What Are Heirloom Seeds?
Depending on who you ask in the plant community, there are different criteria for what makes heirloom seeds an heirloom. Heirloom seeds differ from hybrid seeds for its ability to adapt to its environment and mutate to the local ecosystem. Below lists some of the criteria for heirloom plants:
Generational Heirloom: Some plant owners believe that heirlooms include seeds that are passed down from generation to generation that came from a plant that was at least 50 years old.
Commercialized Heirlooms: companies who produce seeds will acquire heirlooms and sell them to the public.
Hand-made Heirlooms: generally have open-pollinated seeds that are repurposed and replanted. Normally a cross-bred between different types of heirlooms
Mysterious Heirlooms: sometimes things just happen naturally. Cross-pollination is the culprit for these types of heirlooms.