Valeria Dukelow began saving her mother’s red poppy seeds in Pittsburgh in the 1960s; more than 50 years later, gardeners were still growing the same family flowers

Every family has that one object that cannot be thrown away. It could be a chipped casserole dish, a recipe card with some of the butter rubbed off, or a group chat nobody dares to leave. Imagine that object being real, and blooming in your front yard every spring. That is essentially the story of the 'Chima Family Heirloom', a warm red poppy with ruffled edges.

According to Seed Savers Exchange, an Iowa-based heirloom nonprofit that distributed the seeds in 2017, the plant was brought to life by Valeria Dukelow of Pittsburgh and her mother Sarah Russ Chima. Valeria began cultivating the plant herself in the early 60s, and according to the same source, she saved its seeds, or allowed it to self-sow, at various addresses in Pittsburgh until she passed away in 2018. Additionally, her story prompts the question of what else we might lose when the knowledge and traditions of previous generations are no longer being preserved.

A seed packet with a passport


The family history of this particular heirloom is as heartwarming as any immigrant story. As the Seed Savers Exchange relays, Sarah was born in 1902 in Copăcel, Romania, and eventually emigrated to the United States as a teenager. She continued to write to her mother, Maria, who remained in Romania, and the latter sent her daughter the seeds of this poppy. Sarah subsequently grew the plant in Ellport, Pennsylvania, in the 1930s. Again, according to the Seed Savers Exchange, Valeria included a handwritten note with the 2012 donation, which presumably recounted this particular history.

The process is not at all complicated, and that is the point. The plants grow to be about two and a half feet tall, and bear a single double red bloom each on a stem, which lasts for about ten days. After that, the bloom turns into a seed pod, which can be collected or planted once it begins to rattle when shaken. The same source remarks that the flowers' long filaments provide easy pollen access to bees.

The unfussy way to grow it

Poppies have one strict requirement, which is ironically a recipe for success for those of us with 'low maintenance' gardening inclinations. According to the growing instructions on the Seed Savers Exchange page, the plants strongly dislike having their roots disturbed, which rules out transplanting. However, it is better to sow the seeds directly in the garden, about a quarter of an inch deep, in either early spring or fall. The organization recommends planting them during the early spring, while the ground is still cold, or in the fall before the last frost. It takes between ten and fifteen days for the seeds to germinate, and thinning the seedlings to eight to ten inches apart is further advised. The plants are fairly easy to grow in poor soil, as long as they are placed in sunny conditions.

Why a flower matters to a food story

Unfortunately, a single poppy will not be enough to fix the American diet. On the other hand, the flower still serves as a pertinent reminder of why such staples are not a viable option. According to a 2014 study titled "Increasing homogeneity in global food supplies and the implications for food security," published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the global food supply has become significantly more homogenized since 1961.

The research, completed by Khoury et al., analyzed trends in national food supply data from 1961 to 2009, and concluded that the number of crops contributing to the national food supply was decreasing for almost every country. For most nations, the same set of crops began to comprise the food supply, suggesting a move toward a more uniform global food supply. The researchers further note that a "global standard" in food supply is neither impossible nor undesirable, as the variety within each country still greatly outweighs the differences between them.

This is where the story of the Chima family comes into play, as a small-scale example of biodiversity preservation. In contrast to the predicted, or perhaps inevitable, uniformity of the corporate food production model, diverse backyard gardening is one way to combat homogeneity at the municipal level.

Nostalgia is nice, but it isn't a plan

According to the Seed Savers Exchange website, the organization was founded in 1975 by Diane Ott Whealy and her husband Kent Whealy. Currently, the website states that the organization maintains about 20,000 varieties at Heritage Farm in Iowa, which it identifies as the largest non-governmental seed bank in the country. The nonprofit also backs up its collection at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway.

Additionally, the company is supported by revenues from the sale of seeds, memberships, and donations. And the organization is realistic about the limitations of its capacity. While a diversity of crops is necessary, genetic diversity is only achieved when different gardeners grow a particular variety, adapting it to their needs. The co-founder of Seed Savers, Diane Ott Whealy, essentially says that while the organization collects and stores heirloom varieties, those that are not actively gardened will eventually be lost, as genetic diversity is only achieved when different people grow the same crop.

The takeaway

The Chima poppy survived, and continues to survive, due to the dedication of individuals who enjoy tending to their gardens. The same goes for any heirloom variety, and while the dedication of organizations such as the Seed Savers Exchange is admirable, it is not necessary to start preserving one's local biodiversity. All that is needed is a sunny plot of land, a few packets of seeds, and a little patience.