What are heirloom vegetables?
Most of us understand that a “family heirloom” refers to something passed down from an earlier generation. Those items, such as a treasured handmade quilt or family Bible, may be personally meaningful because of their sentimental value. The term “heirloom vegetable” is not as clear, and this article helps to explain this concept.
First and foremost, heirloom vegetables are open-pollinated, which means the plants are pollinated by wind, birds, or insects without human intervention. In addition, seeds from heirloom vegetables have been saved, planted year after year, and passed along from one generation to the next, so they are true-to-type, reproducing with the same qualities as the parent plant. Here is an example. Suppose your great-grandmother was an avid gardener who grew great-tasting zucchini. To make sure her family could enjoy this same variety in years to come, she extracted seeds from her zucchini, dried them, and stored those seeds in a container. Later, she gave some of those seeds to your grandmother for planting in her garden. That process repeated itself when your grandmother planted those zucchini seeds in her garden and then gave some of the seeds to your mom, who in turn, planted them in her garden. Later, your mom gathered seeds from her zucchini plants and passed some of them on to you.
In a way, heirloom vegetables are “living artifacts” that have withstood the test of time. Some of these cultivars date back to a particular seed-saving family, while others might match a specific type of vegetable growing in its native habitat. Okay, that makes sense, but how old do they need to be in order to be called heirloom vegetables? Some heirloom plants can be traced back several hundred years to Asia or Africa; some from Europe are reportedly over 400 years old. Other seeds saved by Native Americans date back to the pre-Colombian era. Sources often say that heirloom plants are 50-100 years old or more, but that’s not very precise or definitive.
Many in the horticultural world use 1951 as an appropriate year to identify a major change in vegetable gardening practices. Before that time, most gardeners kept a steady supply of their own vegetable seeds from the tastiest, most productive plants in their edible garden beds, which saved money. This economical tradition helped ensure that vegetable plants well-adapted to local conditions and microclimates would continue to be sown, grown, and harvested in future years. Then, in the 1950s, commercial growers began developing and selling hybrid varieties of vegetable plants. They were striving for more uniformity in produce that would ripen and be harvested all-at-once, in order to facilitate shipping and longer storage. Commercial growers favored large-scale production and distribution because those practices generally lead to larger profit margins. That trend tipped the balance, gradually making the use of hybrid cultivars more prevalent among home gardeners.
Why are heirloom vegetables important?
Heirloom seeds from vegetable plants represent a diverse gene pool that reflects a wide variety of distinct colors, shapes, flavors, and growth habits. Over time, backyard gardeners and heirloom seed-savers help to preserve a rich horticultural heritage. Without their efforts, the availability of many unique and delicious edible crops would be greatly reduced. Those who continue this tradition today are contributing to a valuable set of resources that link the past with the present and future. Just as a family heirloom embodies a significant element of family history, heirloom vegetables characterize important connections with garden cultivation practices, food preparation, and dietary habits across multiple generations.
When modern, hybrid seeds are saved from year to year, the resulting vegetables will not necessarily be like the produce from the parent plants. Therefore, without older heirloom varieties being preserved, the size of the gene pool is likely to decrease over time. An unwanted outcome of that scenario might be more problems with garden pests and plant diseases.
How do heirloom vegetables differ from modern, hybrid vegetables?
Exceptional flavor is a main reason that gardeners save heirloom seeds, and outstanding taste is typical of most heirloom vegetables. Each generation of a particular vegetable grown from saved seeds should taste as great as the parent plant. That’s very different from modern hybrid vegetables, which are purposefully bred for resilience and durability, often at the expense of flavor.
The “look and feel” of produce is another way that heirloom and hybrid vegetables may differ. Commercial growers aim for standardized appearance with their crops (e.g., perfect-looking cucumbers), which appeals to many consumers, whereas “uncontrolled” heirloom varieties may come in irregular shapes, varied textures, and assorted shades or hues. Buyers might think something is wrong with those strange-looking vegetables and tend to avoid selecting them.
Another difference between these two types of plants relates to their productivity. Heirloom varieties, chosen and preserved because of their desirable characteristics and production capacity, may achieve higher output than hybrid plants. Some heirloom plants may also be more productive for a longer period of time during the growing season. However, certain heirloom vegetables, such as tomatoes, might be more fragile or perishable than modern hybrids, so careful handling is required.
On the downside, some heirloom vegetable plants may be less resistant to common soil-borne pathogens. Commercial growers intentionally breed hybrid varieties to be more disease-resistant, and this is important for home gardeners. Those who prefer organic gardening without the use of pesticides or herbicides might lean toward certain hybrid cultivars with stronger resistance to plant diseases. After all, if you invest time and energy in creating a vegetable garden, you don’t want your harvest ruined by blight, powdery mildew, Fusarium wilt, or other fungal or viral diseases which can wreak havoc on crops. Following integrated pest management strategies (IPM) is recommended for gardeners who want to grow heirloom crops but reduce the risks of disease, damage, and loss.
