The heirloom vegetables in the organic garden are varieties that many people's forebears would have grown in their own gardens nearly 100 years ago.

A benefit of the old varieties is that they go to seed and can be propagated year after year.

The heirloom vegetable garden was just one element of the Woolmers Estate Festival of Roses that took place yesterday and was opened by celebrity gardener Peter Cundall.

Polytechnic horticulture teacher Natalie Boyce said she was impressed with the students' passion and dedication to the garden and said they had researched the types of vegetables and put in all the hard work.

"It was really great for the students when (gardening expert) Peter Cundall said it was the best vegetable garden that he had ever seen in Tasmania at this time of the year," she said.

Much of the produce from the garden will be used in the Woolmers Estate Cafe, The Servant's Kitchen.

Ms Boyce said she hoped the garden would encourage members of the public to start their own self-sufficient vegetable garden.