EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published by the Ohio History Connection on May 27, 2020. Richland Source has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Ohio History Connection to share content on our websites.
Spring means garden time. When preparing your garden with planters at home, you must choose from the many, many, MANY varieties of fruits, vegetables, and herbs to plant.
As you scroll through the seed catalogs or peruse the vast amount of seed shops online, you may notice the words “hybrid” and “heirloom” being tossed around. However, one of them gives your garden a historical flair.
What is the difference between a hybrid and an heirloom? This is about to get scientific.
According to Seed Savers, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation and promotion of heirloom seeds and plants, a hybrid plant is created through a “controlled pollination method in which the pollen of two different species or varieties is crossed through human intervention”. In general, the first generation of a hybrid plant is the most plentiful, and new seeds have to be purchased every year.
This 1930s and 1940s photo shows a Trumbull County, Ohio farmer tending his crops.
In contrast, an heirloom is “a type of plant that has been passed down within a family or community in the past, much like sharing heirloom jewelry or furniture across generations.”
Even if a plant doesn’t have an extensive line, when the strain is over 50 years old, it is often referred to as an heirloom. The seeds are harvested from heirloom plants and used in the following growing season. For some heirloom varieties, the seeds have been passed down through several generations of a family.
If you want to give the Buckeye State a nod in your backyard, Ohioan AW Livingston is the place for you. Livingston founded a seed business near Reynoldsburg, Ohio, in 1852, which became very popular. As his business expanded, Livingston wanted to improve the tomato. Earlier versions of the tomato were much smaller and tasted sour. Livingston has grown different types of tomatoes for decades – more than 30 in total.
You can still buy Livingston tomatoes, including the Golden Queen Tomato and the Paragon. Every year the city of Reynoldsburg hosts its annual tomato festival that celebrates this legacy.
This AW Livingston Seeds seed catalog includes both the Paragon and the Golden Queen.
Another local vegetable is the Holmes Royal Red Radish. While the common radish originated in Asia or the Mediterranean, this variety was developed here in Ohio. This radish was introduced by the Holmes Seed Company of Canton in 1899.
The Holmes Seed Company is still operating and is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. Want to see what other vegetables the Holmes Seed Company has sold in the past? Check out some of their old seed catalogs here.
Whether this is your first attempt at growing vegetables or you are a master gardener, adding heirloom varieties is sure to make your garden historic.
A 1920 seed catalog from the Holmes-Letherman Seed Company.
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