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Heirloom Vegetable Variety Roundup!

We prefer to use heirloom vegetable varieties in our garden for a number of reasons (for full details on why see Heirloom Vegetables – Better For The Backyard Garden). Heirloom vegetables varieties refer to those vegetable varieties that are open-pollinated and have been grown for at least 50 years (although most have been around for close to 100 years or more).

Because heirloom vegetable varieties are open-pollinated, you can save seeds from their fruits or vegetables each year and plant them again next year and so on. That’s much less expensive and more self-sustaining than purchasing hybrid seed each year (that won’t breed true and so can’t be saved).

Additionally, if you save your own seed, the vegetables gradually acclimate to your garden conditions and become even more productive and disease resistant over time. Unlike hybrids that have often been bred for shipping, machine harvesting, or other characteristics at the expense of flavor, heirloom varieties typically have excellent flavor. Heirlooms also ripen gradually rather than all at once like many hybrid varieties, thereby allowing gardeners to spread the harvest and abundance over time.

My problem with heirlooms is that there seem to be so many wonderful varieties out there to try. There are hundreds of heirloom varieties to choose from – but how to pick? I struggle with this question each year.

Then, I had the brilliant idea of asking my homesteading friends and publishing a roundup of everyone’s favorite heirloom varieties! I know that homesteaders aren’t going to put up with poor yields, failed crops, or insipid flavor. So if they’ve written a blog post about a wonderful heirloom variety or varieties, then I know it’s a solid recommendation.

Together, we can help each other find the best heirlooms and reduce the trial and error process. The following are those varieties that come highly recommended and a homesteader has taken the time to write a post about why (often with great instructions on how to grow them too). Be sure to click through to these websites to see the beautiful photos of these wonderful heirlooms!

GREEN BEAN

I’ll start with a green pole bean that we grow and save every year. I love it, it’s called Fortex and the link is here: Awesome Homestead Green Bean – Fortex!

Laurie from Common Sense Home likes the pole bean variety Emerite and writes about it here: Grow Pole Beans For Easy Picking And Preserving

EDIBLE PODDED PEA

Another vegetable that we grow every year are these sugar snap peas: Grow Sugar Snap Peas

SHELLING PEA

Annie at Country Living in a Cariboo Valley has a shelling pea that they love to eat and save: Never Buy Pea Seeds Again

CORN

Jenna from The Flip Flop Barnyard loves this corn variety: Growing Glass Gem Corn

Chris McLaughlin writing for Little House On The Prairie recommends these heirloom corn varieties: Growing Heirloom Corn Varieties

CUCUMBER

Sarah from The Free Range Life has 7 cucumber varieties that she recommends: 7 Cucumber Varieties To Grow This Year

EGGPLANT

Sarah from The Free Range Life also has several eggplant varieties that she recommends: 7 Amazing Eggplant Varieties To Try This Year!

LETTUCE

Chris McLaughlin writing for Little House On The Prairie has several lettuce varieties that she recommends: Growing Historical Lettuce Varieties

TOMATOES (Lots of Recommendations Here!)

From Janet at Timber Creek Farmer: Grow Black Krim Heirloom Tomatoes

From Anna at Salt In My Coffee: 7 Heirloom Tomatoes You Need In Your Garden

From Anna at Northern Homestead: Heirloom Tomato Varieties We Grow In A Northern Garden

Jenna from The Flip Flop Barnyard has: Growing Beautiful Heirloom Tomatoes

From Charlene at Provident Home Companion: Tomato Report

Heirloom Tomatoes

This list of heirlooms just begins to touch on all the wonderful varieties out there because it doesn’t yet include things like zucchini, radishes, turnips, and so many other vegetables. But it’s a start and I’m excited about getting some of these varieties to try this year in our garden!

If you need some help finding these varieties, this page (Links to Free Garden Seed Catalogs) will help you find suppliers for these heirloom varieties.


Related posts:

Awesome Homestead Green Bean!
Apples - Which Variety for What?
Why Heirloom Vegetables are Better for the Backyard Garden
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Filed Under: Varieties To Try

About Lesa

Lesa Wilke is a homesteader and freelance writer who loves to inspire others on their journey to more sustainable lifestyles. She accomplishes this by sharing the skills she’s learned (plus support, advice & tips) while farming goats, chickens, honeybees, and produce.

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