Heirloom Seeds as Living Family History Worth Preserving

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Melissa K. Norris describes the emotional and practical weight of growing the same seed varieties her family has grown for five generations. When her grandparents relocated from Appalachia to Washington State in 1940 — traveling with multiple families on a single flatbed truck with almost no possessions — they brought two seed varieties: a green bean called the Tar Heel pole bean, and an October bean. Those same seeds remain in active cultivation today. For readers with family garden traditions, or those caring for aging parents with ties to the land, Norris's account illustrates how seeds can serve as a tangible, living connection across generations — one that can still be started even if the tradition skipped a generation.