In fact most of the "cheap" seeds you see on seed racks at stores like the dollar store are "open source".
Seeds like Black Seed Simpson Lettuce and Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans for instance.
One has to remember that people have been breeding for thousands of years before seed patents came into being and there are many many patent free varieties. These are seldom are grown commercially because hybrids have preferable characteristics for commercial growers, but for home growers and smaller market gardens they have stood the test of time.
It is neat that people are continuing to do this with new varieties, but the concept is hardly novel and these are not even close to the "first open source seeds".
But this idea isn't new at all.
In fact most of the "cheap" seeds you see on seed racks at stores like the dollar store are "open source". Seeds like Black Seed Simpson Lettuce and Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans for instance.
One has to remember that people have been breeding for thousands of years before seed patents came into being and there are many many patent free varieties. These are seldom are grown commercially because hybrids have preferable characteristics for commercial growers, but for home growers and smaller market gardens they have stood the test of time.
It is neat that people are continuing to do this with new varieties, but the concept is hardly novel and these are not even close to the "first open source seeds".