help with origins of heirloom vegetable varieties

17 years ago

I am interested in the origins of heirloom veggies, and also year they were introduced.

This is mostly because I think it can help me select varieties best suited to my area and it is just plain interesting.

For example queensland blue winter squash is from Australia, introduced in 1932

Does any one know any good web sites or books, listing origins of vegetable varieties?

Some on-line catalogs attempts to do so, as well as other sources. I have been hunting on the web especially for winter squash origins.

here are a few sources that actually list origins

seed savers

southern exposure seed exchange

revolution seeds

kokopelli seed foundaton moschata photos

kokopelli seed foundaton pepo photos page 1

kokopelli seed foundaton pepo photos page 2

kokopelli seed foundaton pepo photos page 3

Here's a few sites that have history of certain veggies.

beet history
cucumber history
squash history

if you know of any other sites with history of veggies

or origins of specific varieties, please post them.

thanks,

Mary

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Comments (3)

gardenlad
17 years ago
Tracing plant histories is always an exciting bit of detective work.

Some sources:

Old seed catalogs. Unfortunately, this has gotten to be a real collectibles field, and prices are through the roof.

USDA Yearbooks and other annual reports. Ditto Agricultural School reports and state ag dept. reports---such as the "The Vegetables of NY" series. All of these are available through the used books marketplace, sometimes for surprisingly low prices. USDA Yearbooks, for instance, average about five bucks a throw. On the other hand, some of the books in The Vegetables of NY series sell for upwards of $800.

Several books can be helpful. These would include, among others: "Heirloom Vegetables Gardening" & "100 Vegetables and Where They Came From," both by William Woys Weaver; "Taylor's Guide to Heirloom Vegetables," by Benjamin Watson; "Field & Garden Vegetables of America," by Fearing Burr. Then there is a whole slew of titles that are veggie specific, such as "Livingston & The Tomato" and "Peppers: The Domesticated Capsaicins."

I have not seen it, but if Amy Goldman's book on squashes is as good as her one on melons you'll probably gain many insights from it.

Finally, if you're a member of SSE, you might read the listings in the Yearbooks. Many times growers include the history of the varieties for which they offer seed.

Good luck in your search.
jimster
17 years ago
Although the origin of any vegetable is interesting to me, I focus on vegetable varieties particular to my region. I do that for one of the reasons you mention, suitability to my growing conditions. I also do it simply to satisfy my curiosity about the region I live in.

As Gardenlad says, it is detective work which takes on many forms. I'm always alert for regional names and when I find one attached to a vegetable, I start searching for information using that name. Often that search will lead to other names and the search branches out. For example, there is a Waltham butternut squash and a town of Waltham, Massechusetts. And sure enough, the squash was developed there.

Finding the name of the breeder or the seedsman who introduced a variety often sends me off in another direction. For example, the seedsman who introduced the Burbank potato also introduced the Hubbard squash. I've found a lot of information that way.

Jim
npthaskell
17 years ago
The following link may be helpful, but incomplete.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lists of cultivars for several veggies