One of the things I love experimenting with in my garden is heirloom seeds and plants. I've been called an "old soul" with an admitted love for all things vintage, but I think this passion for heirloom varieties goes beyond that...
True, they may not be the biggest, bushiest, heartiest, most prolific producers in the garden, but they are almost always the most unique, the most tender, and the most special.
This year over half of our tomatoes are heirloom varieties, and they are predictably the sweetest and juiciest of the bunch! We also had a bumper crop of heirloom curly spinach this spring that was robust and earthy and delicious. Some of our edible nasturtiums are a brilliant fuchsia heirloom variety, and we have some creamy while heirloom cucumbers growing too!
Now it's getting close to time to start harvesting our heirloom beets. We did a little test pull last week to see how things were coming along, and once I sliced open this beauty, I was reminded again just how much I love these gems of the past. Why have a prosaic dark blood red beet like everybody else, when you can have a stunning red and white ringed beet that is not only delicious, but a beautiful work of art?
Do you garden with heirlooms, or do you stick to the tried-and-true hybrid varieties?
Gorgeous!! Damon does the gardening around here..this year he's not had the time to really put into it like usual..but..its a blessing at the same time because that means he's working alot!
ReplyDeleteLovely! My fiance is beginning to experiment with growing peppers and a variety of herbs in our tiny windowsill -- I'm really impressed with his progress so far. We'll both be excited when we have outdoor space for a garden someday! And I love beets. They're so under-appreciated!
ReplyDeleteMy hubby is the gardener in the family, and he has planted so much this year! A variety of tomatoes, basil, eggplant, variety of peppers, thyme, oregano, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, corn, snap peas, and green beans. Oh and one strawberry plant! No heirlooms this year, but would love to add some heirloom tomatoes to the garden for next year :-) Here are some shots before everything really got to growing, but you can see the raised beds he created.
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Happy growing (and eating!)
XO,
Gina