How to Breed Vegetables

So you're a vegetable grower who is curious about how to breed your own veggie varieties, and how the selective breeding process works for plants. We got you!

Breeding vegetables is an exciting process, allowing you to select for traits that you value and trying interesting crosses that aren't available on the market (or are entirely new).

This is a natural step to take beyond seed-saving, so be sure you've already become proficient at that as a requisite skill on the path to creating your own plant varieties. Check out our Seed-Saving article to learn or brush up on that skillset.

Why Breed Vegetables?

Seed Sovereignty

Check out our article on Seed Sovereignty to learn more.

How Do You Know Which Vegetables Can Crossbreed?

Self vs. Cross-Pollination

Many plants are self-pollinating, either producing both pollen and ovules on the same flower (as is the case with peas), or producing both male and female flowers on the same plant.

Others rely on cross-pollination, where pollen must be moved in some way (pollinators, wind, water, etc.) from one plant to another to facilitate reproduction.

In reality, this dichotomy is not usually so black-and-white, as most plants cross-pollinate when pollinators and other members of their species are available, but can self-pollinate when they're isolated or pollinators aren't around.

It helps to think of it as a gradation, with some plants leaning more heavily on cross-pollination, some more on self-pollination, and most being adaptable enough to use either method as dictated by necessity.

Self-Pollination

Plants which primarily self-pollinate are an easy place to start with breeding, because isolation is often unnecessary and offspring tend to be much more stable compared to cross-pollinated offspring.

This means that you don't need to worry as much about accidental crosses, and that traits in children will be much more similar to the parents without too much variety.

Stabilizing traits can happen quicker with plants which are primarily self-pollinated' often taking only a fem generations.

Maintaining a constant line is much easier, with less branching and diversity as compared to cross-pollinated plants.

Cross-Pollination

Plants that are primarily cross-pollinated increase the difficulty level of breeding, but also allow for the creation of hybrids and of a wider and more varied range of traits.

This is where breeding really gets fun, because you can combine your favorite varieties and then explore the traits which all the different children exhibit - opening the door to near-infinite possibilities.

That said, stabilization of a new hybrid can take quite a few generations because of how much variation there is in early offspring.

You'll also have to find ways to isolate plants and prevent unwanted pollination - from your own garden, as well as from gardeners or farmers nearby. Pollen on some plants can carry for miles, as is the case with corn.

Outdoors, careful covering of flowers can prevent unwanted pollination, but must be kept up with daily as new flowers emerge.

Growing indoors in grow tents can provide a great way to isolate and cross two plants, but requires electricity and indoor space.

Isolation Methods

Hand Pollination Basics

Some plant-specific guides on hand-pollination:

• Corn