What is an Heirloom seed?

The first question that comes to mind when discussing heirloom seed is, what is an heirloom seed. What does this mean and how is it different from hybrid or GMO seed. The standard definition of heirloom seed is that they come from open pollinated plants that pass on similar characteristics and traits from the parent plant to the child plant. Open pollinated refers to the way the plants reproduce. Generally speaking the plants reproduce by pollinating naturally by birds, insects, wind or human hands. This means that if you save the seeds you get a plant that is exactly the same as the parent. A hybrid plant is a cross between two different species of plant most often done at a business that creates hybrids, the seeds from these plants are usually either sterile or produce a plant with different characteristics from the parent plant. Hybrids usually require more water and fertilizer than heirlooms. Next is GMO seed. GMO stands for genetically modified organism. These plants are bred not in a garden but in a laboratory using modern biotechnology techniques like gene splicing. Scientists modify a seed’s DNA to ensure the resulting plant produces the desired characteristics. Many countries ban the sale of GMO vegetables in favor of heirloom or hybrid. I have found most heirloom plants to be easier to grow because they have adapted to their native climate, and they are also more beautiful to look at and have more flavor. I hope this was helpful as a very general introduction to heirloom seed!