Heirloom Seeds & Plants

Heirloom seeds provide a living glimpse into the past.

The typical definition of an heirloom plant is a cultivar that is old and open-pollinated. The term "old" is, however, subject to interpretation, and "open-pollinated" is a designation that doesn't apply to certain heirlooms. However they are defined, heirloom seeds and plants have captured the interest and imagination of many horticulturists and home gardeners who see the value in preserving time-tested plant lines.

Age

There are two schools of thought in determining whether a plant is an heirloom based on age. The first states that plants are heirlooms if they were introduced before the first hybrids from in-bred lines appeared in 1951. The second claims that plants are heirlooms only if introduced before or during the Victory Garden era of the 1920s.

Open Pollination

Heirloom specialists refer to open pollination as the ability to replicate the parent when growing a plant from seed. In contrast, when you sow a seed from a hybrid, the resulting plant will not have all of the characteristics of its parent -- if it grows at all. Referring to heirlooms as open-pollinated is somewhat misleading, however. Certain plants, such as squash, will not reproduce true to type if allowed to pollinate freely. Others, including potatoes and garlic, are not typically grown from seed.

Quality

Modern hybrids tend to be developed for characteristics such as disease resistance, pest resistance, long shelf life or an unusual color. The price we pay for those benefits is often flavor or scent. In the search for tomatoes that taste like tomatoes and roses that smell like roses, gardeners turn to old-fashioned heirloom varieties that offer those qualities in abundance.

Genetic Diversity

Heirloom gardeners play an important role in slowing genetic erosion -- the loss of biodiversity in the gene pool. The DNA and all the traits a plant carries cease to be available to future generations once gardeners stop growing that plant and saving the seed. Choosing to grow heirlooms is one way that you can can support and expand genetic diversity.

Living Legacy

Seeds become a living legacy when they are passed down from one generation of gardeners to the next. By selecting seeds from plants that possess your favorite qualities, you become an influential link in the heirloom chain. Organizations such as Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa and Seeds of Diversity in Canada have strengthened the chain on a national level by collecting and cataloging a wide variety of heirloom seeds and plants.

Downside

While the benefits of growing heirlooms outweigh the drawbacks, a downside does exist. Some heirlooms may fall prey to diseases and insect pests that modern hybrids resist easily. Others may be slow to germinate or require special care. Seeds may also produce plants with unusual and unexpected traits, turning the process of heirloom gardening into a series of interesting horticultural experiments.

References

• Heirloom Vegetable Gardener's Assistant; Kathy Mendelson; January 2008
• Clemson Cooperative Extension; Heirloom Vegetables; Karen Russ, et al.; June 1999
• Alternative Farming Systems Information Center: Vegetables and Fruits - A Guide to Heirloom Varieties...; Suzanne P. DeMuth; March 1999
• University of FLorida Extension: Heirloom Vegetables

Resources

• Seed Savers Exchange
• Seeds of Diversity
• Mother Earth News; Heirloom Seeds and Plants; Wiliam Woys Weaver