Willow Creek Heirlooms - What We're Growing

What We're Growing

Jay and Clare have been mastering the growth of heirloom tomatoes and have created quite the following of savvy buyers over the years at the Milton Farmers' Market. Sticking with that theme seemed like an obvious choice to us. But we didn't want to limit our one year experience to just growing tomatoes, we wanted to grow EVERYTHING! But, listening to our friends' advice, we decided to make our priorities half a dozen of staple vegetables, but in heirloom varieties. We will also be trying our hands at some veggies we've never grown before, just for the learning experience. And if they flop, then we learn why, and we don't do it next time!

What is an heirloom?
An heirloom is a variety of a plant that has been preserved for at least fifty years. The seeds of that plant have been saved year after year, sometimes by seed saving companies and sometimes by backyard gardeners. Preserving the life of these varieties ensures not only our choice but the very survival of the foods we eat. Like the saying goes; don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Is the survival of our food at risk?
Yes. In the face of climate change we must all begin to look at how our food actually grows. Changing temperatures affects so many aspects of the growing cycle like the insects, the weather and our sources of water. Having many varieties of vegetables growing ensures that at least some of them will survive in times of drought, insect attacks, floods, windstorms or any other number of possibilities. The Seeds of Diversity website is a fabulous place to learn more.

The Crop List for 2009

Click a crop's name to see the varieties we chose; show all varieties; or just see the crop types.

Arugula