Reproducible varieties vs F1 hybrids: understand the difference

When choosing seeds for your vegetable garden, you often hear about reproducible varieties and F1 hybrids. These terms describe how a plant was created and the traits it passes on to its offspring. At Cycle en Terre, we only offer reproducible varieties to preserve autonomy, biodiversity, and the flavor of vegetables.

What is a reproducible variety?

A reproducible variety, also called an “open-pollinated” or “traditional” variety, is a plant whose seeds can be harvested and sown each year while maintaining the same characteristics: size, shape, color, flavor, and disease resistance.

Advantages:

• Possibility to harvest your own seeds and become self-sufficient.

• Gradual adaptation to local climate and soil over the years.

• Generally more robust and disease-resistant.

• Superior taste: richer and more varied flavors than many modern hybrids.

• Old regional varieties: perfectly adapted to our climate and soils.

• Nutritional profile: often a greater diversity of flavors and potentially higher content of complex molecules (antioxidants, vitamins, aromatic compounds), depending on the variety.

Disadvantages:

• Some varieties have slightly lower yields than hybrids.

At Cycle en Terre, we favor these varieties for their flavor, adaptability, and role in preserving seed heritage.

What is an F1 hybrid?

An F1 hybrid is the result of a controlled cross between two distinct varieties to combine their qualities (yield, uniformity, disease resistance).

Advantages:

• Homogeneous and vigorous plants.

• Often higher yield and faster maturity.

• Increased resistance to certain diseases or climatic conditions.

Disadvantages:

• Seeds harvested from an F1 hybrid will not produce the same plants as the parent.

• It is impossible to reliably reproduce the same result year after year.

• Usually less flavor diversity and local adaptation.

How to choose between reproducible varieties and F1 hybrids?

• If your goal is autonomy, biodiversity, and flavor, choose reproducible varieties – this is our recommendation at Cycle en Terre.

• If you want uniform and fast-growing crops, F1 hybrids can be interesting, but they do not allow seed saving and offer less diversity.

In summary

• Reproducible varieties: robust plants, locally adapted, promote autonomy, flavor, and nutritional diversity.

• F1 hybrids: uniform, vigorous plants, often high yield at the expense of flavor and nutrients, non-reproducible seeds, and limited diversity.

• At Cycle en Terre, we recommend and offer only reproducible varieties, for autonomous, tasty, and sustainable vegetable gardens.