"heirloom" seeds

conservativecave ^ | February 7, 2009 | self

[franksolich]

While reading the food section of the afternoon edition of the newspaper, I came across a comment about "heirloom" seeds--not their qualities or anything, but just a suggestion that one hoard a few in a general pantry.

Now, I was born and raised alongside the Platte River of Nebraska, farming country (and then as a teenager, the Sandhills of Nebraska, ranching country), and so matters agricultural and horticultural are not exactly alien things to me.

But on the Head of St. John the Baptist, I must say the first time I ever saw the term "heirloom seeds" was when I first started observing the primitives on Skins's island, in the cooking, do-it-yourself, frugal living, and rural forums.

Really.

I kid you not. I had never seen that term before in my life.

The way the primitives talked about their "heirloom seeds," one milght have reasonably supposed they were talking about a Louis XIV pot d'chambre or a Queen Anne chest of drawers.

[Vigilanteman]

Heirloom seeds also contain genetic material which could be vital in the event of a massive crop failure. The sameness in hybrids, while great for yields and common disease resistance, may not be that great when the once in a century blight hits.

Some of the wiser agricultural extension services in the country actually subsidize and encourage swapping of heirloom seeds. If your county extension service does not, they may be able to refer you to grower's associations which do.

Tomatoes do fairly well here in SW Pennsylvania and I've swapped heirloom seeds with other hobby growers. For some reason, they are one of the few plants which the verminous rabbits which infest our neighborhood do not bother.

[proudmilitarymrs]

Oh, indeed it is. (if just for the entertainment value of watching you squirm, it is) tee-hee

just kidding, really

I wouldn’t have clicked if I didn’t like gardening!!

mrs

[redhead]

There are also “heirloom breeds” of livestock and poultry. I always thought it would be interesting to raise some of these old-fashioned breeds, just to keep them going for a few more generations.

[redhead]

Here's a whole page of links to information on "heirloom breeds" of livestock. Enjoy.

[Freedom56v2]

There are also “heirloom breeds” of livestock and poultry. I always thought it would be interesting to raise some of these old-fashioned breeds, just to keep them going for a few more generations.

<<Learn something new everyday!

[Freedom56v2]

There are also “heirloom breeds” of livestock and poultry. I always thought it would be interesting to raise some of these old-fashioned breeds, just to keep them going for a few more generations.

<<Learn something new everyday!

[Freedom56v2]

Hubby has PhD in agronomy, so I appreciate the value of various hybrids that are disease resistant, early season/boutiful producers, etc. and plant them in my garden.

That said, I also plant from heirloom seeds as they do offer seeds for future seasons and distinct tastes that the hybrids don’t. Sometimes the heirloom plants just germinate from seed on their own in my garden.

I think there is place for both, tho heirloom seeds could be used in event of seed shortages, etc.

[printhead]

I’ve been told by the elderly Italians in my neighborhood that I grow better tomatoes than they do. I plant several rows, a variety in each. all else the same, I am convinced 12+ hours of sunlight per day is the secret. All my tomatoes taste the same; just like you sprinkled sugar on top of them.
If the commercial growers and the seed suppliers had their choice, I believe all tomatoes (does that “E” preclude me from being VP?) would be cubes when ripe.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

““Heirloom” plants can be interesting, but if they were so wonderful, there’d have been no need for the hybrids we have today.”

Ahhhh. An opportunity to enlighten.

Heirloom plants have one thing that hybrids lack - a diverse gene pool.

Did you know, for instance, that the soy beans in production today all stem from just 6 varieties? If you eliminate the rest of the entire gene pool diversity of
thousands of varieties of plants, what do you do when an
unexpected virus, or pest comes along in the future?

The short answer is to watch your production plummet to near
zero.

Each heirloom has genetic diversity and carries attributes
we well may need some day.

Not to mention superior taste.

For supermarkets, tomatoes that ripen all at once are great.
Except they suck.

[Free Vulcan]

Heirloom seeds are generally open pollinated (vs. hybrid) varieties that are at least 50 to 75 years old depending on your definition.

I grow almost exclusively heirlooms. There’s no comparison to hybrids. Hybrids yield better and earlier, but don’t compare in taste.

