for the effect of synthetically derived fertilizers on plants or my body (I don't buy them - as I don't wish to support their manufacture - but I have no qualms about using them.) What I do not use are chemical 'cides... pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, etc. However, not all products that are approved for use in the certification program are those I would use in my garden. So, can certified organic products compete with non-organic certified products? I don't know... it's doubtful. Just the economies of scale are a hurdle that in itself would be hard to jump into and compete. Are you going to go national overnight? Look at Bonnie Plants... not an easy task to approach.