[deedee71]

I am new to the idea of heirloom veg and i am very interested in growing some, but there is not a lot of info around.

So, i was wondering if anyone has grown them, if so, what type of veg have you grown and where did you get the seeds from please? And what did you think of the end result? :?:

[poultrygeist]

Wossat then ??  :?:

Rob

[iwantanallotment]

Glad you asked this, deedee  
I'm new to heirloom varieties too so will be interested in your replies.
So far I'm growing several heirloom varieties of carrots and tomatoes, seeds/plants from eBay.
I'm also joining the Heritage Seed Library to grow some of theirs. I think DD grows some peas of theirs, so maybe he'll tell you what they're like - I haven't had crops from mine yet
There's lots of info and suppliers online if you Google 'heirloom varieties' or 'heirloom vegetables'  
This looks like a good one, deedee http://www.thomasetty.co.uk/vegetables/index.html - has anyone bought from here?

[poultrygeist]

Are they traditional varieties that have fallen out of use ?

If so, I'm all for it. Would love to try a few once we're established a bit better.

Rob

[Hampshire Hog]

I have seen heirloom seeds at "Potato days" eg Whitchurch hants in January. Your issue I believe is that EEC rules ban sales of these seeds so you have to locate an event where they are being given away free.

For myself I am still getting up to speed with growing veg well using current varieties never mind an additional challenge.
 
Cheers HH

[DD.]

I've got 3 sorts of heritage pea, which I raised as a 'Seed Guardian'. All were allowed to go to seed to increase the stock. Most were sent back & a few retained.

This will be the first year, hopefully, I will have sampled any of them, so I'll have to let you know.

[poultrygeist]

Can I point out that no-one has yet explained what constitutes an heirloom plant. I presume I've guessed right but is there a list of them somewhere of is it a fairly fuzzy sort of definition ?

Am I the only one who doesn't know or are there others wondering what it's all about ?

Can anyone give a brief definition pretty please ?  

Thank you

Rob  :flower:

[DD.]

Can anyone give a brief definition pretty please ?  

Thank you

Rob  :flower:

I don't think there is one written down as such & I would think it varies according to people's perception. Perhaps it's time for us to define the term.

So, your starter for 10....

The only one I can immediately see in print is from The National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"Heirlooms are defined as open-pollinated varieties that reproduce true-to-type, were introduced over 50 years ago, and possess a history that is more-or-less well documented."

Any improvements?

[love-my-plot]

I think you're on thr right track PG. With so many varieties of veg (fruit & flowers too) being crossbred to create F1's, that lots of older varieties get dropped from circulation/seed catalogues etc.
I currently have a few things on the go, seeds could be swapped but not sold.
Isolating stuff, in order to keep it pure, seems to be too much hassle for a lot of people so they stick to F1's where the end result is guarenteed and seed saving isn't something they're interested in. I LOVE saving seeds, so non F1's interest me.
I THINK that's a kind of explanation ... hope it helps

[poultrygeist]

Perfectomundo DD !!

Thank you. That's different to what I was thinking so it's a bit more vague than I imagined.

We have a cottagey sort of garden which has been cultivated by the previous incumbant since Noah was a lad.
I bet some of these could come into that category if only we knew what they were  :shock:

Got some lovely foxgloves which prob derive from originals several decades ago. Do they usually come true from seed ?

Rob

[poultrygeist]

...and love-my-plot. Thank you.

I'm a bit clearer now. I agree that it's nice to find older 'pure' varieties.

Not sure how one would go about it but it's something which interests me and my OH.

Need to get the veg plot and borders better organised first though. Still digging out old elder stumps and bits of plastic mulch.

Rob

[iwantanallotment]

Looking at the Thomas Etty website Rob, it appears that several varieties commonly grown are heirlooms anyway, ie Musselburgh leeks, Ailsa Craig toms & onions, Asparagus Peas, Sutton Dwarf beans, etc. Had a surprise to find I'm growing more heirlooms than I thought!
Fascinating site btw, lots of info on the old varieties  

[poultrygeist]

I'll take a look in a bit. Thanks.

Chances are, a lot of the problems associated with some of the varieties which sent them our of favour to start with are probably no longer applicable.

Diseases may now be more adapted to newer varieties so teh old ones might give better yields. Probably better flavours for a lot of them. But I think anything that stood the test of time over centuries, or even just decades, shouldn't be wiped off the map completely.

Rob

[jacnal]

I've planted a few varieties of hairloom potatoes. I'll have to post the names later as I can't remember off the top of my head...

[DD.]

I've planted a few varieties of hairloom potatoes. I'll have to post the names later as I can't remember off the top of my head...

If they're hairloom potatoes, surely they would be off the top of your head!    

Sorry, jacnal. :oops:  :oops:  :oops:  :oops: