All these varieties have been passed down through multiple generations of gardeners because of their outstanding qualities, whether that's amazing flavor, beautiful looks, disease resistance, storability, or vigorous growth and high yields. There is some debate in the seed world about what qualifies as an "heirloom" - at Sow True, we define "heirloom" as having been developed before the advent of industrial agriculture. All the varieties in this collection have been around since 1950 or earlier. Many of them date to the 19th century, and a few are even older! Did you know that all heirloom seeds are open-pollinated, but not all open-pollinated seeds are heirlooms? Some great OP varieties were developed very recently.