Some links:

www.rareseeds.com
http://www.gourmetseed.com
http://www.comstockferre.com
http://www.johnnyseeds.com
http://www.landrethseeds.com
http://www.fedcoseeds.com

a more comprehensive list:

http://www.halcyon.com/tmend/links.htm

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Learn about heirloom seeds here...

http://www.seedsavers.org/

[Free Vulcan]

http://www.rareseeds.com. My bad.

[newhouse]

When I was a kid we had a patch of scallions...

I would almost bet you had what we called winter onions. They were mild enough in the spring but became hotter as summer progressed. Ours reproduced by producing small sets on the top of the stalk, then when the stalk matured and bent over, that set would settle on the ground and grow into a new plant. Then the mother plant died down and early in the fall you would have a repeat of the young onion, which again was tender and not hot.

[Sir_Ed]

I grow heirloom tomatoes every year, the flavor is fantastic. They’re more susceptible to blossom end rot and they crack more, but more than surpass hybrids in taste.

Besides, we don’t really want a world where all seeds and all crops are controlled and engineered by ADM and Monsanto, do we?!

Ed

[Velveeta]

Granny, I thought you might enjoy this thread.

[Bhoy]

If I remember correctly there are only 2 corporations providing seeds. The hybrids developed for commercial growers have commercially important characteristics but next generation seed development is not one of them — an important point if we have to grow our own food. Another point is homogeneity and the danger of weather, disease destroying the entire crop. I believe that was the problem with the Irish potato famine. In SA where potatoes were discovered there were about 600 varieties. In Ireland there was only one.

[Arrowhead1952]

Heirloom seed / garden ping. My wife ordered some heirloom tomatoe seedlings on the net last year. They were a real bust. I’d like to get some actual seeds, not seedlings.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You can’t go wrong with Seed Savers. I worked for them for the happiest 7 years of my work life, and I was just e-mailing back and forth with Diane last night. :)

I’m placing a Seed Savers order today for:

430 - Golden Sunray (and awesome slicing yellow tomato)
1234 - Purple Russion (Dark paste-type)
1453 - Powers (yellow paste)
18 - Black Plum (dark purple paste-type)
439 - Federle - wonderful red paste-type

(Other recommendations are ‘Opalka’ paste, and ‘Cherokee Purple;’ a purple slicer that stays green at the shoulders and has a wonderful, earthy, smoky flavor. Love it!)

I’ll also do a few regular red slicing types from my current company, Jung’s (the Goliath series are good) and I’m growing out ‘Chocolate Cherry,’ ‘Sunsugar’ and ‘Viva Italia.’ I’m growing out a few from Burpee, too; ‘Tangerine Mama’ and ‘Razzmataz.’

I can get all the tomatoes I want from work, but there are some favorites from other companies that I try not to be without.

Sworn to fun, loyal to none!

But the above paste varieties are terrific for salsa and sauces; I’ve grown them with great success for many years. My garden was a test plot for Seed Savers back in the day, so I’ve grown out just about all of their seeds, except the very newest, ‘old’ discoveries.

I’m seeing a jump in seed sales at Jung’s; had a terrific seed sales day yesterday. People are taking this seriously, and I predict my veggie and herb seedlings will fly out of here when I open the garden yard in mid-April.

http://www.seedsavers.org
http://www.jungseed.com

[Arrowhead1952]

Thank for the links Diana. I used to get the Sunmaster tomato plants here. It is a small compact plant but has a lot of fruit. It makes great sauces that we freeze. It is also well suited for the hot and dry Texas summers.

I called several nurseries last year, and found some at one that is about 20 miles from my home. I knew I'd be heading that way the following weekend, so I stopped in to get some. They had sold out the first Saturday.

I picked up some Burpee Celebrity seeds and have them just starting to come up. We had better luck with home grown plants than we had with nursery seedlings last year.

[Puddleglum]

I try to grow flowers each year and am attracted to “heirloom” varieties because they seem sturdy. They may not be the prettiest or micro-tailored to some climate, but they often meet my criteria of low maintenance. They survive my tendancy to kill plants.

I’m talking hollyhocks, four-o’clocks, etc.