Farm-to-table practices have been getting increasingly popular over the years. As a result, heirloom gardening has been more prevalent. For many years, there have been communities and farmers that have enjoyed produce harvested from heirloom seeds. Since not everyone is familiar with them, however, myths are bound to pop up from time to time. These are a few of the myths that have formed around heirloom seeds.
“Heirloom Equals Organic”
This is one of the more highly known myths about these seeds. A lot of people hold the belief that all heirloom seeds have to also be organic by default. There is actually quite a distinction between the two terms. The term “heirloom” is used to describe the seed itself, and the term “organic” is used to talk about how the plant is grown.
Not all heirloom seeds are grown using organic growing methods because a lot of them don’t grow as effectively otherwise. This doesn’t mean they can’t be organic, but we just wanted to clarify that “organic” and “heirloom” are not interchangeable terms.
“Heirloom Seeds Create Ugly-Looking Produce”
There are some people who think that heirloom seeds are the ugly ones of the bunch. We understand that not all pieces of produce appeal to everyone, but there are plenty of heirloom varieties that come in captivating and vibrant colors. The kinds of vegetables that you get from heirloom varieties are strikingly different from what you will find at a standard supermarket.
“There is No Such Thing As a ‘New’ Heirloom Seed”
Heirloom seeds have existed for decades. Because of this, people don’t believe that new heirloom vegetables are able to exist. Instead, they think that the only seeds that can exist are the ones that continue to be passed down for generations.
This is not the case, however. It’s possible to take one heirloom and cross-breed it with either hybrid produce or other heirloom varieties in order to create something new. Once cross-breeding is done, farmers are able to re-stabilize and replant these new seeds for future use.
“Heirloom Seeds are More Natural Than Hybrid Ones”
Although pollination is a natural procedure that heirloom seeds go through, there is also a lot of breeding involved. Many farmers have been known to cross-pollinate heirloom options with hybrid ones to create something new. This alters the natural manner in which seeds would be made.
Baywater Farms Has The Right Produce For You
Baywater Farms is a family-owned and operated farm servicing Baltimore, Washington D.C., Maryland, Delaware beaches, and the Eastern Shore. We are capable of meeting the demands of your produce distributor, restaurant produce supplier, CSA produce supplier, or wholesale produce supplier while maintaining the integrity and character of a small farm. When you work with Baywater Farms, you work with an experienced, ethical, and local farm dedicated to providing the highest-quality heirloom produce.