Have you ever heard someone talk about an “heirloom” vegetable? Maybe tomatoes come to mind. Prior to growing my own food, I was not informed on what this term meant. You might be in the same boat, and I’m here to share with you all the goodness of what it means to grow heirloom seeds, and all of the magic that lies within growing heirloom vegetables and flowers.
What is an Heirloom Seed?
Heirloom seeds are seeds that are open pollinated, not genetically modified, and grown for at least 50 years. These seeds have been passed down from generation to generation much like a sourdough starter or recipe from your grandmother. It is something that has continually grown, year-after-year, without being modified and has gained all of the beneficial bacteria from each soil plot that it has been grown in. These seeds are rich in history and are incredibly special.
Types of Seeds
GMO
The term “GMO” means genetically modified organism. These are seeds that are modified in a lab setting by a biological engineer to obtain the perfect color, texture, shape, and disease/pest resistance possible.
Open Pollinated
These are seeds that are pollinated by wind, rain, bees, birds, and bugs. These seeds are letting nature do its thing. Not all open-pollinated plants are heirlooms though! They have to have been grown for more than 50 years to be considered heirloom.
Hybrid
These seeds have been specifically pollinated between two plant varieties in the same plant species. This is done physically by human hands. The plant varieties are usually chosen to produce a large fruit/vegetable that is very productive and more resistant to disease. If you save seeds from a hybrid, you will get a plant from one of the parent plants in return, not that same hybrid that you grew initially.
Heirloom
These are seeds that have been open-pollinated, and passed down from generation to generation for over 50 years. These seeds also originate from all around the world which is so cool!
Why Should You Grow Heirloom Vegetables?
Aside from the heirloom tomato, many of these seeds are not grown by commercial farmers. You won’t find these varieties on the shelves in your typical chain grocery stores. If you think about it, every pepper in those stores looks the same. The uniformity, texture, and color of the vegetables are almost like carbon copies of each variety. You know exactly what to expect from a red pepper from that store. These commercial growers need their vegetables to be disease resistant, perfect in appearance, and uniform in size. GMO and some Hybrid properties can help create the perfect-looking vegetable that is grown with minimal pests or disease.
Heirloom varieties are so special, and they are so much more unique and complex than the vegetables you would find in a store. Not only do they have a deeper flavor profile, but they also have gorgeous patterns and colors to add to your typical vegetables. Purple pole beans, green skinny eggplants, pineapple flavored tomatoes, speckled lettuce greens, and so much more. Flowers that are vibrant, uniquely colored, and a stunning beauty to add to a mid-summer bouquet.
When I heard about all of the history that comes with an heirloom seed, it made me want to jump right in and start replacing my other seeds with these. Not only did I get unique, beautiful vegetables out of my garden, but the flavor that came along with it was incredible and so special.
Another perk to heirloom seeds is that you can save the seeds! Unlike other varieties that are not open pollinated, heirloom seeds have been open-pollinated like this for their entire life cycle, and are more robust each year with the ability to adapt to their growing environment. Each year that you use the seed, the more it will take in to produce a better crop year after year.
Purchasing Heirloom Seeds
There are lots of different places to source heirloom seeds, and I will name a few! When browsing seeds to purchase, one of the most important things to do is to make sure the seed is suitable for your climate/growing zone. This can apply to onions, squash, garlic, potatoes, etc.
The easiest way I have found to see if a seed will work for my growing zone is to research each seed I am planning on purchasing. It is so easy to browse a catalog or online photos, and add everything to your cart. The temptation is so real. You will thank yourself later for taking the time to research each contender to make sure that that particular seed will do well where you are trying to grow it. For instance- I cannot grow “long day” onions in my climate, as “short day” or “intermediate” are more suitable to our growing period, day length, climate, etc. A long day onion will be far less superior to a short day in my area.
Another fun way to find out if a seed is a good fit for your garden is to look at the reviews! Bakers Creek is especially good at this, and requires reviewers to put in their location so that you can see if someone is raving about a seed in a similar climate to yours. Someone raving about corn in a northern climate will more than likely have a different growing result than in the southern climate that I am attempting to grow that vegetable in.
Bakers Creek
Out of all of the options, this one is probably my favorite! I love the free shipping, the beautiful varieties, and easy shopping experience. I love that they have the reviews for each seed variety because it helps me make a decision when I have a million options in my cart! This is the company that I will buy most of my vegetable garden seeds from each year. The entire site is made up of heirloom seeds, so that helps to make deciding easier. They also have some beautiful flower varieties as well.
Sow True Seed (local to zone 7 in NC/SC)
This is my favorite local company! I absolutely love supporting people who are growing in the same place I am, and they have such a beautiful mission as a company. The seed packets alone are so beautiful, and the vegetables I have grown from them have been outstanding. Knowing that they are selling seeds that have grown in a southern climate helps me to know that these seeds will be more robust and ready for the climate we have since it’s very similar to where the seeds originate from. If you are local to Greenville, SC, Swamp Rabbit Cafe also sells Sow True Seed Packets if you want to opt out on the shipping costs.
Johnny Seeds
Johnny’s is where I obtain almost all of my flower farm goods! From cell trays to seeds, they have it all. And not only that, they have so many options of just about every kind of vegetable you can imagine. The one thing I love about Johnny’s is that these seeds are the most dependable in germination. Out of all the seed companies I purchase from, Johnny’s is superior in germination. Almost everything always germinates. I almost never have “failed batches” from them. This helps me know that when I purchase from them, they have taken great care to make sure that the seed is viable and ready to grow. More bang for my buck, and less time to waste. If you are a gardener in any fashion, they have excellent resources, charts, and tools on their website.
