The Heirloom Seed Project

Landis Valley Museum is home to the Heirloom Seed Project.  Established in the mid-1980s, the Heirloom Seed Project’s focus is on preservation of seeds from heirloom varieties of vegetable herbs and ornamentals that have historical significance for Pennsylvania Germans from 1750 to 1940.  Most of these seeds originally came from families in this area who donated them specifically because of the efforts they had made to preserve their integrity over time.  We now have more than 80 varieties that we sell on the web to gardeners who wish to join in the heirloom movement.

Heirloom or open-pollinated fruit brings our history into the present with flavors and beauty from the past.  They are often more resilient and better tasting than hybrid varieties.  Unlike hybrid plants, gardeners can save seeds from heirloom varieties with the assurance that the fruit from each new generation of plants will bear fruit that is similar to the fruit from the past seasons.

The Heirloom Seed Project also sells heirloom varieties of plants during Herb and Garden Faire, mid-May. For information about the Herb and Garden Faire, visit our calendar of events.

For more information or special requests,

To order seeds by mail or email

To place an order for heirloom seeds by mail or by email, you can download a pdf of our pricing ordering sheet below by clicking on the image.  We will also soon have online ordering ready to go live.