Heirloom Database

Explore the world's most comprehensive database of heirloom and open-pollinated seed varieties, with detailed histories, growing information, and seed-saving guides.

50,000+
Varieties Documented
12,000+
Historical Records
8,500+
Contributing Growers
45
Countries Represented

Featured Varieties

8 varieties found

common

Brandywine Pink

Tomatoes

Large, pink beefsteak tomato with exceptional flavor. Often considered the gold standard of heirloom tomatoes with complex, rich taste and creamy texture.

Chester County80-100 days
common

Cherokee Purple

Tomatoes

Dusky purple-pink beefsteak with complex, sweet flavor and smoky undertones. One of the most popular dark-colored heirlooms.

Tennessee75-90 days
uncommon

Glass Gem

Corn

Stunningly beautiful flint corn with translucent, jewel-toned kernels in every color of the rainbow. Primarily ornamental but can be ground for flour or popped.

Oklahoma110-120 days
uncommon

Moon and Stars

Melons

Large watermelon with dark green rind spotted with bright yellow dots of varying sizes, like a night sky. Sweet, crisp red flesh.

Unknown (rediscovered Tennessee)90-100 days
common

Dragon Tongue

Beans

Stunning cream-colored bean pod streaked with purple. Can be eaten as a snap bean (purple fades when cooked) or dried for shelling.

Netherlands55-60 days (snap) / 75-85 days (dry)
rare

Fish Pepper

Peppers

Variegated ornamental and culinary pepper with green and white striped leaves and fruit that ripens from white-striped to orange-striped to red.

Caribbean / Mid-Atlantic USA80-90 days
common

Mortgage Lifter

Tomatoes

Enormous pink beefsteak tomato, often weighing 2-4 pounds. Mild, sweet flavor with meaty flesh and few seeds.

Logan85-95 days
common

Scarlet Runner

Beans

Multi-purpose bean grown for its ornamental red flowers, edible young pods, and large purple-black beans. Perennial in mild climates.

Central America60-70 days (flowers) / 90+ days (beans)

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