Benefits of Heirloom Seeds seeds have a colorful past. Because relics are ancient, many of these seed varieties have interesting stories associated with them. You can continue to save heirloom seeds every year. As I mentioned before, heirloom seeds produce vegetables that are true to the type.
This means you can save the seeds and plant them the following year and still get the same great vegetables. If you store the seeds properly, you won't need to buy seeds until you want to try something new. Hybrid seeds are created by crossing two selected varieties, sometimes resulting in vigorous plants that outperform relics. When you select and store seeds from the most successful traditional vegetables in your garden, the more reliable those vegetables will be year after year.
I've been using heirloom seeds for a few years now and when asked why, I often respond, “I don't know, I just prefer them. But over the years I've done my research and started to have a healthy respect for heirloom plants and seeds. When heirloom seeds are grown with the right methods and in the right environment, the result is a more nutritious product to feed your family. With the increased demand for heirloom seeds, you'll find that it's not as difficult as before to obtain them.
Hybrids certainly have their charm, but when you select seeds this year, consider adding some heirlooms to your garden. Relics are often the tastiest products because seed varieties that didn't taste very good simply weren't kept. It makes those heirloom seeds more special when you know the story and the stories that come with them. However, you can grow traditional plants and save seeds only from those plants that were best maintained against pests and the weather.
Some people claim that heirloom plants are those that were introduced before 1951, while others claim that heirloom varieties are those that were introduced before the 1920s. Anyone who has been planting traditional fruits and vegetables can tell you that a new world awaits you in your heirloom garden. In general, you should consider that relics are seeds that can grow back and pass from one generation to the next. Remember that heirloom seeds have not been altered to be disease resistant or cross-pollinated for different growth characteristics.
Take a look, for example, at different seed catalogs to compare the vibrant colors, random shapes and different sizes of the many traditional tomato varieties available.
