Heirloom Vegetables

 Heirloom Plant Varieties Provide More Than a Good Harvest or Beautiful Blooms

Home Gardeners can select plants with better flavor and interesting history.

Heirloom tomatoes by Kim Schwind UCANR

Heirlooms provide a sense of history. The wardrobe from Great Aunt Rose’s attic, an antique hand-carved chair, and a rusty tool from a local auction carry a sense of history, of the people who used them. This holds true for heirloom plant varieties.

“Heirloom seeds are usually more than 50 years old and have been passed down from generation to generation,” said Kathy McFarland, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. “This means they come with fascinating stories and heritage from years past.”

Many gardeners are drawn to the stories behind the names. ‘Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter’ tomato came from radiator business owner, “Charlie,” who came up with a large, meaty and productive variety that he sold during the depression. He used the money from this side business to pay off his mortgage.

‘Aunt Lou’s Underground Railroad’ tomato has been traced back to Kentucky through Ripley, Ohio. The seeds were carried by an escaping slave as he traveled the Underground Railroad. The tomato is characteristic of those grown in that era.

While the stories don’t enhance flavor, shelf-life, color, or fragrance, they are a way to connect to our plant and flower heritage. “Heirloom seeds have often been handed down as family favorites,” said Chris Mayer, Director at Wilson College’s Fulton Center for Sustainable Living.

Home gardeners, unlike commercial growers, have the luxury to choose what they grow. Many choose these vegetables and flowers for taste, shape, hardiness and color not found in hybrid selections.

Originally from India, Bullnose Peppers (Capsicum annuum) have been in U.S. gardens since the mid-1870’s. These sweet peppers were grown by Thomas Jefferson and are still grown at Monticello. They ripen early, withstand bad weather and their thick skins make them ideal for pickling, stuffing and raw with dips. While 20 seed companies offered these over 25 years ago, today vendors are rare and seeds often “out of stock.”

Heirloom varieties are open-pollinated which means that, unlike hybrids, seeds you collect from one year will produce the same plants the next year. “Using heirlooms helps preserve the gene pool and assure that resilience from pests, diseases and climate are built into the system,” said Mayer.

Tomatoes are the one vegetable that has a wide range of shapes, colors, taste and growing habit. Cherry, slicer, beefsteak, or canning types are available as are pink, orange, white and ‘Green Zebra’ striped varieties.

“Most heirlooms taste better than the hybrid and genetically modified produce because these have been bred and selected for generations based on how they taste,” said McFarland.

Pennsylvania heirloom tomatoes include Brandywine, reported to be introduced in 1885 by Amish farmers in Chester County. Other Mennonite and Amish heirlooms include Hahnstown Yellow, Amish Oxheart and Eva's Amish Stripe.

Mid-March is the time for seed starting for transplants in mid-May. Gardeners seeking heirloom or unusual varieties probably won’t find them at the local garden centers or nurseries.

The annual Master Gardener plant sale on May 20, 2023, will have some of the heirloom varieties ready to plant.  Best results for planting transplants is after the last frost date and when the SOIL TEMPERATURE is ready. Check out the soil temperature information and note that in our area the best time to plant is mid-May.  

Also see Heirloom Vegetables: Good Taste and Interesting Tales 

U of California. The Real Dirt Blog. Heirloom Tomatoes

CKagan, Master Gardener

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