What Heirloom Vegetables Are You Planting?

HoleySmokes

Chillin' In The Garden
Joined
Dec 3, 2022
Messages
17
Reaction score
47
Points
38
Location
TN
Since you cant save seed from hybrids, what heirloom vegetables are you planting?
 

Pulsegleaner

Garden Addicted
Joined
Apr 18, 2014
Messages
2,802
Reaction score
4,956
Points
266
Location
Lower Hudson Valley, New York
So far on the schedule.
Hooker's Chives (Allium hookeri). Technically more of an alternate species than an heirloom, but since, as far as I know, no one has hybridized it or even tried to alter it significantly from its wild form, I suppose it does count.

Phil's #2 Tomato
Wooly Zebra Tomato
Borneo Jungle Cucumber
West Indian Gherkin (if my mom has her way)
Assorted Liberian Lima beans
Black seeded Horse Gram (Dolichos biflorus)
Assorted mung beans
Velcro Chickpeas (if I can find the jar of seeds in time)
Silver Yamato watermelon
Korean Mountain Garlic
Dabo Okra (maybe)
Falcone Bean alternate coat color #1 (will do #2 next year, don't have room for both at the same time.)

And probably a lot of other things I can't remember at the moment.
 

Zeedman

Garden Addicted
Joined
Dec 10, 2016
Messages
3,372
Reaction score
9,887
Points
297
Location
East-central Wisconsin
TBD, but I save seed for almost everything I grow. All peppers & tomatoes will be heirloom. The only hybrid I grow is sweet corn; and the few commercial varieties are likely to include one bean, one squash, and possibly a few bean & gourd trials from an Asian seed company. The rest, about 80-90% or so of the roughly 3000 square feet, will be heirlooms. Below zero right now & the garden is still months away, I'll update here when the plan takes shape.
 

digitS'

Garden Master
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
24,239
Reaction score
23,260
Points
457
Location
border, ID/WA(!)
HolySmokes, you are obviously asking about heirlooms and seed saving in combination.

I've waited awhile, expecting that you might be overwhelmed by lists from our seedsavers/heirloom gardeners. It's likely to happen. Realize that the definition of heirloom plays a role. Often, I see it referred to as a cultivar that has been around for more than 50 years. There are quite a few of those, now. I have noticed that Blue Lake green beans, a popular garden variety, are well beyond that age. I'm not sure why I don't save more bean seed but limit it to Bei soybean and Rattlesnake pole beans. Anyway, we may be buying seed for several things year after year but they may also be heirlooms.

There was a twisted-stem mustard bought off a rack in an Asian market about 30+ years ago that I save seed from every few years. It has "evolved" and, perhaps, crossed with a different mustard now and then - it is no longer much of a twisted stem plant but still has a fairly mild flavor that I appreciate. I especially like that it is so easy to save the seed but I have no idea if it was or has now become an heirloom.

The seeds from several tomato varieties are saved. My tomato patch changes because I feel the need to rescue the seed within a 5 year schedule. There are fewer garden tomato plants in recent years so I have to pay attention to dates but in the local climate, I also find it easy to save the seed for Porter, Buisson, Bloody Butcher, etc.

Steve
 

ducks4you

Garden Master
Joined
Sep 4, 2009
Messages
10,015
Reaction score
11,015
Points
417
Location
East Central IL, Was Zone 6, Now...maybe Zone 5
Except for some old seeds which will be planted this year somewhere, practically EVERY seed package I have bought for 2023 planting is an heirloom.
Look at the thread regarding the hybrid melon difficult to find started by @Holachicka
Hybrids have their place, but I THINK most seed companies want to make heirlooms available, so why not?
I think we should study.
Seems like the down sides for heirlooms is productivity.
Some hybrids brag that they are not susceptible to fungus and other diseases. I kinda think we have those problems bc of bad gardening practices.
 

HoleySmokes

Chillin' In The Garden
Joined
Dec 3, 2022
Messages
17
Reaction score
47
Points
38
Location
TN
HolySmokes, you are obviously asking about heirlooms and seed saving in combination.

I've waited awhile, expecting that you might be overwhelmed by lists from our seedsavers/heirloom gardeners. It's likely to happen. Realize that the definition of heirloom plays a role. Often, I see it referred to as a cultivar that has been around for more than 50 years.

Well actually I mean plants that you can save seed from and they come back true. There are standard varieties of tomatoes that aren't classified as "heirlooms" but aren't "hybrids" so those too. Just not interested in "hybrids" in this thread because of seed saving to clarify. I do grow some hybrds myself but I'm trying to veer away from that if I can.
 

Zeedman

Garden Addicted
Joined
Dec 10, 2016
Messages
3,372
Reaction score
9,887
Points
297
Location
East-central Wisconsin
Well actually I mean plants that you can save seed from and they come back true. There are standard varieties of tomatoes that aren't classified as "heirlooms" but aren't "hybrids" so those too. Just not interested in "hybrids" in this thread because of seed saving to clarify. I do grow some hybrds myself but I'm trying to veer away from that if I can.
So what you are interesting in is anything OP (open pollinated) that will come true from saved seed. Heirlooms fall in that category by definition, but many commercial varieties are also OP (including all beans & peas). Anything not specifically labeled "hybrid" should be assumed to be OP.
 

Latest posts

Top