Plant care & info

Despite the term’s prolific use, there is no one single definition for an heirloom plant variety.

Generally, they are thought of as varieties that originated before the 1950s. Through seed saving, they’ve been preserved and passed on through multiple generations of gardeners. They were chosen because they expressed some remarkable trait such as high yield, unique flavor, color or shape, exceptional disease resistance, heat tolerance, adaptability to soil types, etc.

Heirlooms are open pollinated, non:hybrid varieties grown. Seeds saved from heirlooms will yield the same or similar plant when sown. This is known as “growing true.”

Some hybrid varieties stabilize and become open pollinated, but are not considered heirlooms–although they may be one day.

EXPLORE OUR FAVORITE HEIRLOOM VEGGIES

Beans

Bountiful: A stringless snap bean variety.
Dragon Tongue: Multipurpose bush bean. Yellow pods with purple stripes. Productive.
Fin de Bagnol: A French pole bean with tender, slender pods. Good for cool soil.
Garden of Eden: A Romano pole bean from Italy with sweet and tender 6” pods.
Kentucky Wonder: A snap pole bean, earlier than others, rust resistant. 1864.
Peregion: Beautiful, multi-patterned beans with nutty flavor. Originated in Oregon.
Scarlet Runner Bean: Stunning orange flowers that attract hummingbirds. Grows to 8’. Beans are flavorful fresh or dried.
Windsor: Productive and cold tolerant fava bean.

Beets

Chioggia: An Italian variety with red and white flesh. Mild and sweet flavor.
Cylindra: Easier to slice and can be planted closer together. 1880s
Early Wonder: One of the best for greens and roots. 1911
Golden: Unique mild flavor and golden yellow flesh. Sow seeds thickly.

Broccoli

De Cicco: Reliable, good sideshoot production after the central head is cut. 1890.

Brussels Sprouts

Red Rubine: Gorgeous, reddish-purple plants yield small purple sprouts. Late but very cold tolerant. 1940s

Cabbage

Early Jersey Wakefield: Mild, sweet flavor. Smaller core than most. Resistant to splitting
January King: A savoy type with purple tints after frost. Cold hardy and excellent flavor. 1885

Carrots

Danvers Half Long: Great for clay soils. Sweet, tender, almost coreless. 1871

Cauliflower

Early Snowball: Dwarf, 6-7” heads. Good for early spring and fall crops. 1888

Chard

Fordhook Giant: Extremely productive with dark crinkled leaves. 1750
Rainbow (5 Color Silverbeet): Bright yellow, orange, red, pink and white stems with smooth leaves.
Rhubarb: Dark red stems and dark green leaves. Mild flavor. 1857

Corn

Golden Bantam: Compact and early producing with an old fashioned flavor. 1902

Cucumber

Armenian: Burpless fruits are not bitter.
Boothby’s Blonde: Oval, light yellow fruits are crisp and sweet. From Livermore, Maine.
Suyo Long: A Chinese variety with long, dark green, ribbed fruit. Sweet, non-bitter flavor. Disease resistant.

Eggplant

Pingtung Long: Lavender, thin 12-18” long fruits. They are vigorous and disease resistant
Rosa Bianca: Italian, round lavender and white fruits with creamy, non-bitter flavor.

Greens

Mizuna: An easy to grow, mild tasting Japanese green. Great in salads.
Osaka Purple Mustard: Large, dark red leaves have a spicy kick. Great in fall through spring.
Sylvetta Arugula: Deeply lobed leaves with an exceptional spicy flavor. Slower growing and bolting than other varieties.

Ground Cherry

Aunt Molly’s: Polish variety with a sweet, fruity flavor. Prolific, spreading plants.

Kale

Dwarf Blue Scotch: Compact plants are very cold tolerant.
Lacinato (aka Tuscan Black, Dinosaur, Nero Di Toscana): Long, narrow, dark green leaves are puckered. Tender and an unrivaled favorite.
Russian Red: Purple stems with bluish leaves that turn purple in cold weather. Tender.

Leek

Scotland: Wonderful texture and flavor. One of the best for overwintering.

Lettuce

Black Seeded Simpson: Light green, loose leaf and crisp with a sweet flavor. Early and slow bolt. 1850
Deer Tongue: Green bibb, loose leaf, with thick pointed leaves. Heat and cold tolerant. 1740s
Flashy Trout’s Back: A romaine with dark green leaves speckled with red. Buttery flavor.
Rouge d’Hiver: A red romaine that is sweet with a buttery texture. Withstands heat if watered well. 1840s

Melon

Charentais: Said to be the most flavorful of all melons. Sweet, juicy flesh. Produces 2lb fruits.
Collective Farm Women: Ukrainian origin. Sweet green flesh. Great for Northern climates.
Small Shining Light: An early watermelon with 10-12” dark green fruits and sweet red flesh.

Onion

Red Torpedo: An Italian heirloom with mild flavor. Great fresh or on the grill. 1880s
Walla Walla: Arrived in Washington state in the 1880s. Delicious, large and sweet bulbs.

