Heirloom Seeds and Seed Exchanges
Heirloom Seeds
In gardening the term heirloom refers to plants that have been
cultivated for at least one hundred years and can be propagated year
after year from seeds, cuttings, or divisions. Technically, heirloom
plants are either self-pollinating, which means they produce seeds
without obtaining pollen from another plant, or open-pollinated, which
means they require pollen to be delivered by insects, birds, or other
external forces. When seeds develop and are planted, they form an
exact copy of the parent plant. In contrast, a hybrid plant is formed
by controlled cross-pollination, where only one variety of a species is
chosen to provide pollen to another variety of the same species. The
hybrid is usually more prolific than either parent and is more
disease-resistant. However, seeds saved from a hybrid will not produce
the same plant as from which it came. It’s kind of complicated, but
heirloom vegetables provide a wider range of color, texture, and
flavor, and make gardening even more exciting.
Seed Savers Exchange, 3094 North Winn Road, Decorah, Iowa 52101


Ph: (563) 382-5990 Fax: (563) 382-5872 Seed Savers Exchange is a
non-profit organization of gardeners who save and share heirloom seed.
Here’s a brief explanation about seed exchanges –
If you’re a
gardener and you’re getting tired of what’s available at your local
nursery or through garden catalogs, then you might consider becoming a
member of a seed exchange. A seed exchange is basically a society
whose members trade seeds with fellow gardeners. These seeds are most
often from choice species and are not readily available to
individuals. The only way to cultivate them is to find another
gardener who has seeds to pass along. Fortunately, there are many
devotees who are willing to share their seeds for nearly every plant
and type of garden. For instance, if your passion is rock gardening,
you can obtain seeds through a rock garden society. There are fern
societies, carnivorous plant societies, and exchanges dealing with
heirloom fruits and vegetables. Many seed exchanges are geared to very
specific climatic conditions, such as desert regions and marshy areas.
Many varieties of seeds exchanged through these groups are extremely
rare and could have faced extinction, had it not been for the
commitment of gardeners wanting to keep them alive. So for a nominal
fee and perhaps sharing some of your own seeds, you can enrich your
garden and may also help to safeguard the genetic diversity of the
world’s plant life.
Martha- Thank you for the information about tomatoes, it would be fun to try the heirloom variety.
(The the cost is $35.00 to join the non profit exchange. You might want to add that to above info.)
Posted by: Jennifer Fancher | June 12th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
You can find detailed online seed saving instructions for all your favorite vegetables on the website of this 20 year-old non-profit:
http://www.seedsave.org/issi/issi_904.html
Thank you Martha for caring about and publicizing this important issue. We are finding more and more misunderstanding about the different labels for seeds. Your explanation about hybrids was clear and concise.
Bill
Posted by: Bill McDorman | June 12th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I was excited about my two tomato plants until I saw your crop. Wow!
Posted by: Jay | June 17th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Thanks for the tips on planting tomatoes deeply so the roots will develope. I want more info about your chickens and if you have Guineas about those too. They are good bug eaters.
Posted by: Susan | June 17th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Dear Martha
I planted 12 plants this year my first time that I started the vegtable garden. I have had a constant crop but only planted one variety which was Rutgers. I used stakes but did not pound them in nor tie strings and find now that with either heavy rain or animal intervention (helping themselves) the stakes are not sturdy and get pulled down. I will next year follow the string method with more solid construction. My mistake was I added the stakes after mid growth period which made it difficult as the plants were heavy. The info on seed exchange is also great and will join so I can have a more varied crop than what i see in the catalogues. Your selections are not common at all. This leads to canning which I will try next year as well since my crops were more than I could have anticipated. It's all so exciting!
Please come out with a book on your gardening experiences, we would love it.
thank you
Linda Pastorino
Posted by: Linda Pastorino | September 10th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Dear Martha
I'm so excited to start my adventure in gardening. My son will be returning from Iraq, hopefully sometime in june. His father is building him a new home, on about an acre of land. We live on a golf course and and cannot have a garden. I decide to plant a garden on his property, Partly due to the turn in our economy and the sheer pleasure of it. I decided I wanted to do something for the next generation and plant heirloom seeds. I can't wait to get started. Thank you for explaining so well the difference between heirloom and hybrid seeds and for your commitment to the betterment of our society.
Thank you
Jan burnop
Posted by: jan Burnop | March 3rd, 2009 at 6:22 am