Our Favorite Heirlooms

If you use heirloom seeds like we do, it's time to order your seeds. I have started to see heirloom seeds available in the local big box stores the past few years but you can't beat the variety available through your favorite seed catalog. We buy a lot of our seeds from Seed Savers Exchange. If you are new to gardening, or just want to try other varieties, here are some of our favorites. All images are from seedsavers.org.

Beam's Yellow Pear: These small, pear shaped tomatoes are great fresh. Our kids eat them like candy. They also are good in a tomato salad adding color and variety. We have grown these for 4 to 5 years now and we never have issues with them. They are very prolific and your friends will be amazed at their shape and color.

Black Beauty Zucchini : I recommend zucchini to new gardeners as it is really hard not to be successful with them. They are very hardy and two plants give our family more than we can handle. Many zucchini are hard to grow in smaller gardens as their vines tend to spread out, but this variety is bushy and stays compact.. We grew it last year in our flower garden. Great sauteed, pickled, or even as a main ingredient in fritters or bread.

Burpee's Golden Beet : We love beets raw and roasted in our house but we hate stained clothes. These beets have the taste we desire but the nice yellow color doesn't stain. These are good to plant early in the year as beets can withstand colder temperatures. If you play your cards right you can get a spring and a fall harvest from these.
 

Summer Crookneck Squash: Like the Zucchini, if you are a new gardener and your main goal is to have something that actually produces, this is a good bet. They are hardy, grow in many different climates, and you won't believe how many squash you get from one plant. Many types of crookneck spread vines all over but this one is more bushy and compact. These are best picked young, before the warts start to appear.

What are some of the heirloom varieties you like? I would like to try some new ones this year.

~Michael~