I had no plan to buy onion seeds this year. But now my plan has changed. I will buy seeds. And I will choose heirloom varieties only.
This decision came from one moment in my field.
The onions had flowers. The stalks were strong and tall. The round flower heads moved gently in the wind. They looked as if they were saying, “We are doing well again this year.”
But then—there were no seeds. The seed heads were completely empty.
I was shocked. I stood in the middle of the field and could not move. Only the sound of the wind reached my ears.
Two autumns ago, I planted onion seeds from a seed packet. The next spring, I had a great harvest. So I planted some of the onions again and tried to collect my own seeds for the first time.
When the black seeds fell into my hand, I felt a small joy. I thought, “I can grow onions from my own seeds. I can keep doing this.”
I planted those seeds last autumn. Again, I had a good harvest this spring. The second generation grew well, and the field was full of strong onions.
I believed that Sato Farms could continue growing onions in this cycle.
Then came this summer.
I tried to collect seeds from the third generation. And I found the empty flower heads. The flowers were there. The stalks were strong. But there were no seeds. Not even one black seed.
It felt as if the onions were quietly saying: “It is time to choose another way.”
I learned something important. F1 onions grow very well in the first generation. The second generation may still grow fine. But the third generation often cannot make seeds. This is the nature of F1 plants.
Farming is interesting because things do not always go as planned.
So I made my decision. This autumn, I will plant heirloom onion seeds. They are old varieties that can make seeds again and again.
Next spring, when I stand in the field, what will I see? A new story for Sato Farms’ onions begins here.
Heirloom varieties
- Sapporo Yellow
- Senshu Yellow
- Aichi Red
About F1
- F1 is the first generation, made by crossing two plants with different qualities.
- Seeds from F1 plants become F2.
- Seeds from F2 plants become F3.