The Black Carrot Nebula - an heirloom vegetable
Hello gorgeous! Meet the Black Carrot Nebula... an heirloom vegetable. So what exactly does 'heirloom' mean & why should you grow them in your garden?
🍅 Heirloom crops are defined as fruit or vegetable cultivars grown for a considerable amount of time (often generations) and passed down through seed-saving by families or community groups who've preserved them.
🐝 Open Pollination -- A key trait is that heirlooms are always open-pollinated. Saving seeds from heirloom vegetables can duplicate open-pollinated cultivars provided they aren't inadvertently crossed (through insects or wind) with other strains of related crops. Hybrid seeds will not produce the same plants as the ones they were collected from.
🍉 Edible Heritage -- Heirlooms are literally a taste of the past. Seeds are saved only from the best performing plants & the most flavorful tender fruits. Because of this, heirlooms taste far superior than modern hybrids that are developed for uniform size, ability to grow in many different climates, and ease of shipping.
🏔 Terroir -- Heirlooms often have a very specific provenance selected over many generations using open-pollinated seeds adapted to a region's unique terroir ~ a microclimate composed of soil composition, pests, temperatures & weather.
🌾 Genetic Diversity -- Cultivating heirloom fruits & vegetables is crucial in maintaining their genetic traits for future use & to keep the gene pool diverse and adaptable. In contrast, monoculture crops of industrial agriculture have very small gene pools that leave crops vulnerable to disease and pests. Remember the potato famine?
🌱 Seed Saving -- If you'd like to learn about growing heirloom cultivars from seed, one of the best resources is your State University Extension program specializing in agricultural research.
🌻 How to get started -- You can purchase heirloom seeds (or seedlings) at most nurseries or home gardening centers - the packet or label will specify an 'Heirloom' variety next to the plant name. Even better, order seeds from seed company catalogs online!
🌽 Community Gardens -- Another cost effective way to obtain heirlooms is directly from local gardeners! Join a P-Patch or community garden in your area and simply ask... Gardeners love sharing growing tips, seed stock, and their passion for homegrown vegetables - especially heirlooms because they taste so much than store-bought produce.
🚜 Farmer's Markets -- Yet another great place to purchase regional heirlooms and support organic growers in your area. Local farmers are also wonderful sources of information. Chat them up!
🌶 Master Gardeners -- State University Extensions often run MG program clinics and demo gardens that provide free resources!
🍏 Community Granges -- An old school farm supply resource with knowledgeable staff & everything you need to dive into heirloom gardening.
🥕 Once you've tasted heirlooms, you'll never go back... So let's get growing!
By N.C. Hawkins
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