Seeds of Spring

After seeing the title of this post, perhaps some of you are thinking "Spring - are you crazy?" But if you've purchased seeds in the past I bet your mailbox is already overflowing with seed catalogs for vegetables, herbs and flowers to be planted after the snows melt and the ground warms up.

We grow heirloom plants in the gardens at Chippewa Nature Center's 1870 Homestead Farm. Heirlooms are defined as open pollinated plants whose "roots" can be traced back at least 50 years. Open-pollinated plants are non-hybrid varieties produced by crossing two parents from the same variety, which in turn produce offspring just like the parent plants.

Thousands of heirloom fruits and vegetables have gone extinct over the past 100 years. Some estimates say only 3% of flower and vegetable varieties that were grown in the U.S. in 1900 are still in existence today. Many of these plants were varieties grown for generations on small farms across America. Each was developed specifically over the years to grow well in a certain area, be resistant to local diseases, and adapted to local climate and soil conditions.

Bean poles and a dried sunflower stalk in CNC's Heirloom
vegetable garden have dreams of spring.

If you want variety, superior flavor, unusual colors and shapes and unique histories, heirloom gardening is a wonderful alternative to growing hybrids featured predominately by many large companies. Most home gardeners, for example, don’t need tomatoes with skins tough enough to withstand cross-country shipment, or potatoes that will pass the McDonald’s uniformity test. Some heirloom gardeners grow plants especially for gourmet chefs. Grow some heirloom plants at home and take the “taste test” for yourself!

Type "heirloom vegetable seeds" in your search engine and thousands of entries will pop up. At CNC, we purchase most of our heirloom seeds from Seed Savers Exchange. Based Decorah, Iowa, Seed Savers in a non-profit organization dedicated to seed saving and educating the public about the importance of heirlooms. As you plan your garden this year, check out their online catalog. You can also download a copy of their regular catalog on their website. 

Happy garden planning!