Brace yourself. I may go on a tangent...you were warned.

Heirloom seeds.  They are aaall the rage.  I don't see it.  Seriously.  I really don't.  I understand the concept, but here are the holes I see:

1)  If, I choose to use Heirloom seeds, but my neighbor does not, my more expensive seeds can be cross pollinated with my neighbors non heirloom variety.  Know why?  Wind and bees don't know the difference.  So then my heirloom seeds are no longer heirloom.  See?

2)  I have heard over and over at nausium that the only seeds you can successfully save from year to year are heirloom.  Tell that to my watermelons, marigolds, potatoes, peanuts, lima beans and now spaggetti squash.  How did I end up with spaggetti squash, you may ask (probably not, but I can dream can't I ).  A friend of mine from church (Jimmy) gave me an over grown spaggetti squash last year.  I was going to harvest seeds from it, but couldn't get to it and so just chucked it into the garden.  Fast forward to today (and you'll get the reason for this post) and I find 5 spaggetti squash plants in my garden.  Anyway, so what if the germination rate is less (I haven't noticed a difference, but it is an argument they make) than heirlooms.  I get so many seeds I could plant a huge amount to make up for it and still spend less money than I would planting Heirlooms.

3) The non heirloom seeds are greated in such a way as to breed in disease resistance.  I have to have the tomato seeds bred to resist wilt.  Heirlooms would not last in my soil. 

To me, and this is just my opinion, the seed producers in the country have discovered a greatway to get you to part with more of your money in the effort to be organic, all natural etc; Heirloom seeds.