How do you maintain heirloom seed purity?
If you choose to plant, grow, and save heirloom seeds, then it’s important to maintain seed purity. In a small garden, growing only one variety of a particular vegetable at a time is a great way to ensure purity. Or, you can use blossom covers on heirloom vegetable plants to prevent unwanted cross-pollination from non-heirloom plants. Alternatively, you can isolate different varieties of the same crop (e.g., heirloom lettuce vs. hybrid lettuce) with at least 10 feet between them to avoid cross-pollination. However, vegetables that readily cross-pollinate, such as squash, pumpkins, and corn, will require greater distance between different cultivars. When selecting heirloom vegetable seeds to harvest, be sure to choose seeds from healthy, disease-free plants. Seeds must be dried thoroughly and stored in air-tight containers. For long-term storage, a cool, dry location is optimal.
Which heirloom varieties can be grown in this region?
Check out the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange website to find a wealth of heirloom varieties with detailed descriptions. Look for “OP” on the labels, which stands for open-pollinated varieties. You may also have heard about “local seed swaps,” where gardeners in a community get together to share seeds from their own collections. You can find those events or posted on physical or online bulletin boards in your neighborhood or on Facebook. What a great way to connect with others who are interested in heirloom plants!
For your gardening notebook, here are a few heirloom varieties that grow well in this region.
Lettuce
Deer Tongue – dates to the 1800s; loose heads with pointy leaves and thick mid-ribs; excellent flavor; this variety tolerates heat (slow to bolt)
Tennis Ball Batavian – parent of Boston lettuce that was cultivated in the 18th century; light green leaves on medium sized heads; grows in the gardens at Monticello
Cucumber
Lemon – fast-growing vines that produce yellow, crunchy, lemon-shaped fruit with nutty taste
Marketmore 76 – dark green fruit; dependable plant with high yield but without bitterness
Beans
Cherokee Trail of Tears Beans – heirloom pole bean with purple striped pods and black seeds; this variety dates back to the Cherokee Indians
Jacob’s Cattle Bush Dry Beans – large, white, kidney-shaped beans with splashes of maroon color; excellent for stews and soups
Rattlesnake Pole Snap Bean – curly green pods with purple streaks and tan beans with black stripes; rich flavor when steamed
Melons
Hearts of Gold – large melons with salmon-colored fruit and slightly spicy taste
Jenny Lind – originated in New Jersey and named in 1846; lime-green fruit is quite sweet
Tomatoes (many more great choices!)
Brandywine – famous Amish heirloom from Pennsylvania that dates to 1885; dark reddish-pink fruit with outstanding flavor and texture; highly resistant to disease
Cherokee Purple – large, slightly ridged fruit with dark purplish-brown skin and brick-red flesh with great taste; indeterminate vines
Yellow Bell Paste – very productive plant with delectable, pear-shaped fruit; great for making salsa, sauce, preserves or tomato paste
After writing this article, my mouth is watering for fresh veggies. I plan to grow some heirloom varieties this year and look forward to sampling the results!
Online Resources
Heirloom Vegetables. (Sarah Browning, 2011). University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. https://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/articles/2011/Heirloom.shtml
Heirloom Vegetables. (Karen Delahaut). University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension. https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/heirloom-vegetables
Heirloom Vegetables. (Cheryl Kaiser and Matt Ernst, 2017). University of Kentucky college of Agriculture, Food, and Environment. Center for Crop Diversification Crop Profile. heirloom.pdf (uky.edu)
Heirloom Vegetables. (Karen Russ and David Bradshaw, 2016). Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/heirloom-vegetables/
Heirloom Vegetables. University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Solutions. Heirloom Vegetables – Gardening Solutions – University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (ufl.edu)
Heirloom Vegetables and Seeds. (Hanna Smith, 2022). North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Heirloom Vegetables and Seeds | Extension Marketing and Communications (ncsu.edu)
Heirloom vs Hybrid Vegetable Seed. (Matt Solomon, 2023). NC State Cooperative Extension, Caswell County Center. https://caswell.ces.ncsu.edu/2023/02/heirloom-vs-hybrid-vegetable-seed/
Integrated Pet Management. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Integrated Pest Management | USDA
Integrated Pet Management Principles. (2022). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Principles | US EPA
Saving Your Own Seed. (Kate Holt, 2023). North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Saving Your Own Seed | Extension Marketing and Communications (ncsu.edu)
Seed Savers Exchange collects, regenerates, and shares/sells heirloom seeds and plants. https://www.seedsavers.org/
Soil-borne Diseases. UC Davis Global Soil Health Portal. Soil Borne Diseases: Soil Health (ucdavis.edu)
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange sells hundreds of seeds, with emphasis on varieties that do well in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. https://www.southernexposure.com/
