Does anyone plant heirloom seeds?

LaneC · February 08, 2016, 08:55:51 PM

I was curious to see if anyone planted heirloom vegetable seeds, and what their success rate was. I just ordered some and plan on putting them on a heater pad inside the house and getting them started good before hardening them off come April, and then plant them when the ground is warm enough. Cucumber, Tomato, Jalopeno, and Summer Squash is what I will plant. Just a 4'x8' garden with great compost soil. Does anyone have any tips or advice that they would not mind sharing?

sandsawmill14 · February 08, 2016, 09:16:51 PM

we plant some open pollinated seeds. i like the marglobe and rutgers tomatoes and raise some hickory king corn and we have had the same pea seed from my great granddad (at least 80-90 yrs) those tomatoes will be the best tasting you have ever had

what variety seeds did you get ???

LaneC · February 08, 2016, 10:37:48 PM

That is great about still having that old of the seed lineage. I ordered the Beefsteake tomato, early prolific straight neck squash, jalapeno and Long green improved cucumber.

LaneC · February 08, 2016, 10:39:35 PM

I will see about the Marglobe and Rutgers. Thanks for the tip.

sandsawmill14 · February 08, 2016, 11:09:41 PM

they are high acid so get ready for a good taste and a sore tongue ;D for the first week or so at least thats how it is for me but i eat them every meal and mater sandwiches till my mouth is so sore i cant by then the new has worn off and i go back to eating them like normal :D :D :D

drobertson · February 09, 2016, 11:52:57 AM

yes, "Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds" many choices of vast selection, www.rareseeds.com ,,, We've had excellent results with what we have planted, keeping the deer out not so successful yet.

Windy_Acres · February 09, 2016, 01:28:00 PM

We plant about a 1/2 acre for personal consumption, all of it heirloom, saved seeds, and only a couple hybrids. We literally have our own seed bank, from saved seeds.

Over the years, weve bought seeds from several continents. We have abnormally fertile soil, that is well balanced with micro nutrients, and organic matter, so we enjoy bumper crops ( where in the part of Illinois that enjoys truly black dirt ). Last year, I think we planted about 8 varieties of sweet potatoes, we had some varieties that where almost as large as a football, with zero fertilizer.

Its also fully drip irrigated as well, we have a hiller / bedder that puts down plastic mulch on about 2/3rds of what we plant.

Basically everything except for potatoes, some root veggies, and the squash family are planted in plastic mulch.

Im not actually the gardener, just the labor to keep it watered, and clean. We grow almost everything you can in this zone. We buy zero veggies/produce from the store, we have an orchard as well. Everything is heirloom, organic, natural. We mechanically weed, along with some help from the geese, and let turkeys, ducks, and guineas do the bug cleaning.

elk42 · February 09, 2016, 01:50:30 PM

Plastic mulch and drip lines is the best way to have bumper crops. I helped my sister
after I retired. They had about 50 acres of tomatos and that is about 50 miles of plastic mulch.

Roxie · February 09, 2016, 02:05:30 PM

We had a very interesting experience with the Brandywine tomato variety.

My boss, at the time, had a degree in horticulture. I purchased two of the Brandywine's that had been green house started by an Amish friend, and gave one to my boss. Cowboy Bob took my plant and filled my raised bed with manure and shavings from the bed of his trailer, mixed with the soil. From that point forward, our plant was only watered, no pesticide or fertilizer was added. We got about three medium size tomato's, that tasted like pure heaven. My boss had nothing but a very large plant. :D

Windy_Acres · February 09, 2016, 03:00:10 PM

While mildly off topic, but on at the same time, if you're into tasty and HEALTHY veggies, that is, veggies that are more than just water and fiber, look into soil micro nutrients. Its a science that is well ignored / overlooked. It also causes allot of the veggies to grow larger, but taste even better.

You can have your soil tested, and the results read, which will provide you with a list of amendments and quantity there of, to apply, to restore your soil.

For example, we keep on average 12 quadrapeds, during the winter months they are on a paddock, that is mostly concrete. Anyhow, makes it real easy for me to collect the manure and compost it. I spread that on the garden, on top of that, we might put a half ton of minerals in the garden to cointinue to balance it out ( annually).

In other words, just composted manure, in almost unlimited quantities ( more than the soil will accept ), will not provide the soil with everything it needs.

LaneC · February 09, 2016, 09:57:41 PM

A lot of interesting replies. Thanks everyone. I do not fertilize or use pesticides either, however it is a very small garden. I use compost that I make by shredding all junk mail (all paper, no plastic) and only vegetable kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags etc. The dirt I have in the raised bed is very fertile and we get a lot from the small area.

sandsawmill14 · February 09, 2016, 10:56:59 PM

i do use some commercial fertilizer (ammonia nitrate not urea,potash and phosphate) and alot of barnyard but i dont use any herbicides and the only pesticide is 7 dust for cut cutworms and tater bugs
fertilizer dont worry me at all but scared of pesticides in the garden and only use the dust when i absolutely have to. some years i dont have to use it at all and some years its me or them ;D the rutgers and marglobes are like the truckers favorite corn seed (so i was told but my grandad) they were the commercial varieties used before the hybrids screwed everything up >:( they have a great taste but if you get good weather you will have tomatoes runnin out your ears :D

LaneC · June 07, 2016, 12:54:35 PM

These heirloom seeds are great. I have more cucumbers than we can eat. I eat probably 3 a day. Peel um and eat um at the garden (with salt) From 2 plants I have already gotten 26. From 1 plant of squash, 8 squash. The Tomatoes are starting to come on nicely and the Jalopenos are starting as well. This small space is providing a great deal.