Pea

Dwarf Grey Sugar: Vines do not need support. Early, stringless snow peas. 1770s

Pepper

Bull Nose: An early, productive bell pepper. Sweet and pungent. 1759.
Corno di Toro: Sweet, tapered Italian peppers. Sweet, mild flavor, vigorous plants. Yellow or red varieties available.
Hungarian Hot Wax: Medium heat. Prolific plants yield yellow, 6” fruits that ripen red.
Long Red Cayenne: Very hot, dark red, wrinkled, 4:6” fruits. Standard for drying.
Pimento de Padron: A Spanish variety traditionally fried when green and mild. It has a medium heat when red and mature.
Serrano: A Mexican classic. Productive, 3” long, green, hot peppers

Pumpkin

Cinderella (aka Rouge Vif D’Etampes): Stunning, flattened red/orange fruits used for decoration or baked for soups etc.
New England Pie (aka Small Sugar): Sweet, creamy orange flesh is perfect in pies and for canning. Produces 4-6 fruits per plant.

Spinach

Bloomsdale: Heavy yields, slow to bolt. Tender, excellent flavor.

Summer Squash

Black Beauty: Long, dark green zucchini. Plants are open and mildly resistant to mildew.
Costa Romanesco: An Italian zucchini with dark green flesh and deep grooves. Exceptionally rich, sweet flavor
Tromboncino: Climbing squash with tender, sweet green fruits with a bulbous end. Fruits are large.
Yellow Crookneck: A favorite with distinctive yellow, warty fruits. Unbeatably sweet, buttery flavor and firm texture. 1700

Winter Squash

Anna Swartz Hubbard: Great for storage. Orange flesh is reminiscent of sweet potato.
Delicata: Thin skinned with amazingly sweet, smooth flesh. Compact and trellises well. 1894
Marina di Chioggia: Unique grey, warty skin. Sweet, rich flesh, and a good keeper. Productive.
Spaghetti: Stringy, cooked flesh with mild flavor. Very unique and a good pasta substitute!
Table Queen Acorn: Stores well. Handles poor soil. Orange flesh is sweet and dry. 1913

Tomatillo

Toma Verde:Large productive plants. Tangy flavor.

Red Tomato

Bonny Best: Dense, 6-8oz fruit. Good for Northern climates.
Constoluto Genovese: A fluted Italian variety with a full, slightly tart flavor and meaty flesh.
Moskovich: Productive, early, 4-6oz fruits with fantastic flavor and meaty flesh.
Paul Robeson: Sets fruit at lower temps. Unusual, earthy flavor, with dark red 7-10 oz fruit.
Silvery Fir Tree: Gorgeous plants with silver leaves. Good flavored, 3” fruit. Productive.
Stupice: Very early with good yields. Reliable in the PNW. Great tasting 2 1⁄2” fruits.

Pink Tomato

Anna Russian: Heart shaped, juicy fruit with superb flavor. Early for a large variety.
Brandywine (Sudduth): Standard Brandywine is unparalleled in its rich, mildly acidic flavor. Large fruits require a long season.
Caspian Pink: Russian heirloom, similar to Brandywine in flavor. Large fruit.
Zapotec Ribbed: Unusual, large, ruffled, hollow fruits. Sweet taste, great for stuffing.

Purple & Black Tomato

Black Krim: Russian variety with a very rich, complex flavor. Darkest in warm weather.
Black Prince: Siberian variety with juicy, rich flavor and garnet flesh.
Cherokee Purple: Good, rich flavor. Thin skinned. Medium yields of 10-12 oz fruits.
Pruden’s Purple: 1lb, meaty, delicious fruits. Earlier than other large varieties.
Purple Calbash: Ruffled, 5-6oz fruits with rich, intense flavor. Mexican variety.

Green Tomato

Aunt Ruby’s German Green: Deliciously sweet, large fruits.
Cherokee Green: Good flavored, amber-green fruits. Produces large, 12-16oz beefsteaks.
Green Zebra: Sweet and fruity taste. Small to medium fruits have dark green stripes.

Yellow & Orange Tomato

Dr. Wyche’s Yellow: 10-16oz fruits, with few seeds and rich flavor.
Golden Jubilee: Prolific and thick walled with meaty, low acid, medium-sized fruits. Golden orange.
Kellogg’s Breakfast: Dark orange, beefsteak type fruit. Tangy and fruity flavor. Open habit.
Taxi: Early, low acid with meaty, bright yellow fruits.
Valencia: A short season orange variety with 8-10 oz fruits. Few seeds and full flavor.

Multicolor Tomato

Ananas Noir: Huge fruits are black, green, orange and yellow. Sweet and tangy.
Hillbilly: Huge and dense with yellow, orange, and red. Sweet, low acid, and juicy.
Pineapple: Large 1lb fruits are streaked with yellow. Meaty, classic flavor.
Red Zebra: 2-5” red fruits are striped with gold. Sweet flavor and very productive.
Striped German: Medium to large, red and yellow fruits. Complex and fruity flavor.

Cherry Tomato

Green Grape: A large, green cherry tomato with a smooth sweet taste. Prolific.
Isis Candy: Golden fruits with red marbling. Sweet and fruity flavor. Productive.
Matt’s Wild Cherry: Early producing. Sweet, dark red, 1.5” fruits.
Sugar Lump: A productive German variety. Very sweet, small red fruits.
Yellow Pear: Distinctive, yellow, pear-shaped, low acid fruits. Mild flavor and very productive.

Sauce Tomato

Amish Paste: Delicious fruits are good fresh and in sauce. Meaty, tear-drop, red fruits.
Japanese Black Trifele: Pear shaped, dark red with green shoulders. Complex, rich flavor.
San Marzano: Italian heirloom. Prolific red, angular, pear-shaped fruits. Classic for sauce.
Yellow Icicle: Elongated, golden yellow fruits with sweet flavor. Good for fresh eating or canning.