MARKtoe! Augustus 2024 - Uitgawe 118 | Page 73

GARDEN

GARDEN ZONE

Visit your local Agrimark Garden Zone for tools , feeds , fertilisers and seasonal plants .

Unlock the benefits

OF HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES

Walk into any farmers market , and you ’ ll see a wide range of heirloom vegetables for sale , often at a higher price than their hybrid cousins , es pecially when it comes to heirloom tomatoes . But are heirlooms really better than hybrids ? Is it true that they ’ re harder to grow ? And what exactly is an heir loom ?

WHAT ARE HEIRLOOM SEEDS ?

The answer to this question depends on whom you ask . In general , heirloom vegetable varieties have been around for at least 50 years and are openpollinated , meaning insects and wind handle the pollination . Heirloom vegetable plants are also stable , consistently yielding the same characteristics year after year , so seeds can be saved for future plantings .

73 MARKtoe ! Augustus 2024