Faire ses semis, c’est un peu comme lancer une mini-aventure : on met une graine au chaud, on surveille chaque petite pousse… et on rêve déjà aux récoltes.

If you have ever browsed a seed catalogue, you have surely seen two main categories: open-pollinated seeds and hybrid (F1) seeds . And then comes the perfectly normal question: "What's the difference... and does it really change anything in my garden?" Short answer: yes . A slightly longer (and much more interesting) answer: we explain it to you simply, from our perspective as seed artisans. Two seed families, two philosophies Open-pollinated (PL) seeds These are varieties reproduced naturally (by wind, insects, self-pollination, etc.) over generations . They are stable : if you harvest the seeds from your plants and sow them again, you get the same type of plant , with similar characteristics. They carry a living genetic diversity : they gradually adapt to your soil, your climate and your practices. 👉 In summary: these are varieties that can be kept alive and developed over time. Hybrid seeds (F1) F1 hybrids are the result of a controlled cross between two parental lines selected to produce a plant with very precise characteristics (uniformity, yield, size, etc.). First generation (F1) : often very vigorous and uniform. Second generation (F2) : if you harvest the seeds of a hybrid and sow them again, you get a lot of variability : different plants, sometimes less productive, sometimes disappointing. 👉 In short: hybrids are made to be bought back every year . Why open-pollinated seeds are (often) a better choice Hybrids can be useful in certain contexts, but for a living, self-sufficient and sustainable garden, PL seeds have major advantages. 1) You can harvest your own seeds It's a simple gesture, but very powerful. You gain autonomy You save You are contributing to the continuity of life And there's something genuinely satisfying about telling yourself: "These tomatoes came from seeds I saved from last year." 2) They preserve diversity in our gardens Biodiversity is not just a nice idea: it is a real guarantee for the future of our food. PL varieties: offer a natural variability allow for gradual adaptation to stresses (drought, diseases, difficult soils…) avoid the standardization of crops The more genetically diverse a variety is, the more resilient it is in a rapidly changing world. 3) They adapt to your local environment A garden is not a factory. Your soil, your weather, your way of watering or mulching… all of this makes your garden unique. PL seeds can: adapt to your local conditions gradually become "your" varieties perform better at home after a few years of in-house selection 4) They protect collective know-how Open-pollinated varieties are the result of generations of gardeners and seed producers who have observed, selected and adapted. Choosing open pollination also means: supporting seed heritage keep varieties accessible to all encourage a human-scale selection process, rooted in the local area Why, in this world, do we only produce (and sell) PL? Our business is seeds. And we made a clear choice: to work only with open-pollinated varieties. Why? Because it corresponds to what we want to nurture: living gardens autonomy for all real biodiversity a fertile future We select our varieties so that they are: adapted to our climates robust tasty and capable of transmitting Every PL seed we produce is a small promise: You can cultivate it, love it, harvest it, and sow it again next year. In summary If you would like a garden: more autonomous, more resilient, richer in biodiversity, and aligned with an ecological approach… 👉 Open-pollinated seeds are a natural choice. And if you want carefully selected seeds, produced by local seed artisans, you know where to find us. 🌱