... How Does your Garden Grow?

WHY HEIRLOOM SEEDS? 

It was sort of an eye opening thing for me to discover that "someone" was messing with our food sources.  Gosh between Genetically Modified Foods; Fertilizers; Pesticides; and fruits/vegetables that don't produce that we could plant or grow - it's a wonder we aren't all dead.  As a people, we've been encouraged to learn how to grow our own gardens for a couple of centuries now, I always thought it would be because food would run out - A Father much wiser than us knew it would not only be for our experience & learning but for our health and sustainability. ... Here's what I've pulled from Wikipedia  ... make a note:

Before the industrialization of agriculture, a much wider variety of plant foods were grown for human consumption. In modern agriculture in the industrialized world, most food crops are now grown in large, monocultural plots. In order to maximize consistency, few varieties of each type of crop are grown. These varieties are often selected for their productivity, their ability to withstand mechanical picking and cross-country shipping, and their tolerance to drought, frost, or pesticides. Heirloom gardening is a reaction against this trend.

The definition and use of the word heirloom to describe plants is fiercely debated.

One school of thought places an age or date point on the cultivars. For instance, one school says the cultivar must be over 100 years old, others 50 years, and others prefer the date of 1945 which marks the end of World War II and roughly the beginning of widespread hybrid use by growers and seed companies. Many gardeners consider 1951 to be the latest year a plant can have originated and still be called an heirloom, since that year marked the widespread introduction of the first hybrid varieties. It was in the 1970s that hybrid seeds began to proliferate in the commercial seed trade. Some heirloom plants are much older, some being apparently pre-historic.

Another way of defining heirloom cultivars is to use the definition of the word "heirloom" in its truest sense. Under this interpretation, a true heirloom is a cultivar that has been nurtured, selected, and handed down from one family member to another for many generations.

Additionally, there is another category of cultivars that could be classified as "commercial heirlooms," cultivars that were introduced many generations ago and were of such merit that they have been saved, maintained and handed down - even if the seed company has gone out of business or otherwise dropped the line. Additionally, many old commercial releases have actually been family heirlooms that a seed company obtained and introduced.

Regardless of a person's specific interpretation, most authorities agree that heirlooms, by definition, must be open-pollinated. They may also be open pollinated varieties that were bred and stabilized using classic breeding practices. While there are no genetically modified tomatoes available for commercial or home use, it is generally agreed that no genetically modified organisms can be considered heirloom cultivars. Another important point of discussion is that without the ongoing growing and storage of heirloom plants, the seed companies and the government will control all seed distribution. Most, if not all, hybrid plants, if regrown, will not be the same as the original hybrid plant, thus ensuring the dependency on seed distributors for future crops. 

Personal note:  That last sentence is soul shaking! 

Here's a few resources:

Seed Saving Organizations
Seed saving organizations are slightly different from seed companies. Their goal is usually to promote garden biodiversity, utilizing of rare heirlooms, and the histories behind these seeds. To gain access to these types of organizations you may have to become a member, but they often sell seeds in order to raise funds.

1. Seed Savers Exchange

The most popular suggestion for inclusion was Seed Savers Exchange. Founded in 1975, Seed Savers Exchange is a registered non-profit and arguably the reason why heirlooms are so popular today. You will find seeds for herbs, vegetables, fruits and flowers.

2. Kusa Seed Society

The Kusa Seed Society's mission statement states its purpose as being to increase humanity's knowledge and understanding of our connection to edible seed crops. The society offers cereal grains, grain legumes, oilseeds and other edible seeds.

3. Organic Seed Alliance

One commenter suggested the Organic Seed Alliance. While they are not exactly a seed source, they do list organic seed companies as a resource to organic farmers and gardeners.
Seed Companies

4. Territorial Seed

The very first Territorial Seed catalog was printed in 1979 by its founder, Steve Solomon, who later sold the company to Tom and Julie Johns in 1985. Territorial Seed carries vegetable seeds and plants, along with garden supplies.

5. High Mowing Organic Seeds

High Mowing Organic Seeds was founded in 1996 when the company's founder, Tom Stearns, tilled up a portion of his backyard to grow plants for organic seed production. By 2001, the company had grown so much that he started to contract local farms to grow seeds just to keep up with demand.

If YOU know of any other solid sources for Heirloom seeds; please comment & share with us.  - Thanks, Robin