Vegetable plants can be heirloom or hybrid. During the gardening season we often hear about heirloom vegetables, and many of the tomatoes and peppers we personally buy are heirloom varieties. But what exactly is an heirloom vegetable, and why is it more desirable than a hybrid plant?
Plant breeding is the process of inventing new plants by combining the best qualities of other plants. Many new varieties arise naturally through cross-pollination. Genetic mutation also occurs in nature, when ‘rungs’ (mismatched branches or fruits) appear on plants. Breeders cross-pollinate under controlled conditions, or reproduce young plants from sport, to produce predictable offspring. The process is very similar to breeding pedigree animals.
Breeders patent their varieties for a set period of years from the time the plant is introduced, so growing them from seed or cuttings is actually a violation of patent law. Seeds from hybrid plants often produce plants that are not the same as the parent.
Our definition of an heirloom plant is one that is no longer proprietary, with seed that will produce the same plant if you keep it from year to year. Some heirloom plants were actually patented hybrids when they were introduced, but their patent has expired. The main thing is that you can save the seed and get the same plant from it.
So why would you want a proprietary hybrid? The simple answer is that breeders may have improved the original in many ways, such as disease resistance, yield, flavor, fruit attractiveness, growth habit, drought tolerance and other traits. There are hybrids that are great for the home garden, and some are better for commercial growers and shippers; you just have to learn which are which.
Heirloom varieties may taste better or different, or they may not. There are good and less good heirlooms. In general, heirloom plants yield about half as much fruit with the same amount of fertilizer, water and space in the garden. One reason for growing them is that if we all grow just one species, we are more vulnerable to massive crop failures due to a new disease or insect. The more diverse our selection of food plants, the lower the risk of new pathogens wiping out an entire crop.
Here’s a handy overview of some tomato and pepper varieties. You’ll find that most heirloom tomatoes are vine-type plants, which means they require staking. Bush tomato plants are an example of hybridization. As you study this list you will see your favorites; probably many of them are hybrids and not heirlooms. Is that a bad thing? Ask yourself: Does your survival depend on saving your tomato and pepper seeds for planting next year?
TOMATOES
Steak (Heirloom) Old-fashioned favorite bears large, fleshy fruits with a rich, full-bodied flavor. America’s favorite slicing tomato! 75 days. Vine type
Better boy (Heirloom) Guinness record holder – 342 lbs. of fruit from one plant! Deep red and fleshy, up to a pound each. 75 days. Vine type.
Big boy (Hybrid) Good yields of bright red, very tasty, fleshy tomatoes. Very popular tomato among gardeners. 78 days. Vine type
Brandy (Heirloom) Winner of countless taste tests. Heavy producer of large, tempting pink-red fruits. 90 days. Vine type.
Celebrity Bush (Hybrid) Great flavor in firm, crack-free fruit. Good blight and drought tolerance. 72 days. Bush type.
Cherokee Purple (Heirloom) Deep violet colored fruit with an intense, rich flavor. 80 days. Vine type.
Girl asked (Hybrid) There is no faster growing, better tasting tomato! Large yields of 4 – 6 oz. Fruit is ideal for pickling. 52 days. Vine type.
German Johnson (Heirloom) Large, productive plant produces huge, pink beefsteak tomatoes. Excellent taste. 78 days. Vine type.
Hillbilly potato leaf (Heirloom) Beautiful 1-pound steak fruits are striped in yellow. Ideal for cutting. Heavy bearing. 85 days. Type of vine
Jet star (Hybrid) Excellent variety for the vegetable garden. High yields of low-acid, firm, fleshy fruit. 72 day. Vine type
Anniversary (Heirloom) Lots of golden yellow fruit with low acidity is great for canning, salads and cooking. 72 days. Vine type
Lemon boy (Hybrid) Large harvests of real lemon-yellow fruit. Easy to grow with a mild but spicy flavor. 72 days. Vine type.
Marglobe Improved (Heirloom) Formerly a favorite among gardeners. Ideal for salads, sandwiches and preserves. 72 days. Bush type.
Mortgage hitchhiker (Heirloom) Extremely high yields of large, low-acid pink tomatoes. Fruits have few seeds and excellent taste. 83 days. Vine type.
Mr. Stripey (Heirloom) Plum-shaped, bicolored fruits have yellow flesh and a pink center. Mild, low-acid taste. 80 days. Vine type.
Oxheart (Heirloom) Old-fashioned favorite. Heart-shaped pink fruits are very fleshy and contain few seeds. Good for cutting. 80 days. Vine type.
Roma (Heirloom) Abundant producer of plum-shaped fruits, perfect for sauces and canning. 80 days. Bush type.
Rutgers (Heirloom) The original “Jersey” tomato. Unparalleled in taste. Wonderful for canning, cooking and cutting. 75 days. Bush type.
MINIATURE TOMATOES
Black cherry (Heirloom) Look like luscious black sweet cherries! Vine plants produce an abundance of richly flavored fruits. 75 days.
Grape (Hybrid) Grape-shaped, glossy red bulbs are produced in abundance. Delicious to eat fresh. 65 days. Vine type.
Sweet million (Hybrid) It is known to produce more than 500 cherry tomatoes on one plant. Delicious in salads. 75 days. Vine type.
Sun gold yellow (Hybrid) These exceptionally sweet, tangerine-orange cherry tomatoes are addictive! 57 days. Vine type.
Yellow pear (Heirloom) Clusters of pear-shaped, yellow, mild fruits with a very sweet, delicious taste. Perfect for salads. 75 days. Vine type.
SWEET PEPPERS
Big Bertha (Hybrid) High-performing plants produce lots of glossy, dark green fruit; some reach a huge length of 7 centimeters. 72 days.
Blushing beauty ivory (Hybrid) fruit turns light red to orange-red and ultimately deep scarlet red. Nice sweet taste. 72 days.
California Wonder (Heirloom) Longtime favorite. Expect a large harvest of sweet peppers with a mild taste. Excellent for filling. 75 days.
Chocolate beauty (Heirloom) Incredibly sweet and delicious. Green fruits ripen to an attractive chocolate brown color. 67 days.
Golden summer (Hybrid) Super sweet taste. Green fruits ripen to beautiful bright gold. A real gastronomic treat! 67 days.
Purple bell (Heirloom) Beautiful rich, deep purple bells with lime green flesh on compact, bushy plants. Crispy texture and mild, sweet taste. 75 days.
Red beauty (Hybrid) Large yields of bright red, sweet peppers add color to all your dishes. 68 days.
Sweet banana (Heirloom) Famous for its amazing yields of sweet, mild peppers. Delicious in salads and excellent in pickles. 68 days.
HOT PEPPERS
Anaheim (Heirloom) Mildly hot chili pepper. Plants produce many long green fruits that turn brilliant red when fully ripe. 80 days.
Cayenne (Heirloom) Hotter! High-yielding hot pepper ripens from dark green to intense red. Bold flavor and medium heat. 75 days.
Garden salsa (Hybrid) Hot! Mild heat with spicy taste. Ideal for making fresh salsa. The best green picked. 73 days.
Habanero Chile (Hybrid) Hottest! Not for the faint of heart. Just one pepper adds spicy heat to an entire dish. Dries and freezes well. 95 days.
Hot banana (Heirloom) Hot! Also called Hungarian wax. Canary yellow fruits turn bright red when fully ripe. Ideal for pickling and drying. 70 days.
Jalapeño (Hybrid) Hot! Dark green fruits are at their hottest when they can ripen completely red. 75 days.
Pablano (Hybrid) Mildly hot pepper with spicy bite. Often used to make chili powder and salsa. Also suitable for grilling and stuffing. 75 days.
Serrano (Hybrid) Very hot and sharp pepper with a distinct taste! Five times hotter than Jalapenos. 75 days.
Tabasco (Hybrid) The pepper used to make the world famous sauce. Choose red for the spiciest flavor. 95 days.
Steve Boehme is a landscape designer/installer specializing in landscape makeovers. “Let’s Grow” is published weekly; column archives are online at www.goodseedfarm.com. For more information, call GoodSeed Farm Landscapes at (937) 587-7021.
This article originally appeared in the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Is your favorite tomato or pepper an heirloom?
