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Heirloom gardens are dedicated to growing only open-pollinated, heirloom crops. There are many benefits to this type of garden. Read on to find out all about what is an heirloom garden:
Rejuvenating biodiversity: Heirloom gardens help to fight against the hybrid take over of the food industry. Most crops grown throughout the world are genetically altered via mechanical fertilization. These hybrids are grown to produce uniform crops that have long storage life, fast growing rate, and chemical and pest resistance. With a homogeneous yield comes the danger of an epidemic wiping out the entire crop.
Heirloom gardens grow open-pollinated plants that come from a larger genetic base and vary in characteristics, ensuring adaptation to local pests, diseases and environmental conditions. The world’s food supply depends on biodiversity in the garden. Unfortunately, heirloom gardens are one of the last places this diversity is being encouraged.
Growing higher quality food: Heirloom plants are allowed to grow on the vine until ripe unlike hybrid crops that are picked early and later chemically ripened. Fruits and vegetables that are harvested after being allowed to fully ripen on the plant are the best tasting and most nutritious. Heirloom produce is also much safer to eat seeing as the crops are grown without chemicals.
Practicing sustainable gardening: There is no need to use harmful chemicals in heirloom gardens. Heirloom crops adapt to the specific growing conditions of a garden and become resistant to certain ailments in a particular area. This way the soil, insects, and microbiology within the garden thrive, producing an active and healthy growing environment.
You can either purchase heirloom seed from another heirloom gardener in the area who has already adapted varieties to sell or start your own adapted heirloom strain. You do this by saving seed from only the most thriving plants every year. In a few years you will have your own naturally tailored pest, disease and weather resistant heirloom garden.
Enjoying a sustainable food source: Heirloom gardens grow sustainable food because their seeds can be saved and grown year after year. Hybrid seeds on the other hand are either infertile or grow off-type and look nothing like the plant its parent was. Saving and replanting hybrid seeds is illegal due to patenting on their technology, requiring gardeners to annually purchase new seed.
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