Why Choose Heirloom Varieties

Being ‘The Heirloom Seed Company’ we often get asked “what is an heirloom?” and “are heirlooms harder to grow?” The good news: heirloom vegetable seeds are not any harder to grow than other seeds. Heirlooms can offer a variety of benefits that make them well worth your attention, from unique flavours to better sustainability.

What are Heirloom Seeds?

Heirloom seeds are varieties of vegetables that have been passed down from generation to generation for at least 50 years. They are open-pollinated, meaning they reproduce naturally through pollinators like bees, birds, or wind, rather than through controlled breeding like hybrids.

Heirlooms have stood the test of time, preserved because of their superior taste, hardiness, or unique appearance. These seeds often come from small, local farms or even families that have saved and replanted the seeds over the years, ensuring the preservation of specific plant traits.

Why Choose Heirloom Seeds?

Heirloom vegetables aren’t just another trend—they’re a return to the roots of gardening, quite literally. Here are a few compelling reasons to choose heirloom seeds for your garden:

Unbeatable Flavour

• Ask any gardener who grows heirloom vegetables, and they’ll likely rave about the flavour. Because heirlooms have been selected for taste over generations, they tend to have richer, more complex flavours than many commercial hybrids. Whether it’s a juicy heirloom tomato like ‘Brandywine’ or a sweet and tender carrot like ‘Cosmic Purple,’ you’ll notice the difference when you bite into your homegrown produce.

Diversity and Uniqueness

• Heirlooms come in a rainbow of shapes, sizes, and colours that you won’t find in the supermarket. Imagine purple tomatoes, striped beans, or golden beets gracing your garden. This diversity not only makes your garden visually stunning but also encourages a more resilient ecosystem. With heirlooms, you can grow rare and interesting varieties like the bright yellow ‘Swiss Chard Sunset’ or the beautiful deep red ‘Dragon’s Tongue Bean’, which add a fun pop of colour to your garden.

Sustainability

• Since heirloom seeds are open-pollinated, you can save seeds from your harvest and replant them year after year. This reduces your reliance on purchasing new seeds annually and allows you to preserve plant genetics for future generations. By saving heirloom seeds, you contribute to biodiversity, which is crucial for a healthy and resilient food system.

Connection to History

• Each heirloom variety has a story. By growing heirloom vegetables, you’re helping to preserve a piece of agricultural history. Many heirloom seeds were handed down within families, cherished for their reliable growth or outstanding flavour. For example, the ’1500 Year Old Cave Bean’ is said to be bred from a handful of ancient dried beans found in sealed ceramic jars in an Anasazi cave dwelling site. Miraculously the beans germinated resulting in this ancient and perfectly preserved variety of drying bean.

Are Heirloom Seeds Harder to Grow?

A common misconception is that heirloom seeds are somehow more difficult to grow than modern hybrids. This simply isn’t true. Heirloom seeds are just as easy to grow as other seeds, as long as you provide them with the basic care that any plant requires: good soil, sunlight, water, and attention to their specific needs.

Growing Heirloom Vegetables

Growing heirloom vegetables is just like growing any other plant. Here are some simple tips to get started:

Choose the Right Varieties

• Start by selecting heirloom varieties that are well-suited to your environment. Some heirloom seeds have been passed down in specific regions, so if you live in a similar climate, they’ll likely thrive in your garden too.

Prepare Your Soil

• Like any other plants, heirlooms need healthy, well-drained soil to grow. Enrich your soil with organic compost or well-rotted manure before planting. This will provide the nutrients your plants need to produce a healthy crop.

Watering and Care

• Heirlooms, like most plants, require regular watering, especially in hot weather. Be mindful of overwatering, as soggy soil can lead to root rot. Adding a layer of mulch can help retain moisture and keep the roots cool.

Practice Seed Saving

• One of the best things about heirlooms is the ability to save seeds for next year’s garden. Once your vegetables have matured, simply save seeds from the best plants, dry them out, and store them in a cool, dry place until the next planting season. Seed saving not only saves money but also allows you to select for plants that thrive in your local conditions.

Heirlooms vs. Hybrids: What’s the Difference?

It’s important to distinguish between heirlooms and hybrids. Hybrids are the result of crossing two different plant varieties to achieve specific traits like uniform size, faster growth, or disease resistance. While hybrids may offer some advantages, such as higher yields, they do not allow for seed saving—seeds saved from hybrid plants may not grow true to type, meaning the next generation won’t have the same qualities.

On the other hand, heirloom vegetables are open-pollinated, meaning they reproduce naturally and reliably. This is what allows them to stay consistent from generation to generation and makes seed saving possible.

Some of our Favourites 

If you’re new to heirloom vegetables, here are just a few of our favourite varieties:

• Tomato True Black Brandywine: Known for its large size and exceptional flavour, this is one of the most popular heirloom tomatoes.
• ‘Peppermint’ Swiss Chard: An absolute She Grows Veg favourite, we love it so much we put it in our logo! This is a pink heirloom fordhook which means it can grow larger than other chards to around 60cm. It gets its name from the candy cane coloured stems and not a peppermint flavour.
• ‘Manpukuji’ Carrot: This carrot can grow up to 1.5m in length under the right conditions. Remaining sweet and tender even at large sizes, we love this salt baked.
• ‘Glass Gem’ Drying Corn: This glassy looking rainbow corn delivers every colour imaginable and is a real feast for the eyes and stomach.
• ‘Moon and Stars’ Watermelon: This striking watermelon has a dark green rind with yellow spots, resembling a night sky.

Growing heirloom vegetables is a rewarding experience that connects you with the history of food and agriculture while offering superior flavour and diversity. Despite what you may have heard, heirloom seeds are not harder to grow than other seeds. With basic gardening care, you can enjoy the unique and delicious produce these time-honoured varieties provide. Happy growing!