Do you prefer heirloom variety or the newer variety of plants for your produce?
I usually just buy whatever my local green house has usually the new variety of plants, but have been doing a lot of planning to start saving my own seeds to start my own produce . what I've been reading it sound like heirloom is the way to go if I wanna save my own seeds. What's y'all do? Save seeds from what you grow or just buy ready to plant?

I save seeds, heirloom varieties have good germination and they've survived over decades/centuries for good reason. If you want to get into heirlooms, I'd recommend buying something like this: Heirloom 55

I prefer the hybrid. More disease resistant and productive in your zone.
Many varieties are not GMO, just good crosses. Mutts breed to do a
better job. Only have to buy more seed if you like how it did for you.
I do like heirloom but you are limited. That is why they crossed plants.
But not GMO. Heirloom good, Crosses good.

We grow 5 sometimes 6 heirloom tomatoes they came from my f.i.l. Got them from m.i.l.'s folks, they don't have any numbers but we have names for them, we keep our own seed in freezer two winters, start in doors, in march move to hotbox outside plant on Mother's Day each 3rd year. Next year green beans, next sweet corn. Each crop is enough for three years when put by. Then start over. This year tomato juice is going to be tight made to much salsa. We just had our last chili time to make another batch, only have 8 t j left that will wipe us out. Still got plenty of spaghetti sauce. Lots of salsa. Little juice.
Case

I grow a combination based on which varieties I get best results with here. If you want to save seed, you'll need to go with heirloom varieties OR experiment with hybrids to see which ones germinate true in the F2 and subsequent generations (known as "stable" hybrids) but you'll likely be wasting time and money down that Avenue

Hybrids for me on everything. They have a better disease package and are bred for better taste. I you are using the same garden spot over and over the hybrids are a better choice. And if you are planting melons on the same ground over and over the Heirlooms will be very disappointing to you after about 3 years.

Ya. Guess your right, I'm kinda new to this whole garden thing. No arguments from me.

Whats the end goal? Market garden, probably better off with hybrids for production and the masses like plain jane tomatoes. Personal and niche markets geared towards foodies or the organic crowd, heirlooms.

My end goal is basically knowing what I plant has good seeds to set back just in case stuff gets bad and cant buy the seeds

I don't save seeds or start my own plants. I use the seed catalog companies, primarily Jungs and buy some seeds locally. I use what most would call hybrid varieties and or GMO varieties. I am after plants that yield well, and have disease resistance and are acclimated for the region I plant in.

Bryce

I like the idea , just have reservations on the seed count on like green beans and the cabbage family plants .
People that can would want more than 25 plants with beans . Even though if you pick them often and get the whole bean , they will produce all season .
Even making sauerkraut , you'll only need at most 20-30 heads .
Others you can plant and thin . and makes sense . Beets and a few others seeds will keep for the next year .
Heirloom seeds will keep longer . Save more beans for the next year .


Most garden centers /green houses have many choices .
They carry heirloom as well as hybrids , and some GMO may be there also .
Pick what you want , try saving even the hybrid , sometimes they produce a good plant others they don't .
I many times save volunteer tomato plants and get odd color tomatoes that cross bred in the garden or reverted back to a previous plant in the hybrids making .
Thy usually get ripe two weeks after the bought plants .

With the price of seeds going as high as they are , maybe everyone should start saving seeds , and heirloom will be the same result every year .

For me it all depends on what Im growing however I see green houses sell stuff that would never do well where we are they sell it but its for a different climate and area too long of a growing season. I have great luck with my own seeds after 20 years of gardening I think the parent plants adapt to soil minerals and moisture conditions in my garden also the amount of light. If you garden in certain areas that have a lot of gardens close by heirloom varieties can save you from certain disease and pest.

I start my own seeds, I like heirlooms for tomatoes, hybrids for everything else.