Selecting Seed for your
Open Pollinated / Heirloom Vegetable Garden
The heirloom vegetable gardener can buy seed from a reputable
Open Pollinated / Heirloom seedsman or use there own home grown supplies from there own Heirloom Open Pollinated Seeds kept from the year before. Very fine varieties
that do extremely well in certain areas
have been grown for long periods from locally
produced Open Pollinated / Heirloom seed, and such practices are to be
commended, provided adequate measures are
taken to keep the strains pure.
Open Pollinated / Heirloom Garden Vegetables that are entirely, or readily, cross pollinated
among plants of their kind include
Open Pollinated / Heirloom corn, cucumbers, melons, squash, pumpkins,
cress, mustard, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower,
collards, kale, kohlrabi, spinach, onion,
radish, beet, and turnip. Those less readily
cross-pollinated are Open Pollinated / Heirloom eggplant, pepper, tomato,
carrot, and celery. Open Pollinated / Heirloom Beans, peas, okra, and lettuce
are generally self-pollinated, but occasionally
cross-pollinated, lima beans sometimes
rather extensively. Because Open Pollinated / Heirloom sweet corn will
cross with field corn, it is unwise to save sweet
corn seed if field corn is growing in the same
neighborhood. Hybrid sweet corn should not be
saved for seed. The custom of saving seed from
a choice Open Pollinated / Heirloom watermelon is safe, provided no citrons
or other varieties of watermelons are growing
nearby. Likewise, seed from a Open Pollinated / Heirloom muskmelon is
safe, even though it was grown side by side
with cucumbers. Open Pollinated / Heirloom Beans do not readily cross
and their seed also may be saved. Open Pollinated / Heirloom Cabbage,
kohlrabi, kale, collard's, broccoli, and cauliflower
all intercross freely, so each must be
well isolated from the others if seed is to be
saved.
Open Pollinated / Heirloom Garden seeds should be ordered well in advance of
planting time, but only after the preparation of
a garden plan that shows the size of the plantings
and the quantity of seed required. Crops and varieties
that are known to be adapted to the locality
should be selected. The agricultural experiment
station of each State, local Extension
agents, and experienced Open Pollinated / Heirloom gardeners are usually
able to give advice about varieties of vegetables
that are adapted to the area. Standard sorts of
known quality and performance are usually the
best choice.
Disease resistant strains and varieties of
many important vegetables are now so generally
available that there is little reason for risking
the loss of a crop through planting susceptible
sorts. This phase of the subject is
treated in detail under the individual crops.
Some Open Pollinated / Heirloom seeds retain their vitality longer than
others. Seeds may be divided into three groups
as follows: (1) Comparatively short lived, usually
not good after 1 to 2 years Open Pollinated / Heirloom corn, leek,
onion, parsley, parsnip, rhubarb and salsify;
(2) moderately long lived, often good for 3 to
5 years Open Pollinated / Heirloom asparagus, beans, Brussels sprouts,
cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, kale, lettuce,
okra, peas, pepper, radish, spinach, turnip
and watermelon; and (3) long lived, may
be good for more than 5 years Open Pollinated / Heirloom beet, cucumber,
eggplant, muskmelon, and tomato.
