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sarah gilbert
An heirloom plant variety is one that was grown commonly in much-earlier generations, but is now not widely used in agriculture, either because the variety does not store and travel well (as is the case with heirloom tomatoes); because the variety is not sufficiently productive and disease-resistant; or because the produce is not uniform in shape or color (as in heirloom carrots and melons). Heirloom plants are often favorites of seed savers, and are handed down from generation to generation, giving them their name evocative of an inheritance.
Heirloom seeds are saved and grown because of a number of factors, from sentimentality to the often superior flavor of heirloom produce to the desire to protect genetic diversity. Many gardeners save and grow heirloom seeds to protest the development of genetically altered and hybrid plant varieties, or even for religious reasons (one Old Testament passage orders farmers to plant only one kind of seed in a field). There is no commonly agreed-upon age of an heirloom plant variety, though many point to the year 1951, which was the year hybrid varieties first became widespread.
Heirloom roses, tomatoes and rice are the most widely-known plant varieties, although heirlooms can be found in every plant from garlic to grasses.
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