Heirloom tomatoes have one distinctive advantage over hybrid tomatoes, the taste. Hybrid tomatoes are developed by companies to withstand long trips from the field to the grocery and they are manufactured to keep their bright red color. The flavor is sacrificed in the harvesting process because the tomato is picked green not allowing it to be ripened on the vine.

 Here are a few heirloom tomato varieties:

1. beefsteak heirloom tomato – a large meaty tomato with a distinct sweet flavor
2. Amish paste tomato – a meaty and full of juice tomato that is used frequently for sauces and pastes
3. German Green tomato – sweet tasting tomato that stays green
4. Black tomato – found in Europe and America has blackish, purple color with streaks of green
5. black Krim tomato – originally from Russia is chocolate colored
6. Brandywine tomato – wonderful flavor in this large pink colored tomato

This is just a few of hundreds of varieties of heirloom tomatoes!

Over the years the heirloom rose has been passed down from family to family and has been found from creative sources such as old cemeteries where hardy old roses have survived for years. These grave yard roses have been sampled and propagated by heirloom Rose enthusiasts.

Heirloom roses are known for their easy maintenance and their paler color than the modern rose. But that is not to say that care shouldn’t be used to raise them.

There are 5 different types of heirloom Roses.

1. Damasks – Extremely fragrant rose that was used rose oils.
2. Gallicas – The oldest of the heirloom Roses, they are very colorful.
3. Alba – Old White Roses dating back to Roman times.
4. Centifolia – Origins varies from Asia to Europe, this Rose is lush and fragrant.
5. Moss – The name comes from the moss like growth on their stems.

The seeds are near the bottom of the flower where they develop while the plant wilts and dies. It is nature’s way of keeping the flowers to grow again. When the plant is completely wilted the area where the seeds are will be enlarged and it will eventually open.

Let the plant open the pod where the seeds are this will guarantee that the seeds are ready to collect. Different flowers and plants have different ways of opening up the seed pod. The seeds will need to continue to dry for another week. Store them somewhere they wouldn’t be disturbed.

After a week of drying, place the seeds in a type container where no moisture can get in, small paper bags are ideal. Just make sure that they are not in direct sun or anywhere a rodent can get to them.

Heirloom gardening has become popular in the United States and U.K. in the last twenty years or so. Preserving old varieties of vegetables and flowers for nostalgia and for the better and unique flavors of them has made this a valuable pastime.

 Why are heirloom plants necessary?

Today plants are mass produced and the older varieties have been left to wither on the vine, so to speak. Many folks have taken up the cause to keep traditions alive with older versions of vegetables, fruits and flowers. Not only is it rewarding in its own right, but profitable.

 What is considered an heirloom plant?

 A cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of desired characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when propagated it retains those characteristics. From Wikipedia

 Heirloom plant is an open pollinated cultivar that is no longer used in mass production. To be considered an heirloom plant the cultivar must be between 50 and 100 years old. 

 One of the main requirements of heirloom plants is that they are open pollinated which means pollination is by nature such as birds, insects and weather conditions. This type of pollination leads to impracticable genetic results which makes heirloom plants so unique. Open pollination has also made the heirloom plants hardier and more able to withstand certain diseases and extreme weather.

 How have they been preserved?

Heirloom seeds have been passed down from one generation of a family to the next. Old seed companies have also contributed to heirloom plants by keeping the seeds available to customers.

Besides seeds, heirloom plants especially roses have been passed down through generations by cuttings off the original plants, at one time this method was common among rose growers.

 What is seed saving?

Seed saving is the traditional method retaining the seeds or tubers from the current plants in order to grow similar plants the following year. This maintains the consistency of the vegetables, flowers and fruits that grow year to year.  This is an important part of heirloom gardening.