Organic Watermelon Seeds

Organic Seed Terminology

There are many terms associated with organic seeds that you might encounter while shopping for organic watermelon seed:

• Organic: As in the rest of the food world, organically produced seeds are taken from plants that have been grown without pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals.
• Open-pollinated: Instead of being a genetic hybrid, as many plants are today, these plants are selected by the grower as having the most desirable traits. They are not formed through a cross of two different kinds of plants.
• Non-hybrid: Similar to open-pollinated, this term means that the plants are not genetic hybrids and instead have been hand-selected by farmers through the years.
• Non-GMO: This term means the plant does not contain genetically modified organisms.
• Heirloom: There's no standard definition of heirloom, but it usually refers to open-pollinated seeds for varieties that have been collected and saved for at least 50 years. There are many heirloom tomato varieties, as well as other plants.

Why Organic Seeds?

Like anything else that you buy in its organic form, organic seeds are produced in a sustainable way that is better for the plants and the planet.

Organic and heirloom seeds are tested varieties that have been used by farmers and gardeners for many years, so it's likely that you will have success with them as well. These seeds grow predictably strong, healthy plants that produce a lot of vegetables or fruit.

Because the plants are open-pollinated and not hybrids, you can collect and save the seeds from your plants and successfully grow plants from those seeds the next year. This makes organics a thrifty option, though you may pay slightly more for your first-generation seed.

Using non-hybrids keeps the old foods alive. You'll never find a Golden Midget, a gold-skinned watermelon with salmon-colored flesh, at your local garden store--but you can buy it from Seed Savers (see below). Choosing varieties that look and taste different form the things you can buy in the grocery store makes gardening a lot more fun.

Many people think that food produced from organic seed tastes better than produce that comes from hybrids. These plants grow vegetables that taste like the food you might remember from your grandmother's garden. It's the way food is supposed to taste-—full of flavor and lacking pesticides.

Finding Organic Watermelon Seeds

There are many places online you can find organic watermelon seeds. For example, you may be able to find organic seeds at your local natural foods store, farmers' cooperative or garden center.

Here are some places to check out if you can't find organic seeds locally:

• Organic Seed offers three varieties: Sugar Baby, Crimson Sweet and Early Moonbeam.
• Grow Organic has the All Sweet, Crimson Sweet and Moon and Stars varieties. The Moon and Stars watermelon has dark skin with yellow splotches that look like the moon and stars.
• Genesis Seed offers the Crimson Sweet, Sugar Baby and Malali, which is from Israel.
• Local Harvest has All Sweet seeds.
• Seed Savers has more than 15 varieties of watermelon seeds, including Small Shining Light, Orangego and Cream of Saskatchewan varieties. These are true heirlooms and a wonderful way to preserve the genetic history of plants.

A Watermelon Contest

If you have kids (or a spouse) and want to grow watermelons, and you happen to have a lot of space in your yard, it can be a lot of fun to have a watermelon growing contest.

Each person can pick a variety of watermelon they would like to grow, or you can choose to grow the same variety. Each person gets a plot of yard and a few seeds to work with. That person is responsible for taking care of his or her plant.

When harvest time comes, you can see who grew the biggest watermelon, or just the most delicious one.

Gardening together as a family is a great way to stay connected to the earth and to remind you why we choose organic products in the first place.