What Are Heirloom Seeds?

The term “heirloom seeds” has increased in popularity in recent years, but what exactly does it mean?

“Heirloom” describes a seed’s heritage, specifically a documented heritage being passed down from generation to generation within a family or community.

While some organizations label seeds as heirlooms according to dates—for example, a variety that dates back more than five decades—Seed Savers Exchange identifies heirlooms by verifying and documenting the generational history of preserving and passing on the seed, emphasizing the seed’s tie to a specific group of people. (Varieties introduced to the United States seed trade before 1950, meanwhile, are labeled as “historic” at Seed Savers Exchange.)

Two women pose standing in a kitchen in front of many cans of 'Oma's Orange' tomato cocktails — Betty Moore and her mother, Oma Rachel Lively Miller, steward ‘Oma’s Orange’ tomato. Read their story.

Are Heirloom Seeds Open-Pollinated?

An open-pollinated variety is a variety that, when allowed to cross-pollinate only with other members of the same population, produces offspring that display the characteristic traits of the variety. Open-pollinated seeds are pollinated by insects, birds, wind, by hand, or other natural means.

An heirloom variety of vegetable, fruit, or flower must be open-pollinated and “breed true,” or retain its original traits from one generation to the next.

In order for open-pollinated seeds to “breed true,” the variety must be grown for seed in isolation from other varieties of the same plant species. Isolation by distance is the most fail-proof way to prevent cross-pollination between two varieties of the same species, but when required isolation distances are not feasible there are other methods. Learn more about isolation.

A hand holds two large yellow squash blossoms held closed by clothespins — Hand pollination is another method of isolation.

Are Heirloom Seeds Organic?

The USDA organic seal — The USDA Organic seal

One of the most frequently-used terms in seed labeling, “organic” refers to how plants and seeds are grown. Seeds labeled as organic must be nurtured and processed in strict accordance with the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) standards.

Though often also organic, heirloom seeds do not have to be. In many cases, heirloom plants do meet the guidelines of the USDA’s National Organic Program because they are typically grown by small-scale gardeners who have adopted organic farming practices.

Heritage Farm, Seed Savers Exchange’s headquarters in Decorah, Iowa, is organic certified, and all seeds grown on the farm are grown using organic practices.

Heirloom Seeds at Seed Savers Exchange

A large room with florescent lighting and rows of shelves storing containers of small packets. — One of the climate-controlled storage rooms housing the collection at Heritage Farm.

Heirloom seeds constitute a critical part of the nation’s agricultural heritage and help ensure genetic diversity of plant species. Founded in 1975, Seed Savers Exchange helped pioneer the heirloom seed movement and continues its work to preserve, circulate, and sell rare and heirloom seeds to this day. Today, Seed Savers Exchange cares for a collection of more than 20,000 seed varieties. Learn more about preservation at Seed Savers Exchange.

Seed Donations

Seed Savers Exchange’s focus on the seed’s heritage and cultural history sets it apart from other seed banks. Before we can accept seed donation, we must learn more about its history of being grown, saved, and shared, and why it is special.

SSE Accession Policy

The large number of varieties already under our care also dictates that we follow certain criteria, outlined in an accessions policy, that set a clear trajectory for the focus and evolution of the Collection:

The variety must be open-pollinated and stable. This means that, when allowed to pollinate only with other plants of the same variety, the offspring that are produced display the same characteristic traits of the variety.
The variety must have a history of being grown for at least 20 years. This might be 20 years of stewardship by one gardener or a total of 20 or more years by several garden stewards.
The variety must have some history of being grown in the United States. We welcome varieties that originate outside of the United States, but we require that a portion of their stewardship has taken place in the U.S.
Seed Savers Exchange must have the donor’s permission to share the seeds and their story with the public for educational and promotional purposes.

Bright red double-petal poppies in a garden. — Valeria Dukelow stewards ‘Chima Family Heirloom’ poppy seeds from her mother, Sarah Russ Chima. Read their story!

Heirloom Seed Stories from the Collection

A man sits next to a woman standing in wedding attire, with a basket of flowers between them. — Helena Hackman and Baptist John Ott, Diane Ott Whealy’s grandparents and longtime stewards of the ‘German Pink’ tomato and ‘Grandpa Ott’s’ morning glory, the two founding varieties of Seed Savers Exchange. Read their story!

Stories are what connect us in human experiences; it’s how culture and histories are shared. Seed stewardship stories have always been an important part of SSE’s preservation work. In their first year of marriage, co-founders Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy were entrusted by Diane’s grandfather, with the seeds of two garden plants, ‘Grandpa Ott’s’ morning glory and ‘German Pink’ tomato. These seeds, brought by Grandpa Ott’s parents from Bavaria when they immigrated to Iowa in 1884, became the first two varieties in the collection.

Seeds are not just a source of food; they are a record of human history. Seeds are intrinsically connected to culture, health, technology, and the human experience. Many of the heirloom seeds in our collection have been grown and preserved by generations of families, each with their own stories of why they saved the seeds. Sharing these stories facilitates connection through shared cultural experiences and keeps this important part of history alive.

You can find stories of the heirlooms donated to the Collection under Stories from the Collection.

An array of images of different fruits, flowers, and vegetable — Read the stories of these varieties and more!