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| So what are Heirloom seeds/plant exactly and whats the big deal about them. Are they like the plant equivalent of a of a pure breed dog, ex: Pure bred Labrador vs a hybrid dog, ex: Husky Labrador. Sorry this might be a dumb question but im new to gardening. |
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| For the most part, heirloom seeds are those that produce seeds that will grow plants with the same characteristics of the parent plant. So long as no outside pollination occurs. The word "heirloom" is meaningful because families would grow the same varieties for untold numbers of generations. In contrast to hybrids which are combinations of two varieties that produce some desirable combination. The seeds of these varieties however will not hold true, encouraging the purchase of new seeds instead of collecting your own. |
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| The primary reason some prefer to grow heirloom varieties is that they can save the seeds the plant produces for use the following years That isn't possible with most hybrids and some object to the increasing corporate monopolies in seed distribution and their pricing policies. Some also prefer the flavor of heirloom varieties since so many of the hybrids were developed for shipping purposes with thicker skins,and uniformity of shape/color. Flavor often fell by the wayside in that process. Some use them as a family history marker, some grow them so they can trade seeds with others, and some like to use them to avoid all the politics of the seed industry. The more valid label is Open-Pollinated rather than Heirloom. Although all heirlooms are open-pollinated not all open-pollinated varieties are actually heirlooms. Technically a "Heirloom" is a variety with a documented paper trail of at least 50 years or pre-dating 1940 when active hybridization began. Hope this helps. Dave |
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| Hands clapping for Dave! If we used the phrase open-pollinated it would mean so much more. I only use the word heirloom with varieties that have a documented history of having been saved by families or communities. |
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- Posted by theforgottenone1013 5b/6a MI (My Page) on Wed, Jul 2, 14 at 8:46
| Agree with both Dave and planatus. "Open pollinated" is my phrase of choice. It seems the question is always between "heirloom" or "hybrid" (or GMO; not that it's relevant to home growers). Open pollinated varieties always gets left out of the discussion for some reason (and it frustrates the heck out of me! lol). Rodney |
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