10 Heirloom Seeds for Dazzling Vegetables

I maintain that buying seeds is truly the best kind of shopping—seeds are relatively affordable and are literally bursting with potential. Quite frankly, I think seeds are a miracle; you get a small envelope of little hard things, you sink them in soil and nurture them, and before you know it, you get beautiful free food. Seeds are the antidote to a broken food system and the epidemic of being disconnected from what we eat.

Yet the seeds of the world are suffering a crisis, thanks to Big Agriculture and its power grab for the planet's seeds. Meanwhile, too many modern seeds are designed to produce produce that is great for shipping and storage but not so great for actual eating. Modern supermarket tomato, I'm looking at you.

This is why for me, looking at a catalog like the one offered by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is like being a kid in a candy store. The company offers nearly 2,000 varieties of seeds for heirloom vegetables, flowers, and herbs—it is the largest selection of heirloom varieties in the U.S. They also carry one of the largest selections of seeds from the 19th century. All of these seeds hearken back to times when seeds were simply a means to grow an abundance of pure, fresh food.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, I've selected 10 seed varieties to share from Baker Creek—seeds that caught my eye for their beauty or unique characteristics. These are just a handful of many, so enjoy these and then go look at the rest.

Glass Gem Popping Corn

Be. Still. My. Heart. The technicolor jewel-like kernels shine like beads and, while obviously dazzling to look at, are also delicious. From the description: "Indescribably beautiful flint or popcorn comes in an endless range of colors. The translucent kernels really do shine brilliantly like glass—on the cob, they resemble strands of glass beads! The 3- to 8-inch ears make firm little morsels when popped, but can also be parched, ground into meal, and more."

A variant of flint corn, this grain is grown and cultivated annually similarly to regular corn. A couple of weeks after the last frost, plant three to four seeds per hole, six to 12 inches apart. See more here.

Chinese Pink Celery

Poor celery has a reputation for being blasé; this vibrant variety is working hard to change that storyline. Baker Creek notes that they are excited about the "culinary potential of this nutritious and fun variety. It is quite easy to grow, and even the baby plants are stunning, neon pink. We love this!"

Chinese pink celery is a biennial—it germinates and grows the first year and blooms and dies the second year—but it is often grown as an annual: Like many other vegetables, it should be started indoors and transplanted outside after the last frost. The plant prefers the moderate temperatures of spring and fall, but it's surprisingly tolerant of extreme temperatures, too. See more here.

Candy Roaster: North Georgia Squash

Because any squash with the word "candy" in it is my kind of squash. This hard-to-find squash gets rave reviews from gardeners and is described as having delicious, smooth orange flesh that is perfect baked, fried, or made into great pies.

Sow these heirloom seeds directly into soil after the last frost and be sure to give them space; their vines can grow more than 10 feet long. Harvest them when the stem turns brown and hardens, around three to four months later. The squash should feel hard, too. See more here.

Tennis Ball Lettuce

I love these petite heads of Bibb or Butterhead—not only for their little leaves, but they've got an interesting back story. They are documented as having been grown at Monticello by Thomas Jefferson, who noted that the variety “does not require so much care and attention” as other types. Baker Creek's are the correct, black-seeded original strain and listed in the Slow Foods Ark of Taste.

How cute to serve a single tossed head per person; or a big serving bowl of tossed heads still intact. Game, set, match.

This annual grows well in rows and close together—plant seeds just one inch apart. See more here.

Hopi Red Dye Amaranth

This beauty may be the most versatile of all. Originally grown as a dye plant by the southwestern Hopi Nation, it has the reddest seedlings of any amaranth known. The Hopi use the deep red flower bract as a natural dye to color their world-renowned piki bread. It can be used as dye matter but also offers edible seeds and greens, in addition to being beautifully ornamental in the garden. The reviewers have nothing but raves for it.

Sow the seeds of these annuals just after the last frost with barely any soil on top, and be sure to keep the soil moist for optimal magenta blooms. See more here.

Christmas Pole Lima Bean

My, what large beans you have. These jumbo white beans are festooned with vibrant splashes of red. The long vines of this heirloom produce heavy yields, even in very hot weather.

Sow these annuals three to four weeks after the last frost, when the soil temperature is around 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Thin the plants four to six inches apart after the first signs of germination begin to appear. See more here.

Watermelon Radish

The colorful "beauty heart" radish—AKA watermelon radish—has 4-inch round roots with white-and-green skin, but the pizzazz is in that fuchsia center—which is sweet, crisp, and delicious. This masterpiece of a root vegetable requires cool weather and does best when planted in the fall. "These taste incredible when harvested in the late fall or early winter, sweet and flavorful, almost like a crisp fruit." See more here.

Succotash Beans

Oh, what pretty things are these? Rare, ancient beans that hail from the Narragansett tribe of Rhode Island and are used to make succotash, Baker Creek explains. The northern U.S. provides the ideal climate for succotash bean germination, and coastal areas are known to yield even more abundant crops of this annual bean. See more here.

Chioggia Beet

So many beautiful beets to choose from, but who can resist the enchantment of these candy-striped delights? Chioggia beets originated in the historic fishing town of Chioggia, Italy—when introduced in the U.S., they were considered a gourmet oddity, but they have stepped into the spotlight and are now adored by many. "Those who are averse to that signature earthy beet flavor will appreciate this variety, as it tastes remarkably mellow. The greens are crisp and high quality. The flesh is very tender, mild, and sweet." And those stripey concentric circles? So fun. See more here.

Brad's Atomic Grape Tomatoes

Baker Creek calls this their favorite tomato, saying, "The color (and flavor!) is a full-blown assault on the senses—lavender and purple stripes, turning to technicolor olive-green, red, and brown/blue stripes when fully ripe. Really wild!" This release from Wild Boar Farms won best in show at the 2017 National Heirloom Expo.

These sun-worshipping annuals are grown like your average vining grape tomato. They need around six to 10 hours of sun a day, and be sure to plant them as soon as the weather warms up in late spring—they can take up to 100 days to bear fruit. They sure are pretty. See more here.

Visit the site for more, and don't miss the "book of dreams," also known as next growing season's Whole Seed Catalog.