Seed Savers Exchange
This is a non-profit organization that is passionate about preserving heirloom seeds! I have not bought from them yet, but will in the future! They have a huge variety of only heirloom seeds, so it makes shopping easy if you are trying to source heirloom seeds for your garden. They also have reviews that help make choosing seeds a breeze.
Territorial Seed
This seed company is one that is based out of Oregon. I have not personally bought seeds from this company yet, but I almost did get some garlic from them in the fall, and just forgot to complete my order! I have heard a lot about this company, and even got a seed catalog this fall. They have a lot of beautiful options to peruse through.
Starting Heirloom Vegetables from Seed
Starting an heirloom vegetable from seed is just like growing any other seed! I have a whole post on starting your garden from seed here if you need some inspiration!
You will need the simple tools that any seed will need to grow: a warm, sunny place to grow, a vessel to grow it in, water + sun, and some humidity. This can happen in a lot of ways, and the link above will take you to a post that I have outlined all of that in! This year, I am growing my veggies in 72 cell trays, compost pots, and soil block cubes! There are a lot of different ways to get started, and seeds just need a cozy warm spot to germinate with adequate moisture/humidity for success.
As always with growing, be sure to checkout your specific growing zone for recommendations on when to start these seeds based on your last frost date!
Favorite Heirloom Seeds to Try
I can’t speak for all growing climates, as I am growing in zone 7B, but I wanted to list out a few of the fun varieties that my family has personally enjoyed as we started our garden a few years back.
Spoon Tomatoes
These tomatoes are so fun for kids especially. They are smaller than a blueberry, and such a great snack for small hands. My kids absolutely loved these tomatoes, and they were abundant from June to November. We had to cut them out at the end of the season, they kept growing even through a few frosts. You do need to probably prune them (lesson learned for me!), but ours just grew into a massive bush and the tomatoes were delicious on breakfast sourdough toast and summer salads.
Ground Cherries
This was a variety that I received for free from the library (it came from a Bakers Creek packet!). I tried to direct sow them in June, and had to try again closer to July after the germination was spotty. Once these came up, they took a minute to bear fruit, but once they did… oh my goodness. I had never tasted anything like them before.
It was like the sweetest pineapple cherry tomato bursting into my mouth (they are technically in the tomatillo family). Some were more on the tart side, and some were sweet- we were hooked. My kids quickly became obsessed with them. The plant grows the fruit in little paper looking husks, and they are ripe and ready to eat when they drop off the plant onto the ground.
The little “presents” were awaiting my children each day, and they quickly ran out to discover as many of these cherries as possible. They were such a hit, that my son has requested (for months now) that we plant an entire raised bed of them! They have a high pectin content and create amazing jam if you can make them last that long! My plan is to grow enough for jams and pies this year. For that to happen, I’ll probably need 20-30 plants! 3-5 plants are good for immediate snacking. I also believe they self seed for the next year? Or potentially do! We will have to see what happens this season.
Okra
I grew okra for the first time last year, and was unaware of how incredible this vegetable is fresh! It grew all summer long, into the fall, and I had to cut these out too- they just kept on going. At some point, we had had so much okra that it had felt like it had its fill. I froze up a bunch of it, and we have been picking through it this winter. It has felt like such a treat to have on a cold winter evening. We loved eating it raw, fried, pickled, and sauteed. We are growing so much more of it this year to preserve more for winter this coming year!
Large Heirloom Tomatoes
There is nothing quite like an heirloom tomato in the middle of summer. The sweet, juicy flavor will forever seal summer memories into my mind. Finding good ones out in the garden immediately calls for tomato-mayo-sammies or BLT’s on fresh sourdough. My best tomatoes grew behind our barn in a random patch that I forgot to water often- go figure! They need less attention than you might think, and are productive and so delicious! I loved seeing all of the shapes and sizes of the tomatoes that came from each plant. I am trying an orange accordion and a pineapple variety this year, and they look so beautiful and tasty! I will keep you posted.
Calendula
This medicinal flower is an absolute powerhouse for any backyard gardener. No only is it cheerful, it is packed with all sorts of medicinal benefits that any family can benefit from. This was another plant that I did not grow nearly enough of. I am planning rows of it this year!
The flowers bloom mid-day, until sunset and then go back into their stems. They then will open again the next day, and so on. The best time to harvest them is when they are fully opened around noon. I clipped the flower bud and a little part of the stem, and then dehydrated them in batches each day. Once I obtained a mason jar full, I just poured olive oil over them and let them sit for 6-8 weeks before straining the oil for medicinal use. You can use the infused oil in salves (very easy to make!), chapstick, tallow balm, soap, etc!
You can also use the fresh flower buds in tea. It has calming properties especially for things like eczema. My daughter struggles greatly with sensitive skin, and this oil has saved her all winter from itchy, irritated skin. I can’t wait to experiment more with this plant this coming year!
Are You Ready to Get Growing?
Doesn’t all of this garden talk just make you want to jump right in? A new season awaits us, and heirloom seeds are a must have in our family’s garden. I can’t wait to save seeds this year to continue the season year after year until my kids are big and grown. Then I can pass them down to feed their families as well as my own. It’s such a beautiful thing to invest in the next generation. We have the ability to preserve something now that can be grown and loved 50 years from now with heirloom seeds.
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