Planting An Heirloom Seed Garden
Best Place To Buy Heirloom Seeds?
This year I bought all of my heirloom vegetable seeds from Baker Creek Seeds. They have such a wide variety of heirloom vegetable seeds for sale. Plus free shipping! Who doesn’t love that??
Be sure to scroll down to see all of the heirloom seed varieties I’m planting this year!
One of the things that I like so much about Baker Creek seeds is the reviews. People will leave reviews on the different plant varieties and talk about what they liked/didn’t like about them and many will put where they are from. This is so helpful when trying to pick heirloom seeds that will do well in your area!
If you’re not sure what zone you’re in, you can find out here.
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Supplies Needed To Plant Vegetable Seeds Inside:
- plastic seed trays
- peat pots, recycled pots, jiffy pots, plastic cups, etc. for planting in
- seed starting soil
How To Plant Vegetable Seeds Inside:
- Moisten your soil and fill your pots with dirt
I typically only plant a few seeds each year {hello last minute planner} and just plant them in cups. Since I went all out getting seeds for everything this year and ordered my seeds early, I needed a whole set up.
For planting vessels I’m using the jiffy greenhouse with the 10 cell planting trays. They work really well with the tops because it makes a miniature greenhouse effect and helps the seeds germinate. I’m using the jiffy seed starting soil as well since that’s all they had. One option makes the decision easy!
Next year I may try the soil blocking method since I’ll already have the plastic trays from the mini greehouses.
2. Make a small hole and plant your seeds the appropriate depth then cover with dirt
Each seed packet will tell you how deep to plant the seed for proper germination. Planting at the wrong depth could cause your seeds to take a long time to germinate or even rot in the soil.
I’m the worst for just poking holes and sticking seeds in without paying much attention to how deep each should be. Don’t be like me. On the other hand, I had an excellent germination rate on all of my seeds!
3. Keep seeds warm and moist – Having a light for them will give optimal results
Most seeds germinate best between 65-85º F. If the place you have to grow them is cooler than that you’ll need to provide some warmth. A few options would be warming mats specifically designed for seed starting, creating a greenhouse type environment with plastic and a heat lamp, or a small electric heater if your room is small enough.
Tips For Starting Seeds Indoors:
- Invest in or build a seed starting station using lights and a fan – link
- Test germination before planting if using old seeds
- Be sure to plant seeds at the right depth – refer to seed packet
- Plant seeds at the appropriate time for your gardening zone and last frost date
- Keep soil moist – Ensure proper drainage but don’t allow it to dry out
- Transfer to larger containers if needed to avoid plants getting root bound
What Heirlooms I’m Growing This Year:
Heirloom Tomato Seeds:
I got a good variety of heirloom tomato seeds since tomatoes are one of our absolute favorite summer vegetable. It’s such a simple and satisfying thing to sink your teeth into a crunchy BLT with a big, fat, delicious homegrown tomato slice!
The heirloom tomato varieties that I planted this year are:
- Cherokee Purple
- Green Zebra
- Rosella
- Pantano Romanesco
- Beefsteak
- Mortgage Lifter
- Sunrise Bumble Bee
- Tappy’s Heritage
Based off of the many reviews I read, these varieties should do well in our hot, humid, zone 8b garden. About half are varieties we’ve grown before and about half are new to us this year.
Heirloom Pepper Seeds:
Our second favorite and typically most prolific crop is peppers, both hot and sweet. Like tomatoes, they’re a super versatile crop that is delicious eaten fresh but can also be frozen, pickled, or dehydrated.
The hot peppers I planted this year are:
- Craig’s Giant Jalapeños
- Jigsaw Pepper
- Filius Blue
- Jigsaw Pepper
- Brazilian Starfish Pepper
The sweet peppers I planted are:
- California Wonder Bell Pepper
- Orange Bell Pepper
- Banana Pepper
- Lipstick Pepper
Same as the tomatoes, some of the varieties are new and a few we’ve grown before. I’m especially excited about the Lipstick Peppers. I think they’re almost identical to the little “Lunchbox Peppers” that you can sometimes find in the grocery store.
I also planted Ping Tung Eggplant, Verde Tomatillo, and some miscellaneous herbs and flowers from seeds.
Heirloom Veggies To Direct Sow:
Some vegetables do better planting straight in the garden after the last chance of frost. These typically include things like beans, squash, cucumbers, corn, etc.
The heirloom seeds that I will plant directly in my garden are:
- Natsu Fushinari Cucumber
- Boston Pickling Cucumber
- Tondo Scuro Di Piagenza Squash
- Early Prolific Straightneck Squash
- White Scallop Squash
- Table King Bush Winter Squash
- Sweet Dumpling Winter Squash
- Crimson Sweet Watermelon
- Golden Butterwax Snap Bean
- Dragon Tongue Snap Bean
- White Whippoorwill Cowpeas
- Moranga Pumpkin
- Okinawa Pink Okra
I told you I overdid it! I’m going to be really regretting my ambition when all of this starts producing!
I have absolutely loved planting and tending to my little plant babies so far and can’t wait to start reaping the rewards of my efforts!
Have you ever planted heirloom seeds? I’d love to hear what your favorites are in the comments!
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