Heirloom Gardening
Apr. 21st, 2017 01:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sleepyfairy posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
gardeningHeirloom plants are those that haven't been standardized by scientists or commercial growers, but that come from small communities and are bred manually and naturally, so they may not be uniform. They're usually defined as plant varieties that existed before the 1940's when people began looking for more uniform produce that can be farmed for a bigger yield at the expense of taste (which is why I think any supermarket vegetable advertised as "GMO free" is a misnomer, but that's a subject for another time).
A lot of heirloom strains are dying out because in a lot of places it's illegal to sell the seeds (particularly in Europe), which is a shame because even though they tend to be more varied in output they're often much more flavorful than the commercial varieties.
Does anyone here focus on heirloom vegetables? Over the last couple of years I've taken an interest in it and this year I procured a number of seeds from one of the local mennonite families. The girl said that she's glad more people have taken interest in heirloom growing in recent years. They're only labeled like "carrot" or "cabbage" so I'm really looking forward to seeing what I end up with! If so, what do you grow?
A lot of heirloom strains are dying out because in a lot of places it's illegal to sell the seeds (particularly in Europe), which is a shame because even though they tend to be more varied in output they're often much more flavorful than the commercial varieties.
Does anyone here focus on heirloom vegetables? Over the last couple of years I've taken an interest in it and this year I procured a number of seeds from one of the local mennonite families. The girl said that she's glad more people have taken interest in heirloom growing in recent years. They're only labeled like "carrot" or "cabbage" so I'm really looking forward to seeing what I end up with! If so, what do you grow?
(no subject)
Date: 2017-04-22 12:03 am (UTC)I want to grow brandywine tomatoes next year, but sadly I need some new grow grates for them, so it'll have to wait. I just moved my entire garden so I need to get it established before I try anything too new. We once had farm fresh brandywines from a side-road stall a couple years ago and they were amazing, so I've been wanting to look into that.
Which is your favorite lettuce to grow? :O
(no subject)
Date: 2017-04-22 12:11 am (UTC)Be warned: Baker Creek is dangerous. So many seeds, so many colors . . .
We just got the lettuces last fall and didn't get them in the ground soon enough to get a fall crop, so I don't actually know. Baby Oakleaf (I think) was the only one that grew at all, and then most of that died when it got covered in snowmelt ice, so we are eagerly anticipating our first spring harvest. I'll keep you posted.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-04-22 12:17 am (UTC)