Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Heirloom Plants
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and Saving Seeds
What does gardening with heirlooms mean? You've probably heard the term before, because there is
a growing resurgence of heirloom gardening. And for good reason.
While definitions vary, most gardeners generally consider heirloom varieties as 50 to 100 years
old. The other key factor of heirloom plants is that they are open-pollinated. This means the seed
breeds true. For example, the seeds of an heirloom tomato will produce new tomato plants that
look just like the parent. Hybrids, on the other hand, are mixed of two different parents and so
won't breed true.
Benefits of Heirloom Gardening
Heirloom varieties developed from families in various regions saving the best plants each year for
seed planting the following year. Whereas many gardeners today buy plants already started (at
a much higher cost, I might add), it was the norm in years past to save seeds for each new year's
planting. Why are people rediscovering this trend? Because there are a lot of benefits in doing so.
Cost Effectiveness for Growing Produce
It is just a touch more work to save seed year to year and start the majority of your vegetables from
seed, but there are so many benefits for the backyard farmer. One of the biggest benefits is the cost
savings! Last year my father-in-law planted purple-hulled peas to grind for feed (and to feed us) for
the cattle using seeds that were passed down from his father.
If you are planting even a couple dozen tomatoes, you will pay nearly $50 just for the transplants.
But if you purchase three packets of seeds (for three varieties of tomatoes), you will spend $6.
That's a savings of about $40 for the year. Fast-forward to next year. When you save the seed from
the open-pollinated, heirloom varieties, your price for the tomatoes you plant the following year is
$0, whereas you would spend another $50 to plant tomato starts. And the next year? And the next?
Multiply this effect in a larger garden area, with multiple crops per year, and you can see how this
will really add up! Even if you save and use seeds for half of your produce, you can see how this
will give you a tremendous savings on your backyard farm.
