F1 Seeds?

[Potstubsdustbins]

I grow a mix of both and have no arguments with either, growing for taste in containers I use what ever seed suits the job and my palette.

As to expense I don't find F1 seed in the slightest expensive, this is one of my hobbies and as such I expect to spend a bob or two. Just wish my other hobbies were as cheap.............

[Chris11]

It's just that F1s are bred for certain features - that could be something as useful as blight resistance or it could be growing to a height of 45cm and then stopping - and it's easier/cheaper for seed merchants to keep producing F1 seed than to go to the time and expense of stabilising it to an open pollinated seed variety.

I think the biggest cost in producing F1s is maintaining the inbred parent lines, which will have known genotypes and may have a code rather than a name. For example the parent breeding lines for Mountain Magic F1 are known as 'NC 2 CELBR' and 'NC 2 Grape'. Obviously there is also the cost of preventing self pollination and ensuring the practicalities of which male bits of one plant line do the deed with which female bits of the other

Stabilising an OP variety would actually be easier and cheaper. Although the breeder can then lose control of the variety, that's not the only reason they don't / can't do it and get the desired results.

Some of the benefits of F1s are hybrid vigour generally, and also heterozygosity for certain genes that are crucial to the F1 characteristics. Some of these genes are beneficial if there is only one copy, but could be detrimental (deleterious) if there are two copies. The sickle cell anaemia gene is the text book example for humans. One copy protects you against malaria, two copies are seriously detrimental.

For a tomato example, some commercial F1s have a delayed ripening gene which I think needs to be present as a single copy in the heterozygous F1. You couldn't establish this characteristic in an OP variety, because after a few generations the new, stabilised breeding line or strain would be largely homozygous again.

The same might be true for other characteristics like blight resistance in tomatoes or dwarfism genes for more compact chilli plants.

[Thelma Sanders]

Agree with previous posts. I try to find non f1 seed that suits my purpose, as we need to keep seed of older/standard varieties available.
Having said that, I find that in some situations only f1s will do.
eg I choose f1 club root resistant brassicas, and f1 cucumbers and courgettes that don't need pollinating and f1 sweetcorn because I think it tastes better, f1 leeks because they are rust resistant etc etc. They have also bred tomato varieties resistant to blight, which may be the only way to grow them outside, with blight becoming a yearly occurrence

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with f1s - you just need to choose what suits you and your growing conditions.

[Alison]

the F1s to make it more likely you have crops available when you need them

I find quite the opposite, the F1s tend to be often all ready at the same time which isn't what I want at all - would much rather crop over a long period but that doesn't fit with commercial and mechanised harvesting.

[burnie]

I've not grown a massive amount of F1 seeds, but I've not seen this problem of all fruiting the same size/shape at the same time, indeed the Sweetcorn I grew this year came along nicely at intervals and sadly weren't all huge, but all sizes.

[vixylix]

I find quite the opposite, the F1s tend to be often all ready at the same time which isn't what I want at all - would much rather crop over a long period but that doesn't fit with commercial and mechanised harvesting.

I'd argue the same applies to a non F1 seed though... that's why we sow successionally! I sow F1 seeds successionally (or not as the case may be ) exactly the same as I would for a non F1 seed - that for me is the difference between being a potterer, and being a commercial seller

[Alison]

I'd argue the same applies to a non F1 seed though... that's why we sow successionally! I sow F1 seeds successionally (or not as the case may be ) exactly the same as I would for a non F1 seed - that for me is the difference between being a potterer, and being a commercial seller

Probably depends on what it is you're growing, I find that some F1s are very much bred for easy harvesting which commercially will be better in one fell swoop. However the likes of leafy greens and salad stuffs always benefit from successional sowing. Guessing you have to do what works for you and learn as you go along . Do wish that seed companies would be more honest though, particularly the bigger distributers, if you read their catalogues you'd think that everything was a wonder seed / plant!