Yes, I know that I’m late with my Christmas shopping, but never mind that.
My mom and my uncle are both very active gardeners. This year, Mom’s been experimenting with saving seeds from some heirloom tomatoes that she got from somewhere. But I know that, even for heirloom varieties, seeds don’t always breed true, and it occurred to me that it might be a nice gift to order some from a catalog.
Tomatoes would certainly be on the top of the list of vegetables wanted, but there are many different varieties of heirloom tomatoes, and I’m not familiar with most of them. And I don’t know what other vegetables have especially good heirloom varieties. Any recommendations? This would be for the Cleveland-area climate.
anniesheirloomseeds.com is one place to go. There are several sources on the internet. Just google “heirloom seeds”.
Look for heirloom squash and melons. Boy, there are wonderful heirloom melons out there. Just pick one.
Chiogga beets (not sure about that spelling).
Lots of interesting and delicious heirloom beans as well. Much better than the standard Blue Lake variety.
Look to be sure the veggies are appropriate for your growing season. My mother sent me heirloom tomato seed from AZ but up here in MN, the season wasn’t long enough for them. I harvested only two fruits before a hard frost spelled the end of the season.
One heirloom tomato that I can recommend from personal experience is Cherokee Purple. The reason I tried it is that it is heat tolerant and produces well into the summer past the time most tomatoes quit here in south Texas, but that wouldn’t be an issue in Ohio, and a quick google-check tells me that they are indeed grown in your neck of the woods. I have found other (new hybrid) tomatoes that are more heat tolerant, but the reason I keep growing Cherokee purple is because of the spectacular fruit they produce.
They are indeterminate, so when mine did quit producing in early July I cut them back aggressively and started getting fruit to set again in late September. As I write this there are about fifteen tomatoes on the vine in spite of an unusually chilly, cloudy Fall this year. They are great slicing tomatoes with dark, meaty flesh. When I can’t eat tomato sandwiches fast enough they make nice thick sauces. The outside appearance may put some people off – the stem-end is usually very dark and somewhat ugly, which, though not ever really purple IME, is probably what gave them the name.
I have a lot of involvement with the heirloom seeds community. A lot of it is following specific people on Facebook, the individuals who have dedicated their time and effort to the “movement,” or farm(s/ers) who specialize in such plants and seeds.
A very good entré into this is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Get their catalog and read it. I read such catalogs for pleasure; there’s a stack on my bedside table. Good luck, and feel free to ask me anything.
I grow tomatoes in Western Pennsylvania. I absolutely endorse Cherokee Purple. Every year we try a couple new ones and put in the favorites from last year. CP is always a favorite. Others we’ve come to love: Brandywine Sudduth strain, Kellog’s Breakfast (delicious yellow beefsteak), Opalka (funky shaped paste tomato, makes great sauce).
The hybrids I like are Big Beef and Jet Star. The heirlooms sometimes have the reputation for being finicky, but IMO once you dial in your growing conditions they can all be prolific.
I also second Baker Creek seeds. I’ve ordered from them for years. Try their Rocky Mountain leaf lettuce mix. It will blow your mind.
The most reliable heirloom melon to try is Chanterais. For watermelon try Moon and Stars.
I also back Cherokee Purple and Brandywine tomatoes. German Green tomatoes are good and for just munching, try yellow pear tomatoes - they are low acid.
Local to me, the Fameuse apple is lovely. Not heirloom but Chestnut crabapples make excellent eating and jelly.
Chicago city gardener here. Black cherry tomatoes were a hit this year, will definitely do them again. They vine out of containers well and are quite colorful. Fruit grows in clusters and sunlight turns the skins purple which makes for interesting mottled patterns. Flavor is like a hearty beefsteak, but bite sized. Definitely on the list for next year too.