vegetable production environments in southeast Minnesota. This research will provide guidance to small-scale vegetable growers in the region regarding favorable heirloom cultivar choices when supplying novel dry beans to local markets. Materials and Methods
on organic heirloom tomato production because of the unique opportunity for vegetable grafting to be adopted by these typically smaller growers. Heirloom tomatoes often command a higher market price than regular fresh market tomatoes. Organic produce
di Bue’, an heirloom tomato J. Hort. Sci. Biotechnol. 85 477 482 Edelstein, M. 2004 Grafting vegetable-crop plants: Pros and cons Acta Hort. 659 235 238 Fernández-Garcia, N. Martinez, V. Carvajal, M. 2004 Fruit quality of grafted tomato plants grown
The tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the fifth most important crop in Iowa vegetable production, and although most tomatoes in Iowa are produced in open fields, the number of farms producing tomatoes under protection rose from 90 to 184 farms
with seed-saving practices ensures the continuation of landrace (e.g., a locally adapted crop originating and grown in a specific region) and heirloom (e.g., a generationally preserved crop not bound to a specific locality) crop varieties. Heirloom
Eggplant ( Solanum melongena L.), also called aubergine or brinjal, is a warm-season, productive vegetable crop grown throughout the world ( Prohens et al. 2005 ). The most common fruit type grown and sold in the United States is the standard
A pound of organic heirloom tomatoes costs $5 at the Larimer County Farmers’ Market in Fort Collins, CO. Nonorganic heirlooms range from $2–6.50/lb, whereas other tomatoes at the local market, both organic and noncertified, range from $3–5/lb
root length than ‘Shield’. The indeterminate heirloom cultivar CP (Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Winslow, ME) is what the grower traditionally grows and, thus, used as both the scion for the two rootstocks and the nongrafted control. Seeds were started in 72
The specialty vegetable market is a rapidly expanding niche in the produce industry. One popular sector of this market is focused on heirloom tomatoes. Heirloom varieties, mostly open-pollinated, are often favored for their taste and unique shapes and colors. Older, traditional varieties have been maintained mostly by home gardeners, seed saver organizations, and government germplasm centers, but are becoming increasingly popular with commercial growers, consumers, and seed companies. Special growing techniques and attention to postharvest handling is also necessary with heirloom tomatoes because most do not have an extended shelf life. For growers willing to develop special harvesting and handling techniques, specialty tomatoes offer colors, shapes, and flavors that are an important part of today's cuisine. Performance of a given cultivar will vary from year to year depending on several factors: planting date, irrigation, disease pressure, staking practices, and climatic conditions during the growing season. Fourteen heirloom tomato cultivars have been researched at Ohio State Univ. (OSU) since 1995. Data collected on yield, fruit characteristics, market outlets, cultural information, special harvesting and handling requirements, and disease pressure for heirloom cultivars will be presented.
This project investigated the apparent consumer trend in recent years toward increasing popularity of heirloom vegetable varieties, and its significance in regard to growers that market their produce on a local or regional scale. Growing heirloom and hybrid varieties of tomatoes, carrots, eggplants, and sweet corn side by side provided insight on different varieties from a small-scale producer's perspective, including information on garden performance, productivity, and ease of production (including germination, growth habit, yields, maturation, harvest timing, and longevity). Feedback from consumers was gathered while selling the produce at a local farmer's market. Finally, a local chef and deli manager provided professional insight into the potential uses and marketability of the products. From a grower's perspective, there was no distinct pattern of advantages or disadvantages to either hybrids or heirlooms, as the varieties varied widely in terms of field performance. Consumer acceptance of unusual or unique varieties (in terms of appearance and recognition) varied with each crop. The chef evaluation, with taste preferences evenly split between hybrid and heirloom varieties, tended to favor those with an unusual or nontraditional appearance.