Heirloom Vegetables
by Kassie Moulton, Penobscot County Master Gardener
 

In a modern world filled with lots of complicated food engineering, plant breeding, and genetic modification, many people are longing for simple, safe, and tasty food.  As a result, many home gardeners, new and experienced, are turning to heirloom vegetable varieties to bring back classic quality and preserve genetic potential.  The term heirloom generally refers to a variety that has been handed down over several generations (usually at least 50 years).  These varieties are open pollinated, meaning they reproduce without human intervention and will produce a daughter plant with the same characteristics as the parents.  This is in contrast to the hybrid varieties that are most commonly used today, that will not reproduce true to form.  The fact that the plant is open pollinated allows the gardener to save seeds for future use; a great self sustaining tactic that can cut growing costs. 

Heirlooms are not simply undergoing a resurgence for sentimental and seed saving reasons.  Many people, gardeners and consumers alike, claim that heirloom vegetables taste much better than modern hybrid varieties and offer unique flavors.   

Traditional breeds of vegetables are often much larger than frequently-compact hybrid plants.  The produce itself is likely to be heftier, but not as uniform as the gardener may be used to.

 One drawback to heirlooms is that they are often susceptible to disease problems, since most don't come with the built-in disease resistance that many hybrids are bred for.  However, good sanitation, careful monitoring, the prevention of plant stress, and good overall management can help the home gardener avert an array of disease problems before they start. 
Heirloom vegetable varieties are a great alternative for gardeners in search of sustainability, great taste, and pride.  They can be purchased from specialty companies such as the Seed Savers Exchange, and many mainstream companies such as Johnny's Selected Seeds are now offering these varieties as well.

Examples of Heirloom Vegetable Varieties:
 Cherokee Purple Tomato              Aconcagua Pepper
Brandywine Tomato                      Hungarian Sweet Wax Pepper
Green Zebra Tomato                     Red Cherry Sweet Pepper
British Wonder Pea                         Bull's Blood Beet
Dark Green Perfection Pea            Danver's Half Long Carrot
Red Burgundy Onion                      Cherry Belle Radish
Purple Top White Globe Turnip      Grandpa Admire's Lettuce
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce      Contender Bean
Straight Eight Cucumber               Lemon Cucumber

• Bulletin #2750, An Introduction to Seed Saving for the Home Gardener by Mark Hutton, University of Maine Extension Vegetable Specialist
• A Guide to Heirloom Varieties & Community-Based Stewardship, compiled by Suzanne P. DeMuth, Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, Information Centers Branch, National Agriculture Library, Agricultural Research Service, USDA
• Heirloom Seeds or Flinty Hybrids? By Michael Tortorello in The New York Times

Before growing, it is a good idea to research varieties that the gardener hopes to grow, determine some of the common diseases that they are prone to, and establish prevention measures that will nip these pathogens in the bud.