There are many reasons people are gardening geeks for the old heirloom varieties! These grassroot concerns for the old varieties (sometimes old is new again!) can be tastes, curiosities, scientific, history and nostalgia. Even the business of selling these products helps with sustaining a livelihood for people.
There are heirloom fruit trees, flowers, vegetables and herbs. There are all kinds of varieties available in your area, as well as catalogs to order from. There heirloom plants can be bought in seed form or already up and growing. I will have a small list of places to find some of these wonderful plants to follow.
Now, to try to explain what an heirloom seed is or how old does a plant have to be before it is considered old. Most gardeners think it is an heirloom when it is about 50 years old, others around 100 years old. But others, myself included, think that if a family member brought a plant from their old homestead (say 40 years ago) and it makes you think of them, why not
include it in your garden as an heirloom!
Most heirlooms are open-pollinated varieties, which means they reproduce themselves. Hybrid plants result from the cross of two different varieties, and these plants are widely sold in today’s garden centers and nurseries.
Other gardeners consider a plant an heirloom if it has a story that goes with it. It certainly adds flavor to the overall plant.
Heirlooms are generally resistant to pests, diseases and extremes of weather. Plus, they produce sweet scented blossoms or delicious fruits and vegetables. The change in peoples’ tastes, the harvesting techniques and transportation have all played a role in losing these old varieties. But we have sacrificed plants lost, taste and unique characteristics of plants “all in the name of progress”.
But, as ever, the spirit of those who remember the sweet taste of the old fashion peas and the old time flavor of those dripping, rich tomatoes, carries on by the collection and dispersing of these wonderful old plants. So try a few of these heirlooms and enjoy a walk down memory lane!
Catalog: SeedSavers.org 563.382.5990
Local Suppliers:
- Theineman: 502.491.6305
- Maple Crossing: 502.245.3060
- Fresh Start: 502.442.7883
- Burton’s Seed: 502.584.0136
- Goodwin’s: 502.222.4769
