Heirloom varieties versus modern F1 etc

[Churchyard Yew]

Hello everyone,

I would be interested to know what opinions folks on here have about heirloom vegetables. It all sounds very interesting, the history and folklore about "Uncle Sid's Purple Parsnip" but, are they worth growing, do they taste better etc? or, is it better to buy modern disease resistant and reliable F1 (or F2 etc) varieties?

I like the idea of heirlooms, but I don't want to waste my efforts. Maybe some heirlooms are really worthwhile and a mix of ancient and modern is a good approach?

Martin

[Thelma Sanders]

Heirloom varieties have stood the test of time but were bred in a specific location, they may not necessarily work for you. If they do you never have to buy seed again because you can save your own

F1s are bred specifically for certain attributes like size, colour or taste - they may still not be what you want. If they are - you have to buy more, usually expensive seed, to grow them again

IMO there's nothing wrong with either kind - it's just up to you to try varieties till you find what does well for you

[Sarico]

i prefer heirloom varieties because they grow better imo....i had some seeds of tomato from italy from a friend and they were better them my tomato even if i plant them in end of may they manage to give me some nice red tomato that keep very well infact i harvest them 4 month ago and still are fresh... i'm try this year to grom more heirloom veg then shop bought one ( i mean f1).

[SarzWix]

I go for a mixture usually. The F1 varieties tend to be bred for commercial growers and are supposed to mature at more or less the same time. This is a good attribute if it's something you can harvest and store somehow, and then use the space for something else. Pretty rubbish if it means you have to eat a dozen, say, lettuces in the space of a few days... So it's worth having a think about what you want from your crops before you decide which to use...

Oh, and of course if they're bred for commercial growers, then flavour isn't necessarily the top of the list of attributes - the ability to be harvested and survive packaging and transport will be more important

[Churchyard Yew]

Hi everyone and thanks for your replies. I would grow specifically for taste more than anything else - indeed why not, this is why we eat vegetables. My past gardening experience has been to grow what some call 'old fashioned flowers' so I have leanings towards heirlooms I also think a bit of history adds interest.

Martin

[Potstubsdustbins]

I grow for taste and use both having had time to find out what suits my palette.

As a for instance I grow Sungold an FI but a lovely tomato, and after last year Green Zebra and Russian Black both heritage types are now on my must grow list.

I honestly think the only true way to find out is to grow a sample and find out if it suits you. Thats why I try to grow something new every year.

Potty

[Paulieb]

I go for a mixture as well. In particular, heirloom tomatoes are great (Amish Paste amongst others) for flavour, but also so are Sungold F1 tomatoes, which are really sweet cherry tomatoes.

Obvioulsy seed saving is important with regards to developing a strain that works in your area, and also the cost savings are beneficial.

However, saving seeds from Brassicas, and carrots for instance can be time and space consuming, and therefore buying fresh seed is worth it (either F1 or Open pollinated). Toms are easy to save from so its definitely worth the small effort.

On the whole I think in general when you buy heirloom seeds from a DEFRA registered company you won't be wasting your time as you should get a decent crop, and more likely better tasting produce, just perhaps a slightly reduced yield.

[VirginVegGrower]

Depends on whether you want to save seed or line the pockets of the seed companies. I also refuse to be dictated to by the EU, so heirloom hopes me to rebel

[Snadger]

F1's for me usually as they give more consistant results.I also grow open pollinated as well though if I want to keep seed.(ie toms)

One of the problems with F1's is that they all come together (uniformity) I counteract this in F1 Sweetheart cabbage for instance by harvesting some early with small heads and cutting a cross in the stem, causing up to 4 other heads to form at the cut. This way i extend the season of an F!.
The F1 sprouts i use all come together but are bred to stand on the plant for a long time, thus extending the cropping season.

[BUFFS]

i grew up eating my grandads veg,he saved his seeds,put a tie of wool around the plaqnt to be let seed,apart from seed tatties,he seemed to spend nothing,and brought up 9 kids this way,little funny ways,a 12ins hollow square,walls made of damp soil, 6ins high,then infilled with his sifted soil,into this went his spring onion (scallion) seeds,it always seemed to work great,might try it myself this year..

[veg man]

Funny how we rely on the seed merchants some of older gents/ladies on my lottie never used to buy seed or seed potatoes, they dryed there own used up the small spuds never had a problem are we just getting lazy ( I am not saying use your own potatos for another crop been down this road on another forum)

[zazen999]

Funny how we rely on the seed merchants some of older gents/ladies on my lottie never used to buy seed or seed potatoes, they dryed there own used up the small spuds never had a problem are we just getting lazy ( I am not saying use your own potatos for another crop been down this road on another forum)

No, we didn't have blight back then. So there WAS no problem. The strain we have now was apparently brought into the UK by someone bringing it back on imported tubers.

[veg man]

No, we didn't have blight back then. So there WAS no problem. The strain we have now was apparently brought into the UK by someone bringing it back on imported tubers.

Never knew that, you do learn something new every day, just remembered what about the irish famine
blight has been around for a very long time first reported aug 1845 south of england.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronol...e_Great_Famine

[Snadger]

Spud plants pick up viruses from leaf suckers and its the re using of these virused spuds over the years that leads to ever depreciating virused crops.

[zazen999]

Never knew that, you do learn something new every day, just remembered what about the irish famine
blight has been around for a very long time first reported aug 1845 south of england.Chronology of the Great Famine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The strain we have now was brought back...we never used to have it so bad and so prevalent which is why people could use tubers each year.

Seed potatoes are grown from the seeds inside the fruits and are grown under sterile conditions. We don't use our own hence why potatoes don't seem to adapt to blight.