What Are Heirloom Seeds?

By Ashleigh Smith

If you are a returning reader, you have probably noticed our pride in providing a large selection of heirloom seeds. But, what exactly does it mean for a seed to be an heirloom variety? It means the seed is an open-pollinated variety at least 50 years old. Its offspring (seed produced) will also develop fruit or flowers of the same characteristics as the parent plant.

Heirloom seeds are the preferred seed to collectors and seed swappers as you can count on the continued generations of seeds producing the same flavors and colors that have been adored by generations. Before the traditional 50-year standard to be considered an heirloom, the genetics of a variety are considered too unstable to produce fruit and flower characteristics that can be reliably marketed as an heirloom. This means there is a slight chance of getting a slightly different flavor or color depending on what a given plant is pollinated with.

In addition to the reliable replication of classic characteristics associated with any given heirloom variety, here at True Leaf Market, we value the self-sufficiency heirlooms can provide. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw an increase in garden interest as grocery store shelves suddenly were left bare. Keeping a stock of heirloom seeds can reduce worry as you can save seeds from each heirloom crop for future years of planting.

For these very circumstances, we have put together several seed mixes and kits, including:
Emergency Heirloom Bug Out Seed Bag
Compact Emergency Bug Out Bag
Chef’s Specialty Seed Assortment - Japanese Heirloom Garden
Instant Garden Heirloom Seed Collection
Granny’s Garden Heirloom Seed Collection