{"id":5896,"date":"2025-05-14T14:13:35","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T14:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/?p=5896"},"modified":"2025-05-22T13:45:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T13:45:31","slug":"what-are-heirloom-seeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Heirloom Seeds?"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The term \u201cheirloom seeds\u201d has increased in popularity in recent years, but what exactly does it mean? \u201cHeirloom\u201d describes a seed\u2019s heritage, specifically a documented heritage being passed down from generation to generation within a family or community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5548,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[44,164,232,143,254,132,76,183],"class_list":["post-5896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn","tag-about-us","tag-collection","tag-exchange","tag-family-heirloom","tag-heirloom-seeds","tag-preservation","tag-seed-stewards","tag-stewardship-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Are Heirloom Seeds? - SeedSavers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cHeirloom\u201d describes a seed\u2019s heritage, specifically being passed down from generation to generation within a family or community.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Are Heirloom Seeds? - SeedSavers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cHeirloom\u201d describes a seed\u2019s heritage, specifically being passed down from generation to generation within a family or community.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SeedSavers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/seedsaversx\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-14T14:13:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-22T13:45:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tomato_igleheart-1-1-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1420\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hailey Abbey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hailey Abbey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hailey Abbey\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d27214a0012cf857e816e255cc7012aa\"},\"headline\":\"What Are Heirloom Seeds?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-14T14:13:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-22T13:45:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/\"},\"wordCount\":4,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tomato_igleheart-1-1-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"About Us\",\"collection\",\"exchange\",\"family heirloom\",\"heirloom seeds\",\"Preservation\",\"seed stewards\",\"stewardship stories\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Learn\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/\",\"name\":\"What Are Heirloom Seeds? - SeedSavers\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tomato_igleheart-1-1-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-14T14:13:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-22T13:45:31+00:00\",\"description\":\"\u201cHeirloom\u201d describes a seed\u2019s heritage, specifically being passed down from generation to generation within a family or community.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tomato_igleheart-1-1-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tomato_igleheart-1-1-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1420,\"caption\":\"A pile of tiny yellow cherry tomatoes in a metal strainer\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Are Heirloom Seeds?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/\",\"name\":\"SeedSaversExchange\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Seed Savers Exchange\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Seed-Savers-Exchange-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Seed-Savers-Exchange-logo.jpg\",\"width\":2122,\"height\":561,\"caption\":\"Seed Savers Exchange\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/seedsaversx\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/seed_savers_exchange\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/sseheritagefarm\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/seedsavers\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d27214a0012cf857e816e255cc7012aa\",\"name\":\"Hailey Abbey\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f4efad5ab413343d97b3a9a7275240bef9155893f7fcb682898cba96727557d1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f4efad5ab413343d97b3a9a7275240bef9155893f7fcb682898cba96727557d1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Hailey Abbey\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/author\/hailey-abbey\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Are Heirloom Seeds? - SeedSavers","description":"\u201cHeirloom\u201d describes a seed\u2019s heritage, specifically being passed down from generation to generation within a family or community.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Are Heirloom Seeds? - SeedSavers","og_description":"\u201cHeirloom\u201d describes a seed\u2019s heritage, specifically being passed down from generation to generation within a family or community.","og_url":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/","og_site_name":"SeedSavers","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/seedsaversx\/","article_published_time":"2025-05-14T14:13:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-22T13:45:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1420,"url":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tomato_igleheart-1-1-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Hailey Abbey","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hailey Abbey","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/"},"author":{"name":"Hailey Abbey","@id":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d27214a0012cf857e816e255cc7012aa"},"headline":"What Are Heirloom Seeds?","datePublished":"2025-05-14T14:13:35+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-22T13:45:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/"},"wordCount":4,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tomato_igleheart-1-1-scaled.jpg","keywords":["About Us","collection","exchange","family heirloom","heirloom seeds","Preservation","seed stewards","stewardship stories"],"articleSection":["Learn"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/","url":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/","name":"What Are Heirloom Seeds? - SeedSavers","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tomato_igleheart-1-1-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-14T14:13:35+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-22T13:45:31+00:00","description":"\u201cHeirloom\u201d describes a seed\u2019s heritage, specifically being passed down from generation to generation within a family or community.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tomato_igleheart-1-1-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tomato_igleheart-1-1-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1420,"caption":"A pile of tiny yellow cherry tomatoes in a metal strainer"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/what-are-heirloom-seeds\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Are Heirloom Seeds?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/","name":"SeedSaversExchange","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#organization","name":"Seed Savers Exchange","url":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Seed-Savers-Exchange-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Seed-Savers-Exchange-logo.jpg","width":2122,"height":561,"caption":"Seed Savers Exchange"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/seedsaversx\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/seed_savers_exchange\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/sseheritagefarm","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/seedsavers\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d27214a0012cf857e816e255cc7012aa","name":"Hailey Abbey","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/axg.b87.myftpupload.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f4efad5ab413343d97b3a9a7275240bef9155893f7fcb682898cba96727557d1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f4efad5ab413343d97b3a9a7275240bef9155893f7fcb682898cba96727557d1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Hailey Abbey"},"url":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/author\/hailey-abbey\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5896"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6025,"href":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5896\/revisions\/6025"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seedsavers.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}