For those of us who love gardening, we know and understand there is a special connection between ourselves and the soil we toil. The past years have been very fortuitous for Australian gardeners and 2009 was no different. In fact, plant breeding in 2009 was an especially great year for those people who breed new and existing plant species.

Some of the best species of plants to breed during 2009 were vegetables such as carrots and pumpkin. Through selective breeding programs, carrots have continued to increase in size and flavour while increasing levels of beta carotene, which is of excellent value to ones health. Pumpkin has also seen the benefits of selective plant breeding programs and the volume of pumpkin seed per pumpkin has increased which is of great value to those people who enjoy eating pepitas.

For those people new to plant breeding, it is basically the process of selecting your very best vegetables and harvesting their seeds while discarding the lesser seeds. It’s a very easy hobby to become involved in provided you have a little spare time and a green thumb.

The best way to start is by starting small by collecting and sorting your best seeds from your worst ones. Plant a small section of vegetables that you intend to grow until full maturity so that the seeds can be harvested. Once harvested, replant your new seeds and continue the process until you are finally left with a bunch of super seeds which you can use to grow in your own garden.

You can also swap these types of seeds via Internet sites like this or purchase seeds that have already been through the process of selective plant breeding in the 2009 season.