Fresh seeds generally give better germination, but the difference varies depending on the type of plant and how carefully the seeds are stored, and whether the new seeds were collected at the correct time, etc.

If you save Okra seed they will still make Okra and unless you are selling seeds I don't think it would matter if they were crossbred or not. Tomato seeds from hybrid are an other matter some will come back like the original but most wont. Squash, peppers & pumpkins will generally be ok to keep. But if they were picked green their germination may not be good.

If production is the most important thing to you then sticking with named varieties that you have kept pure would be the best option. With hybrids and cross pollinated varieties they could have terrible production or they could be great. However, you won't know until you grow them and if they are lousy producers or are bland in taste then you'll have wasted space on something not really worth growing. Not saying that growing unknowns isn't fun (and I do so with a few plants every year) but it's better to know what you'll get most of the time.

I would, and have, planted older seeds rather than take chances on new seeds that may have been cross pollinated (especially when it comes to peppers). Even at a 2-3 years old most vegetable seeds don't show much of a drop off in germination.

authereray- I disagree when you say "Squash, peppers & pumpkins will generally be ok to keep."

Squash and pumpkins are VERY promiscuous. It's probably the most prone vegetable to cross pollinating that the average home gardener/seed saver will grow (unless one grows several varieties of corn or saves seeds from various brassicas). Just do a search for all the "mystery squash" or "squash ID" threads over on the vegetable gardening forum. There are many every year.

Rodney

I guess that it would depend on how many different varieties of squash, peppers & pumpkins you were growing in your garden.

Also depends on what your next door neighbor is growing and the little old lady across the street and the guy 5 houses down with the ugly dog that barks constantly at nothing. :)

Rodney

1. Well Rodney, I see you " get around" too. I see organic gardening requires checking and trying to pay attention to many aspects of organic gardening. Seed Saving, hmmm. I have definite likes and a rather small garden area. For instance, I like French green beans because they are very tender. I ordered the seeds from a non-GMO seed catalog, it is my belief that the genetics of this veggy are well established so one raised bed of the same I will be using to harvest the seed from. I will not/do not grow any other variety of bean to eliminate possibility of cross-pollination.

3. The tomato plants that I started from seed were saved from a tomato I purchased from the store, even though I had purchased seed from that same catalog and the same type of tomato but thought since the seeds from the store tomato came up ok I would save the purchased seeds for next year. However, seeds from this type of tomato are F1, hybrid, I found out. While researching info on GMO, GENETIC ENGINEERING, GENETIC HYBRIDIZATION, HYBRIDIZATION, CROSS-POLLINATION, I came to the conclusion that: 1) the seeds from store tomato would be F2.

4. 2) seeds bought from catalog being F1's the fruit would yield F2 seeds and the F2 seeds may/may not produce a reliable, true to form tomato with the characteristics I want ergo this veggy I may have to grow only F1's that must be purchased.

5. Peppers, I like bells and Hungarian peppers period, they are self pollinating but could cross if precautions are not taken, segregation is not enough in my small garden I have to put up a physical barrier to keep Hungarian pepper seeds true. I only go to this extreme because I can't seem to always find these plants at nursery, or be able to determine from seed catalog's descriptions what is a t r u e Hungarian pepper.

6. red sun, this comment help? That said it's ur garden/hobby, who says we have to take the word some scientist/horticulturist experimenting for ourselves is fun. :)

Try 1015Y Texas Sweet, Candy & Big Daddy onions they are all sweet as any onion from Georgia and can be grown about any where.

After a few search engin tries, I stumbled on a site related to Georgia soil. Yes the type of onion is important but I wondered if soil was important. Georgia receives 3.5 in. + rain which flushes Sulfur out. Low sulfur, high Ph 6.3-6.8 is credited with producing sweeter onions. Sooo, I am going to take a raised bed fill it with soil that is composed of 1/2 compost, 1/2 sand, and add this lime stuff I found at Lowes called Lawn & Garden Lime + Soluable Calcium. I will keep Well Watered. Voila, I think this should mimic Georgia soil. Right now I only have red onions, bunching onions leeks all grown from seed, some garlic started from left over bulbs bought at store, and multiplying onions. Since I probably can't order the variety of onions authereray suggested til spring transplanting what I have, since they are still young enough, will just be an experiment and a test to see if this Created Georgia Soil will grow or kill these onions that I have and possibly influence the taste. I'll leave a few of each in my regular soil for comparison tasting. Either I was dropped on my head at birth or inhaled to many weed seeds while gardening which might explain my need for a challenge and extra work in the garden but it does keep me off the streets and out of trouble huh. :)

"Well Rodney, I see you " get around" too."

I frequent many forums here. This site is a great source of information and I enjoy reading others' experiences and gardening practices and whatnot.

