Excellent flavor. Colorful histories. Funny names. Unusual varieties. Heirloom seeds offer these benefits and more. Here are just a few reasons why you should consider heirloom seeds:
- Heirlooms are open-pollinated plants with seeds that reproduce true to type year after year – unlike hybrids.
- Heirloom seeds can be saved for the next growing season – unlike hybrids.So, when you plant heirloom seeds, you are actually helping to preserve our vanishing garden heritage for future generations.
- Heirloom plants offer a much wider selection of unusual plants than hybrids. You can grow everything from white egg-shaped tomatoes to purple carrots and candy-striped beets. Not your typical edibles.
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Heirlooms are bred for their superior flavor. Unlike common hybrids that are typically bred for shipping and traveling long distances – not flavor.
- Heirlooms often have colorful histories and charming names – like ‘Aunt Ruby’s German Green’ tomatoes and ‘Dragon’s Tongue’ beans. When you grow heirlooms, you help keep this history alive.
- Heirlooms can be quite old.Some experts believe heirlooms must be more than 100 years old.Others 50 years. Still others believe heirlooms can be created from crossing two or more heirlooms. These are called “created heirlooms.” Here’s what the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension had to say on the topic.
Need another reason to grow heirloom seeds? Well, planting heirlooms helps ensure the survival of some very special plants. What could be better than that?
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As an owner of an heirloom plant nursery, I can’t tell you how much I love your post! Heirlooms are amazing, aren’t they? Thanks for sharing!
Hi Julie: Thanks so much for dropping by. This was one of my first posts, and I just had to share some of the benefits of growing heirlooms. Here’s an article I wrote for Horticulture Magazine about some of the amazing stories told by these wonderful plants. As you can tell, I love heirlooms too. http://www.seasonalwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/HortMag-Inherit-the-Earth.pdf – Hope to see you again soon. Best, Teresa
I believe they tend to have much higher nutritional content as well, which I think is a huge issue w/ hybrid food.
Hi Meg: I haven’t seen enough research to know whether heirlooms are healthier than hybrids. Heirlooms often taste better, but some hybrids certainly have their benefits too. If you come across any studies showing this point of view, however, I’d love to see them. Meanwhile, I believe the healthiest thing is to eat local foods, grown close to home in a sustainable, earth-friendly way.
By the way, hybrids should not be confused with genetically altered foods, which recent studies show may increase health risks. Thanks for stopping by Seasonal Wisdom. Teresa
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