Heirloom Gardening

These treasured, tried-and-true heirlooms have been passed down from generation to generation. Gardeners have preserved these vegetable and flower varieties because they exhibit exceptional qualities and perform admirably in home gardens. And heirlooms are truly time-tested, with origins typically dating back 50 years or more, and some tracing their roots back hundreds of years.

Heirloom vegetables are as popular today as ever. Heirloom devotees say nothing beats a beloved, old-time variety for taste and nutrition. And heirloom vegetables tend to be as ornamental as they are tasty. But they’re more than just charming garden additions. This edible heritage of coveted vegetables includes some of the best-tasting, best-performing plants passed down through the generations. And although having been around for centuries, they are “new” in the sense that they are just making their way back to our tables today.

Heirloom flowers bring back old-fashioned charm to gardens. They are known for having more vibrant colors, stronger fragrances, and greater amounts of pollen and nectar than hybrids. Guardians of the vegetable garden, they attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds as well as beneficial insects and deter many garden pests.

Open pollinated and naturally non-GMO, the seeds you collect from heirloom plants grow true to type and exhibit the same desirable qualities our ancestors sought to preserve. By growing heirlooms, you carry on the tradition of preserving the genetic diversity of plants.