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Miss Floribunda: Let’s put on heirlooms and hype hybrids

Posted on: January 16, 2025

Dear Miss Floribunda,

I am curious about what I’ve heard termed “heirloom” seeds. What does this mean other than they come from obsolete varieties that somehow got passed down? Is there any reason other than nostalgia for planting them?

Also, is the Hyattsville Horticultural Society having a seed sale again this year? Last year I bought mostly the Southern Exposure seeds because they are well adapted to our hot summers, but I noticed the Hart collection included seed packets labelled “heirloom,” and I am wondering about buying some of those this year. Which do you prefer? 

Pragmatist on Madison Stree

Dear Pragmatist,  

seedlings growing in pots
Courtesy of Pexels

I am an admittedly sappy sentimentalist who has often tried out seeds from packages labeled “heirloom,” even against the promptings of common sense, and sometimes the result has been what is euphemistically termed a “qualified success.” However, I am confident that those on the committee selecting seeds for the upcoming Hyattsville Horticultural Society 13th Annual Seed Sale and Garden Fair have been careful to choose only those varieties known to do well in our region. The sale will take place on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the ground floor multipurpose room. For those of you not in walking distance, there is limited free parking in the adjoining lot or at paylots across the street. The door leading to the lot will be open for easy access.  

I asked members of the HHS seed-selection committee to clarify the difference between heirloom and hybrid seeds. The main botanical difference is that most older varieties — and that includes many not labelled as heirloom — are open pollinated, so you can save the seeds and plant them every year at no expense. Hybrids, which result from crossbreeding different varieties to inculcate the best qualities of each, set seeds that will either be sterile or result in plants unlike the parent. Certain old varieties have such good flavor or fragrance that their seeds became cherished treasures passed on for generations to family and friends, and they gained the designation “heirloom” for that reason. Aunt Sioux points out that — quite apart from sentiment — saving these plants from extinction preserves biodiversity, and ensures the continuance of plants that might survive a disease or pest capable of wiping out a monocultural hybrid.

Aunt Snapdragon, on the other hand, says she is old enough to recall certain nuisances some of those old varieties often presented. She doesn’t miss squash and pumpkins rife with tooth-snatching fibers, beans with annoying strings, carrots with warts, or lettuce that gets bitter in only a few days. She says she appreciates burpless cucumbers and eggplant you don’t have to let “sweat” before cooking, as well as tomatoes that are ready much earlier in the season and  come in all sizes: from enormous for slicing for sandwiches to bite-sized for snacking. She also likes the novelty of new flower varieties.  

Dr. Greengenes and Wendy Wildflower both point out that there are many plants that, while not necessarily heirloom, are open pollinated. These include native plants like black-eyed Susan and many herbs. In fact, I have personally observed that quite a few annuals, such as cosmos,  marigold and scarlet runner bean, will self seed true to type and make planting unnecessary in succeeding years. All of these are among the many choices you will have at the upcoming sale. 

There will be well-informed HHS members at hand to help guide you at an information table. Other tables will offer gardening books provided by My Dead Aunt’s Books, and interesting pots and gardening implements. 

As some HHS members are as adept at the culinary arts as they are at the horticultural, you can sample hot soups and baked goods for a nominal price. Children are very welcome, and for the second year, there will be a valentine-making corner. Kids and parents can get creative and use the provided paper and supplies to make valentines for Hyattsville Aging in Place to distribute to seniors, as well as valentines to take home.

Should you wish to help plan this event, come to the next HHS meeting on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 10 a.m. We will be waiting for you in the municipal building’s ground floor room. 

________________________________

Miss Floribunda writes about gardening for the Life & Times. You may email her at Floribundav@gmail.com.

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