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We are here to offer heirloom seeds, tips, suggestions and some of our own experiences in gardening. Be sure to stop in and read up on our current season and what's going on in our blog. You'll find some great tips and exciting new experiments to help you along.

What is the craze about Heirloom Tomatoes?

What is an Heirloom Tomato anyway?

Well, let me give you a little history on the subject...

To start off, heirloom seeds, as the words imply, are seeds that have been passed down from generation to generation. They are usually Open Pollinated and date back prior to 1940. This is due to the mid 30’s seed companies movement to create a better tomato, or hybrid, than was already available in the multitude of available varieties. Quite honestly, I believe it was a scheme to create a tomato that could be used in the markets that could be picked green and last for long periods of time, most with little or no flavor. Not to mention it could not be duplicated or saved from year to year, by the gardeners who purchase the seeds.

Heirloom seeds can be saved from the plant where your hybrids will not come true to the parent plant. This means that if you like that Early Girl tomato you grew, in order to grow it again, you need to buy seed the following year, because the seed you save is not from a stable cross and will not be an Early Girl when it grows out.

So that brings us back to the question, “What is the craze about Heirloom Tomatoes?” As we all know, our economy is being squeezed to a terrible extent. Without getting political or bringing up the things that make us need to garden to let the negative thoughts go, people need to take steps to ensure their families have food. We need to work the soil, save seeds, harvest from our own gardens, in order to save money and stretch those dollars to benefit ourselves, our families and even friends.

An heirloom garden is the best way to share with your friends and family, even strangers who share an interest, give them a gift of value at no expense to you. What better way to pass on a wealth of generosity? Not to mention, when someone receives a gift in this manner, they are more apt to do the same thing down the road, thus continuing of passing down seeds from generation to generation. There isn’t anything that feels more satisfying than sharing an heirloom tomato plant or seeds, that I have grown or raised myself, with a friend or stranger. Well enough of the warm and fuzzy, you get my meaning.