Only a few of the many varieties of potato are commercially grown; others are heirlooms.

An heirloom plant is an open-pollinated cultivar that was commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but which is not used in modern large-scale agriculture. Since most popular heirloom plants are vegetables, the term heirloom vegetable is often used instead. The trend of growing heirloom plants in gardens has been growing in popularity in the United States and Europe over the last decade. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Binomial name Solanum tuberosum L. The potato (plural form: potatoes) (Solanum tuberosum) is a perennial plant of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, grown for its starchy tuber. ... Open pollination is pollination by insects, birds, wind, or other natural mechanisms. ... This Osteospermum Pink Whirls is a successful cultivar. ... Vegetables in a market Vegie garden Venn diagram representing the relationship between fruits and vegetables For other uses, see Vegetable (disambiguation). ... For the chosen plaintext attack used by the British during World War II, see gardening (cryptanalysis). ... World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ...

Before the industrialization of agriculture, a much wider variety of plant foods was grown for human consumption. In modern agriculture in the Industrialized World, most food crops are now grown in large, monocultural plots owned by corporations. In order to maximize consistency, few varieties of each type of crop are grown. These varieties are often selected for their productivity, their ability to withstand the long trips to supermarkets, or their tolerance to drought, frost, or pesticides. Flavor and variety are frequently secondary concerns. Heirloom gardening can be seen as a reaction against this trend. In the Global South, heirloom plants are still widely grown, for example in the home gardens of South and Southeast Asia, although their future is uncertain. Coloured world map indicating Human Development Index (as of 2003). ... Monoculture describes systems that have very low diversity. ... A corporation is a legal entity (distinct from a natural person) that often has similar rights in law to those of a natural person. ... For the Jamaican reggae band, see Third World (band). ... Home Gardens is a census-designated place located in Riverside County, California. ...

Growing heirloom plants may help increase the genetic variation of crops.

Heirloom growers have different motivations. Some people grow heirlooms for historical interest, while others want to increase the available gene pool for a particular plant for future generations. Some select heirloom plants due to an interest in traditional organic gardening. Many simply want to taste the different varieties of vegetables, or see if they can grow a rare variety of plant. Download high resolution version (1153x768, 195 KB)To increase the genetic diversity of U.S. corn, the Germplasm Enhancement for Maize (GEM) project seeks to combine exotic germplasm, such as this unusually colored and shaped maize from Latin America, with domestic corn lines. ... Download high resolution version (1153x768, 195 KB)To increase the genetic diversity of U.S. corn, the Germplasm Enhancement for Maize (GEM) project seeks to combine exotic germplasm, such as this unusually colored and shaped maize from Latin America, with domestic corn lines. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: History For other senses of this word, see history (disambiguation). ... The gene pool of a species or a population is the complete set of unique alleles that would be found by inspecting the genetic material of every living member of that species or population. ...

There is no consensus as to how old a plant variety should be before it can be considered an heirloom. Many gardeners consider 1951 to be the latest year a plant can have originated and still be called an heirloom. (That year plant breeders introduced the first hybrids developed from inbred lines.) Some heirloom plants are much older, some being apparently pre-historic. Usually, a plant is not called an heirloom if it is grown widely and commercially, regardless of how old it is. 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... In biology, hybrid has three meanings. ... Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period of human history prior to the advent of writing (which marks the beginning of recorded history). ...

To be an heirloom, a plant must be "open-pollinated", meaning it will grow "true to type" from seed. This excludes nearly every hybrid. Open pollination allows the same cultivar to be grown simply from seed for many generations. In biology, hybrid has three meanings. ...

Heirloom roses are sometimes collected from cemeteries, where they were once planted at gravesites by mourners and left undisturbed in the decades since. Species About 100, see text A rose is a flowering shrub of the genus Rosa and the flower of this shrub. ... Graves at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York A cemetery is a place (usually an enclosed area of land) in which dead bodies are buried. ...

See also

• List of organic gardening and farming topics
• Slow Food
• History of gardening
• Local food
• Heirloom tomato
• Forbidden rice
• Bhutanese red rice

This page aims to list articles on Wikipedia that are related to Organic gardening and Organic farming. ... The Slow Food movement, coined in response to fast food, claims to preserve the cultural cuisine and the associated food plants and seeds, domestic animals, and farming within an ecoregion. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Local food (also regional food) is a principle of sustainability relying on consumption of food products that are locally grown. ... An heirloom tomato is an open-pollinated (non-hybrid) cultivar of tomato, which is not commonly grown nowadays. ... Forbidden Rice Forbidden Rice is an heirloom Rice which is black when raw and dark purple when cooked. ... Bhutanese red rice is an heirloom rice grown in the Kingdom of Bhutan in the eastern Himalayas. ...

External links

• What is an heirloom vegetable?
• Information from the Home and Garden Information Center at Clemson University
• Heirlooms, the Garden Treasury from Vegetarians in Paradise.
• Seed Savers Exchange