Yardsmart: Don't take a gamble: Plant heirloom seeds

Like some gamblers, I'm big on hedging my bets. This practice ensures that all is not lost on a single bet, leaving enough behind to get started again if you lose. This can apply to your annual garden even more than so than it does in the casino. Planting with diversity ensures that if one variety fails, there are many more that will continue to produce.

The best way to hedge your bets is to plant heirlooms. One year, we had terrible weather, and all my hybrid tomatoes failed. However, my heirlooms thrived despite the cool season, and they proved exactly why diversity is important to the gardener, not just to the environment.

There is a tendency for new gardeners to plant large quantities of the same variety like commercial farms do. The beauty of the home garden rests in planting all sorts of unusual food plants that will be an inspiration in the kitchen. You can explore new colors for old veggies such as purple carrots and string beans. Consider pimento peppers rather than the usual green bells. And why not grow colored corn for a big surprise at that backyard barbecue? The possibilities are endless with heirlooms.

Many of the heirloom varieties have been lost because the seeds were no longer cultivated. Once there are no viable seeds left, the variety literally becomes extinct. The driving force behind the rise of heirloom-seed producers is to keep these varieties in continuous cultivation, thereby ensuring they are available for future generations. In an era of climate change, these may someday be the salvation for the world's food supply.

It can be tough to find heirloom varieties in ordinary garden centers. Even if there are some, the selection is limited, so you're missing out on a lot. Literally thousands of varieties of tomatoes, other food crops and flowers from the past aren't for sale, locally, at all. The only way to experience their unique characteristics and flavors is to grow them from seed yourself. I've selected my top five heirloom catalog choices that you can peruse online right now.

Seeds of Change (www.seedsofchange.com). This is a super-informative source for both seeds and seedlings. They ship heirloom-variety live seedlings for those who want to get started soon or bypass the process of growing from seed. They offer flowers with an exceptional selection of greens.

Native Seed/SEARCH (www.nativeseeds.org). This regional nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the seed-stock cultures in the American Southwest and northern Mexico. For hot, dry climates, this is a great source for desert-adapted, water-conserving varieties.