Best Heirloom Seeds 2026: Varieties Kate Grows and What to Order First

The year I realised I was buying the same seeds every year from the same garden centre and getting the same indifferent results, I started looking into what I was actually buying.

The answer was F1 hybrid seeds. They produce vigorous, uniform plants — that is what you see in garden centres and what looks good in catalogues. But F1 hybrids do not reliably reproduce. If you save the seed from an F1 tomato and plant it next year, you get an unpredictable cross of its parent plants, not the variety you grew. The seed company has engineered a product you buy again next year.

Heirloom seeds are different. They are open-pollinated varieties that breed true — save the seed, grow the same plant, save the seed again. Once you have them, you have them. The seed companies that sell them would much rather you kept buying, which is why they make the case that heirloom varieties are fussier, lower-yielding, and harder to grow. In my experience, that is not a universally accurate claim.

*Affiliate disclosure: I earn a small commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.*

The Short Version

If you are in the UK: Real Seeds is where I would start. Small company in Wales, trialled for UK conditions, genuinely helpful growing notes. If you want more variety, Thomas Etty has heritage British varieties you will not find elsewhere.

If you are in the US: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds has the widest selection I have seen anywhere. For rare and regional varieties, Seed Savers Exchange is the gold standard.

For seed saving storage: a metal tin is better than a bag or cardboard box.

Heirloom vs Hybrid vs F1: What the Labels Actually Mean

Heirloom: Open-pollinated variety, usually 50+ years old, breeds true from saved seed. Also called heritage varieties in the UK. Examples: Brandywine tomato, Purple Vienna kohlrabi, Black Krim tomato.

Open-pollinated (OP): Any variety that reproduces consistently from saved seed. Heirlooms are open-pollinated, but not all OP varieties are old enough to be called heirlooms. Modern OP varieties developed in the last 20 years are perfectly worth growing and saving.

F1 Hybrid: First-generation cross of two parent plants. Vigorous and uniform, but seeds from F1 plants produce unpredictable offspring. You buy F1 seeds again every year — by design.

GMO: Genetically modified organism. A separate category entirely; not relevant to home gardeners in the UK (GMO seeds are not legally available for home growing in the UK) and rare in home seed packets in the US.

The practical implications: if you want to build a seed library, you need open-pollinated or heirloom varieties. F1 hybrids are not worth saving seed from. Check seed packets for the OP or heirloom designation before buying.

Why Kate Made the Switch

I grew too many courgettes that first year. That is not an unusual story. But I was growing a modern F1 courgette variety, and when I tried to save the seed and replant them the following year, I got enormous plants that produced almost nothing useful.

A friend told me to try the Real Seeds catalogue and specifically the 'Lungo Bianco di Napoli' courgette — an Italian heritage variety that produces pale green fruits and, crucially, plants that come back true from saved seed. I now grow it every year from the seed I save in September. I have not bought courgette seeds since 2021.

That is the logic of heirloom seeds for food security. The investment is in the first purchase. After that, the seed stock reproduces itself.

Kate's Top Seed Suppliers

Real Seeds (UK) — realseeds.co.uk

The place I recommend for UK growers first. Real Seeds is a small company in Wales that selects every variety for UK conditions, writes growing notes based on actual trial results, and sells only open-pollinated varieties. They actively discourage you from buying everything at once (their FAQ tells you to start with 5-10 varieties, not 50). That honest approach is unusual in the seed business.

Varieties I grow from them every year: the Lungo Bianco di Napoli courgette, 'Red Zebra' tomatoes, 'Amish Snap' peas, and their French bean selection.

They sell out of popular varieties quickly. Check the catalogue in late autumn for the following season.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (US) — rareseeds.com

Baker Creek is the US equivalent of Real Seeds but at considerably larger scale. They stock over 1,500 varieties — far more than any other supplier I have found — and the catalogue itself is worth reading as a reference on variety history and characteristics.

For US growers building a seed library, Baker Creek is the starting point. Good growing notes, generous seed counts, reliable germination in my experience.

Seed Savers Exchange (US) — seedsavers.org

A member-driven organisation dedicated to preserving heirloom variety diversity. When they say a variety has been grown for 200 years in a particular region, they mean it. The Exchange connects gardeners who are actively growing and saving rare varieties — some of which exist nowhere else.

Membership includes access to the seed exchange, where members trade and share seeds. Worth joining if you want varieties you cannot find in any commercial catalogue.

Thomas Etty (UK) — thomasetty.co.uk

Specialises in heritage British varieties — vegetables that were common in Victorian kitchen gardens and have become rare since modern hybrid varieties took over. The 'Purple Vienna' kohlrabi, various heritage potato varieties, old bean cultivars. Not the starting point, but worth exploring once you have the basics established.

The 10 Varieties Kate Grows Every Year

These are not the highest-yielding varieties you can grow. They are the ones I have found reliable in Somerset, worth saving seed from, and genuinely useful in the kitchen:

Tomatoes: - 'Red Zebra' — compact, prolific, reliable in polytunnels and outdoors in a good summer. Saves seed easily. - 'Tigerella' — striped, tangy, good for salads and cooking. Grows well in UK conditions.

