Heritage or Heirloom vegetable plug/plants anywhere online?

mrbadexample

BallandChain wrote: »

Oooerrr, lol! That's what happens when I skim through a post. Doh!

I only noticed when I was halfway through posting a link to the same site.

cootambear

what is `heritage`, and how does it differ from f1 or gm seeds, or for that matter, the usual seeds that we buy?

mrbadexample

cootambear wrote: »

what is `heritage`, and how does it differ from f1 or gm seeds, or for that matter, the usual seeds that we buy?

Without being entirely sure of the exact definition, I would say that heritage or heirloom varieties are older, slightly more unusual varieties that have been overlooked in recent years in favour of more commercially viable cultivars that give better yield and shelf life, although not necessarily flavour.

stumpycat

cootambear wrote: »

what is `heritage`, and how does it differ from f1 or gm seeds, or for that matter, the usual seeds that we buy?

Basically heritage or heirloom covers varieties of plants which are not grown commonly for the mass market today. The Real Seed website has an explanation:


In the EU, there is now a list of 'official' vegetable varieties. Seed that is not on the list cannot be 'sold' to the 'public' (even though it is perfectly legal to grow it!). To keep something on the list costs thousands of pounds each year, so it's only worthwhile to 'keep listed' varieties that sell in bulk to farmers, who have very different needs to home growers - a farmer wants their plants to respond to precise chemical inputs, fruit all at once and be tough to stand up to transport and packaging. You on the other hand, want tender vegetables produced over a long season, even during variable years.

Hundreds of thousands of old heirloom varieties (the results of about eleven thousand years of plant breeding by our ancestors) are being lost forever, due to some rather poorly drafted EU legislation. This seems a little foolish. To us, what is important is that more people get to grow these plants (which otherwise would become extinct). So. . . . (and this is the small print) when you request seed, you are also requesting membership of our seed club: 1p of your order pays for a years membership of The Real Seed Club. We then deal with your seed request as a member - so we are not dealing with the 'public'.

But this is truly not just an exercise to avoid falling foul of the regulations. Feedback, suggestions, recipes, and donated varieties from our members are genuinely important to us. Please let us know (email or post) how your plants do. It gives us a much bigger picture from the whole country rather than just our trials - many things have been added (and removed) over the years due to feedback from people all over the UK.

Members receive (again for free) a copy of our annual newsletter by e-mail. (You'll need to give us your email address when you order). This has more information about a whole range of vegetables that are under trial, advice about seed saving, notes on cooking, and collated feedback sent in by other members.

http://www.realseeds.co.uk/terms.html

rabidbun

There's some fun to be had looking at some of the names of the heritage varieties too! This year I'm growing Bl**dy Butcher tomatoes, Rattlesnake pole beans and Freer's Mummy peas among others.

(also possibly worth noting that F1 seeds, though they have their uses, are not good to save seed from if you want the plant you grow from them to have the properties of the parent, as they don't breed true for seed)

*miaomiao*

Wow, incredible knowledge! Thank you everyone!

jaynejeannin

*miaomiao* wrote: »

Hello!
i own a small company called back-to-roots and we sell quiet a large selection of heritage/hierloom vegetable and herb plug plants. give me a ring on 01582527015 or visit back-to-roots.co.uk and i hope we can help you out thanks jayne

jaynejeannin

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I'd like to know 2 things.
1. Why you specifically want to grow heritage vegetables?
2. Why you don't have the ability to grow from seed?

And what sort of things do you want to grow? I'm aware that's 3 things I don't think you'll find anywhere that sells plants from heritage strains btw, but I may be wrong.

try back-to roots.co.uk they are a small company that sell plu plants and they are all hertiage and heirloom

jaynejeannin

yes yes and yes
back-to-roots.co.uk sell plug plants and they are all heirloom or heirtage sell all types of veg and herb plants

floss2

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