Over the last three years we have been growing heritage vegetables as well as more modern varieties and whilst we have not been conducting a scientific experiment, the outcome is interesting.

2009 Harvest

We trialled heritage varieties of Tomato (San Marzano Di Lampadina) and French Bean (Blauhilde).

Both varieties were grown under the same conditions as the modern varieties; Tomato (Gardener's delight) & French bean (Pantheon)

Firstly the French beans - The heritage variety (Blauhilde) really did struggle, with generally weaker plants succumbing very easily to slug damage and mildew.

Out of the total crop sown, around 70% succeeded to seedling stage but only 25% of the plants made it to cropping stage of which crops were generally poor.

Tomato San Marzano Di Lampadina did very well as seedlings (probably due to the lovely warm spring).

They produced quite strong plants with a fair crop of medium sized fruits.  However, the time taken to ripening seemed to exceed the amount of sunlight hours available in the North of England and fruits struggled to ripen.

A batch of Green tomato chutney put them to good use.

We have also grown other old varieties of vegetable including brassicas and shallots and in general, the results have been much the same with plants struggling through the wet summer and producing less yield with a constant fight against disease.

Although heritage varieties are worth growing for their different flavours and textures, we found that we have had to nurse them to production stage with a great deal of loss.

Worth mentioning, is the simple fact that our Cumbrian summers over the last three years have been rubbish, to say the least.  Extremely wet, dark and with very little strong sunlight.

We are interested to hear what other growers of heritage vegetables have experienced around Britain and we certainly still advocate growing the older varieties, although we do suggest researching the varieties well to see if they will be suited to prevailing conditions.

The Scotch Bridget Apple also known as White Calville, originated in Scotland in 1851.

Scotch Bridget

A culinary apple commonly found in Cumbrian farm orchards, it will produce regularly and crops fairly heavily in Northern Locations.

The fruits have tender, soft flesh, flushed with red.  It has a subacid rich flavour and will not fall when cooked.

When kept until December, the fruit ripens to become a desert apple.

Uses: Culinary
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Mid May
Picking: October
Natural Storage: October - December

The Scotch Bridget apple can be found growing in the orchards of Acorn Bank House, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.
Young trees available from Adams Apples

A recent article by Garden Organic focuses on heritage seed and the need to preserve our gardening heritage.

In 1973 the Seed (National List of Varieties) Act was introduced.  Its main aim was to stop unethical selling of sub standard varieties.  All seed had to be tested and registered, a cost which could only be borne by the major seed producers.

However well intentioned this seemed to be, the result was to instantly make hundreds of varieties unavailable to the public.

Local climate

Varieties which is some cases had evolved in a certain region making them ideal for the local climate.

Unlike commercial varieties, most of the heritage seeds produced crops at different times, avoiding gluts and giving a much longer harvest, the diversity in varieties giving a greater range of flavours, textures and colours.

The sale of unregistered seed is illegal and many heritage varieties cannot be registered due to the small quantities of seed existing.

Heritage seed library garden

Human nature being what it is, a canny solution was quickly seized upon.

The Heritage Seed Library was the first response.

It doesn't sell unregistered seed: it gives it away to members, who pay an annual subscription.

More recently, organisations such as Vida Verde, Kokopelli, and Beans and Herbs have begun operating in a similar way.

Heritage seed library

They are not museums; they constantly source and trial varieties from all over the world and some carry out their own breeding.

Members also save their own seed to swap with other members, in a heartening return to traditional distribution methods and so a dynamic, evolving and ever-growing library of gardeners' varieties is being maintained.

Many have been brought back from the brink of extinction, and are now grown across the country.

The wider the network, the safer the varieties are, and anyone with a tiny veg patch can join in.

View full article and details of where to source these exciting varieties.

More information

We have listed some suppliers of heritage seeds here >>
Maybe you know of others then please let us know via the contact us form.

The Perry pear is a small hard fruit which when bitten into, seems inedible. However, for centuries these fruits have been used to make Perry, produced in a similar way to Cider.

Trees can be seen in abundance across the Herefordshire - Gloucester border, although we have stumbled upon some in Cumbria. The trees can reach 15 metres in height and will produce crops for at least 300 years. For comparison, this is twice the height and lifespan of an apple tree.

Perry pears had their heyday in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and it is thought that there are at least 120 Perry pear varieties, many so local that they were only ever propagated on 1 or 2 adjacent farms. The heritage of these pears leaves us with some fantastic variety names, including Dead Boy, Mumblehead and Merrylegs. A fine old manor house, Hellens in Much Marcle, open to visitors in the summer, has an avenue of Hellens Early planted about 1710 to commemorating the coronation of Queen Anne.

There are likely to be many varieties undocumented all over the country, so let us know if you have one and indeed if you have tried to make perry.

Needless to say, we managed to collect a few carrier bags full and now have a bottle of perry bubbling away...we'll keep you posted on the outcome!

If you want a tree identified, it is probably best to contact Brogdale who hold the national fruit collection. (Details below).

The Herefordshire Cider Route website gives a brief history of the Perry pear and Perry production.

Three Counties Perry website gives a history of the Perry pear and Perry production along with some useful details of producers.

Brogdale - Home of the National Fruit Collection have 20 varieties of Perry pear.

How to Make Perry & Cider - A very informative site which gives in depth details of how to make Cider and Perry, although some basic knowledge or previous experience with home brewing or wine making is needed to understand the terminology.