Courgettes/Squash: - 'Lungo Bianco di Napoli' — pale green Italian courgette, productive, true to type from saved seed. - 'Delicata' squash — excellent storage squash, keeps until January if cured properly.

Beans: - 'Rattlesnake' pole beans — purple-streaked, heavy cropping, saves well. A US heirloom that performs well in UK. - 'Borlotti' — the classic Italian speckled bean. Dry when fully mature for winter protein storage.

Brassicas: - 'January King' cabbage — winter-hardy, reliable, needed when most vegetables are finished. - 'Purple Sprouting Broccoli' (Rudolph or similar) — productive from February to April, exactly when the hungry gap is worst.

Root vegetables: - 'Chantenay Red Cored' carrot — short, suitable for heavier soils, reliable and sweet. - 'Desiree' potato — not heirloom in the traditional sense, but an older OP variety that comes back true. Good storage properties.

How to Save Seeds

The basic process per type:

Tomatoes: Squeeze seeds and gel into water. Leave for 2–3 days until mould forms (it floats). Rinse. Dry on a plate — not paper towel (the seeds stick). Store in paper envelopes once bone dry.

Beans and peas: Leave pods on the plant until they are fully dry and rattling. Harvest before autumn rains cause mould. Shell, spread to finish drying for a week, then store.

Courgettes: Let one fruit grow to full marrow size and go hard-skinned. Harvest, leave to cure for a month, then extract seeds, wash, dry thoroughly.

Brassicas (cabbages, broccoli, kale): Let a plant bolt the following spring. Wait for the seedpods to turn beige and start to rattle. Harvest the entire seedhead into a paper bag. Thresh (shake or rub) to separate seeds. Sieve out debris.

The critical rule for all seed saving: the seed must be completely dry before storage. Any residual moisture causes mould. When in doubt, dry for longer.

Storing Your Seed Library

Seeds need: dark, cool, and dry. The enemies are warmth, light, and moisture.

A metal tin beats a cardboard box or plastic bag. Cardboard absorbs moisture; plastic bags trap condensation. Metal is durable, dark, and latches shut against mice and insects.

For long-term storage (more than 3 years), seeds do best in airtight conditions at low temperatures. A glass jar with a silica gel pack in the fridge is the standard recommendation. Most heirloom seeds remain viable for 5–10 years under good conditions; some (squash, beans) last longer.

Short-term storage (1–2 years, typical for active growing): a cool, dark cupboard is sufficient. The tin pictured below is what I use for my current-season seed collection. The fridge is for anything I am keeping as longer-term backup.

Label everything. I ruined two years of squash seed collection by not labelling properly. The seeds look similar. Write the variety name, species, date saved, and any notes about the parent plant on the envelope.

What to Order First

If this is your first heirloom seed order, do not buy 40 packets. Start with: - 2–3 tomato varieties - 1–2 courgette or squash varieties - 1 bean variety (climbing or dwarf — start with one) - 1 root vegetable

Grow them well, save the seed from the best plants, and expand the following year. Five varieties grown attentively will teach you more than 20 varieties grown chaotically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are heirloom varieties lower-yielding than modern hybrids?

Sometimes, yes. Some modern F1 hybrids are bred specifically for yield and produce significantly more than equivalent heirloom varieties under commercial growing conditions. In a home garden with better attention and more varied conditions, the gap is often much smaller. Many heirloom varieties were selected for flavour and storage rather than yield, which is a different priority to commercial production. I grow heirlooms for flavour and seed independence, not maximum crop weight.

Can I save seeds from anything I buy at the supermarket?

From fruit and vegetables: sometimes. Tomatoes, squash, and peppers from the supermarket are usually F1 hybrids and will not come true. But it is worth trying with heirloom-labelled produce. From dried beans and lentils: usually yes — these are typically grown at scale and are OP varieties. Rinse, dry, and plant. From fresh herbs: sometimes — dill, coriander, fennel go to seed readily.

How long are heirloom seeds viable?

Depends on the variety. Beans and peas: 3–5 years stored well. Tomatoes: 5–7 years. Brassicas: 4–5 years. Parsnips and onions: 1–2 years maximum — these are short-lived regardless of storage. Check viability by germinating 10 seeds on damp kitchen roll before planting — anything above 70% germination rate is usable.

Do I need to isolate varieties to save seed?

For cross-pollinating crops (courgettes, corn, brassicas), yes. If you grow two courgette varieties in the same garden, insects will cross-pollinate them and your saved seed will be a cross. Grow one variety at a time if you want pure seed, or use physical isolation (bag flowers or grow in a polytunnel). Tomatoes are largely self-pollinating and do not need isolation in most cases.

Where can I find UK heirloom seed varieties that are not on Amazon?

Real Seeds (realseeds.co.uk), Thomas Etty (thomasetty.co.uk), Heritage Seed Library (Garden Organic), and The Real Seed Catalogue are the primary UK sources. These companies do not sell through Amazon — buy directly from their websites. The variety selection is far broader than anything Amazon lists.

Related Guides

The next step once you have seeds: How to Start a Vegetable Garden for Food Security What to do with the harvest: How to Build a 3-Month Food Pantry Preserving your surplus: How to Preserve Vegetables at Home