Unfortunately as DD pointed out most fruit and vegetables on the store shelves are hybrids and worse, genetically engineered sterile counter parts to what used to be reproducible produce.
For less than a dollar you can get a packet of seeds which, trust me on this, you will have far many more plants than you would ever need in one season. More on that below.
As to dirt. Most likely you have a clay based soil which is high in Iron (rust for the red). - If it dries hard like a brick, it is clay. If it is grainy it is sand - it could be a mixture of both of these which is called "loamy". Loamy soil makes for the best start to a garden, all you need to do is continually add composted material. A loamy soil will not dry like a brick, and will not dry out to a powder or sand hill.
The "Perfect" dirt is black, composed of compost, sand and clay - compost is rotted organic material, sand for drainage and clay to give it body. Healthy soil is easy to recognize. Dig a whole, find any earth worms? The fatter and the more earth worms you have in soil the healthier and better the soil is. We have sand here and over the past 7 years I have raked up leaves, grass clippings, and lots of shredded wood chips, chocolate bean hulls creating a never ending rotting pile of material which I have thrown into the garden beds. Please note this is on a 2 acre property which is with a lot of trees - and the area of my garden beds (Just the beds) is 400 square feet. Today my soil is good to great - it is not perfect that will take a few more years and a lot more leaves, grass and vegetable matter.
When starting seedlings - any seedlings, start off with a potting soil - it is sterile (no bugs or diseases) and it will provide the nutrients and good footing for the seedling. Once the plant is ready to transplant it will be strong enough to endure the inherit bugs and diseases found in soil.
The Type of seeds you need to propagate and collect seeds for more planting comes from Heirloom or Old Fashion Varieties. These are "old" seeds that come from a plant which has not been genetically tampered with, spliced to another plant or mixed with other variations.
http://www.victoryseeds.com/catalog/vegetable/peppers/peppers.html (For peppers specifically)
http://www.victoryseeds.com/?referrer=google for the main page.
As you go through this catalog you will notice that the fruit of the vine will be smaller, less colorful and most likely susceptible to certain bugs and critters (pests and diseases) However what you can't see but need to taste is the flavor. Personally I prefer the flavor of the heirloom varieties since they are closer to their original form. Something about the breedings and hybridization processes that through gives us food which is bigger and stays on the shelf longer, and is prettier, is just not a good in the taste department.
Most of the seeds in this catalog will produce plants which in turn will produce more seed which can (depending on if they have cross pollinated or not) produce more generations.
Things like carrot and Queen Anne's Lace will cross pollinate - producing a next generation of not to nice roots. Squashes will inter mix, thus a pumpkin planted near guards will produce a hard shelled cross breed of pumpkin and gourd which could be great or provide you with something you can not use.
More? Sure I have more for you. Next post....
