What Are Rare Heirloom Seeds & Plants?

Tomatoes

• Hundreds of heirloom tomatoes give gardeners plenty of tasty choices as to what to plant in their garden. Since tomatoes self-pollinate, you don't have to worry about the plants cross-pollinating and creating new varieties. If you want to experiment with rare heirlooms, plant varieties such as Black Kim Tomato, a rare heirloom that comes from the Black Sea in the former Soviet Union, or try Black Prince, another tomato originally from Russia, which does well in cooler climates. To save the rare seeds for future seasons, squeeze out the ripe tomato's pulp into a container, add some water, and let the mixture ferment for up to 4 days at room temperature. Once the seeds separate, pour off the pulp and spread the seeds in a thin layer and let dry. Store the seeds in a cool place; they'll last up to 10 years.

Beans

• You'll find numerous heirloom bean cultivars ranging in taste, size, color and their ability to adapt to the climate. If you are looking for something rare, plant Pink Tip Half Runner Bean, a rare heirloom from the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. Lima bean lovers will want to try the rare Southern Willow-Leaved Lima, a tropical looking plant that grows up to 20 feet in length. To keep the heirloom seed pure, plant beans far enough apart so their vines do not intertwine. To collect the seed, allow the beans to completely mature on the vine, then pull the entire plant and dry it in the shade for several weeks before shelling and storing the seeds.

Corn

• Since corn easily cross-pollinates via the wind, gardeners must keep each heirloom variety at least 600 feet to over half a mile apart from other varieties if they want to collect the pure seed. Grow rare heirloom varieties such as Pod Corn, a primitive-looking corn with ears up to 12 inches long or Zea Mays Japonica, an ornamental variety of corn with cream and pink-striped plants that grows up to 6 feet in height. To save seed, Clemson University suggests growing at least 200 corn plants in a large block to successfully save enough seeds to use the following year. Some gardeners place paper bags over the ears of corn they want to save for seed, then hand pollinate those ears.