As for the onions, if you want "Georgia soil" then you'd best take a trip to Georgia and dig some up. :) Because you won't be able to recreate its texture, water holding abilities, and nutrient composition (not that all of Georgia has the same soil to begin with). But even if you did dig some up you wouldn't be able to recreate the exact growing conditions that Georgia has. So if you want a sweet onion you'll have to grow a variety that's known to be sweeter and less pungent. Candy is a variety that was already suggested and it gets rave reviews. Here's one source for Candy plants. (I am not affiliated with the company I have linked.)

Rodney

1. I am stubborn. But hey let a gardener have fun proving u right. I think it's to late to get a shipment of Candy or any onion now, so I'll just putz through the experiment. Keeps me off the streets. I have just about all the components: raised bed wood (wood cheap 2x4 pine is Shou-sugi-ban ed and coated with soy wax, tractor trailer loaded with dirt, compost to mix in, lime, just need to assemble tomorrow then cut some grass to throw in bottom of bed, add improved soil and lime) voila, ready for some of my home grown onions. :)

Hey theforgottenone1013, the raised bed is done. The bed contains: mushroom compost, composted cow manure, compost, sandy garden soil (think I will add bag of Play Sand to make soil even sandier), 2lb lime with calcium.

.Average annual rainfall Vidalia, Georgia. 51.17. or 4.264/ mo. .

Average annual rainfall Bithlo, Florida. 39.39 or 3.28/mo. .

Average temp Vidalia, Georgia. Hi 81F. Lo 51.7. .

Average temp Bithlo, Florida. Hi 92.25 Lo 49.75.

pH required. 6.2 - 6.8. .lots of organic matter. .sandy soil. .lo sulfur

1. Low sulfur soils that keep the bulbs from developing a pungent taste. Regular onions derive their hot taste from sulfur-containing compounds. It’s these compounds that eventually make you cry when you cut them:

\When sliced, the cells release enzymes that break down the sulfur compounds and generate sulfenic acids, unstable chemicals that turn into a volatile gas called sulfuric acid that wafts through the air to your eyes. That’s why Vidalias cause fewer tears!

Pioneer.com, vidaliaonion.org (can't get this puppy to hi lite with "link" button sorry)

only gave 2 sites but reviewed others, lo sulfur would not be good for other veggies so this bed is designated onions only.

irrigation.wsu.edu, water.usgs.gov 4 in./mo. Rainfall equals 50gal./mo. Or 12.5gal./wk. . 3 in./mo. Rainfall equals 37gal./mo. Or 9.25gal./wk

So if I measure my weekly rainfall each week then I can calculate how many more gallons I need to match Vidalia, Georgia's rainfall average.

Here's the opening paragraph from a Penn State Extension publication http://extension.psu.edu/plants/vegetable-fruit/news/2010/factors-affecting-pungency-in-sweet-onions :

"In order to produce a truly sweet onion, a number of factors must be considered. The process begins with the selection of a variety that possesses suitable genetic characteristics. Variety is the main factor in determining pungency in onion cultivars."

And this is from a University of Florida Extension publication http://hendry.ifas.ufl.edu/HCHortNews_Onions.htm :

"Sweet "Vidalia" onions have become very popular over the past few years. These sweet, large bulbed onions are produced in the vicinity of Vidalia, Georgia."..."To be marketed as a true "Vidalia," an onion must be grown in the Vidalia area and conform to the Yellow-Granex type.

So what is so special about "Vidalia" onions? In a word-nothing, but a very clever sales promotion. The Granex-type of onion, along with the old Texas Grano are short day varieties that do well under Florida conditions. This type of onion is typified by the Granex 33 strain. Granex 33 has been the standard recommended onion variety for farm and garden in our state for many years. Testing and research with sweet onions in the Hastings area, near Saint Augustine, has demonstrated that Florida grown onions could match the quality of the proper "Vidalia."

This is good news for local gardeners, who wish to produce their own sweet onions. Gardeners, who wish to grow a sweet bulbing onion should select a Granex-type short day variety."

So while it's true there are some environmental factors that can make an onion more or less pungent or sweet. Such as giving them plenty of water, growing them at the right time for your area, giving them plenty of nitrogen, and having low sulfur soil (all of which is just good onion growing protocol). The actual variety of onion is the most important of all. If you plant two different varieties, one of which is known for being sweet with the other being known for good storage qualities, under the exact same conditions they will not taste the same. The sweet onion will be sweeter while the storage onion will be more pungent. That's just how it is.

Rodney

Ok Rodney, thanks for sites, and yes I under stand genetics are verrry important. I just ordered from Park SeedCo. Candy, Granex 33, Shallots, all seeds but I should have enough time to grow from seed and plant (I have freeze protection if we get a frost) and enough seed for any screw ups. I could not find Old Texas Grano. :)

Willhite Seed Co. in Texas is a good place for seed.