#seedsaving — Public Fediverse posts

Beans did great this year, we ate loads, froze some and they just kept coming.

Peas are done, we let some dry for seeds and tore out the plants and supports.

The last two surviving sweetcorn cobs were the largest and so got plucked and peeled to dry for seeds.

Also got seeds from the two tobacco plants that popped up randomly after we dug over the former greenhouse for the first time. Nobody here smokes, but I'm kinda curious to experiment with them.

Cucumbers are done too.

Even managed to save a few hazelnuts from the mad squirrels this year.

Just pumpkins, sunflowers and apples left now. And the apples are pretty sour still. Not enough sun. Endless rain.

#Homestead #Harvest #Garden #Beans #Peas #Sweetcorn #Tobacco #Pumpkin #Cucumber #Hazelnuts #SeedSaving

Beans did great this year, we ate loads, froze some and they just kept coming.

Peas are done, we let some dry for seeds and tore out the plants and supports.

The last two surviving sweetcorn cobs were the largest and so got plucked and peeled to dry for seeds.

Also got seeds from the two tobacco plants that popped up randomly after we dug over the former greenhouse for the first time. Nobody here smokes, but I'm kinda curious to experiment with them.

Cucumbers are done too.

Even managed to save a few hazelnuts from the mad squirrels this year.

Just pumpkins, sunflowers and apples left now. And the apples are pretty sour still. Not enough sun. Endless rain.

#Homestead #Harvest #Garden #Beans #Peas #Sweetcorn #Tobacco #Pumpkin #Cucumber #Hazelnuts #SeedSaving

Beans did great this year, we ate loads, froze some and they just kept coming.

Peas are done, we let some dry for seeds and tore out the plants and supports.

The last two surviving sweetcorn cobs were the largest and so got plucked and peeled to dry for seeds.

Also got seeds from the two tobacco plants that popped up randomly after we dug over the former greenhouse for the first time. Nobody here smokes, but I'm kinda curious to experiment with them.

Cucumbers are done too.

Even managed to save a few hazelnuts from the mad squirrels this year.

Just pumpkins, sunflowers and apples left now. And the apples are pretty sour still. Not enough sun. Endless rain.

#Homestead #Harvest #Garden #Beans #Peas #Sweetcorn #Tobacco #Pumpkin #Cucumber #Hazelnuts #SeedSaving

Beans did great this year, we ate loads, froze some and they just kept coming.

Peas are done, we let some dry for seeds and tore out the plants and supports.

The last two surviving sweetcorn cobs were the largest and so got plucked and peeled to dry for seeds.

Also got seeds from the two tobacco plants that popped up randomly after we dug over the former greenhouse for the first time. Nobody here smokes, but I'm kinda curious to experiment with them.

Cucumbers are done too.

Even managed to save a few hazelnuts from the mad squirrels this year.

Just pumpkins, sunflowers and apples left now. And the apples are pretty sour still. Not enough sun. Endless rain.

#Homestead #Harvest #Garden #Beans #Peas #Sweetcorn #Tobacco #Pumpkin #Cucumber #Hazelnuts #SeedSaving

Beans did great this year, we ate loads, froze some and they just kept coming.

Peas are done, we let some dry for seeds and tore out the plants and supports.

The last two surviving sweetcorn cobs were the largest and so got plucked and peeled to dry for seeds.

Also got seeds from the two tobacco plants that popped up randomly after we dug over the former greenhouse for the first time. Nobody here smokes, but I'm kinda curious to experiment with them.

Cucumbers are done too.

Even managed to save a few hazelnuts from the mad squirrels this year.

Just pumpkins, sunflowers and apples left now. And the apples are pretty sour still. Not enough sun. Endless rain.

#Homestead #Harvest #Garden #Beans #Peas #Sweetcorn #Tobacco #Pumpkin #Cucumber #Hazelnuts #SeedSaving

Don't let your summer harvest end! 🌱 Turn this year's success into next year's garden by saving your own seeds. Our new blog covers the 5 easiest vegetables to start with, from tomatoes to beans.

Get all the tips here:
https://vegplotter.com/blog/save-your-summer-top-5-seeds-to-collect

#SeedSaving #GardeningTips #GrowYourOwn

Not a lot of harvesting in the garden this year but it's adequate. A bit of cooler weather has helped. Some big cucumbers, orange tomatoes from a volunteer, zucchini and squash, and a bumper crop of marigolds... I've actually cut out a dozen or more of them from that bed but the peppers are recovering from whatever they had going on too late to do anything now. Saving some pole bean seeds too!

#gardening #harvest #August29 #cucumbers #squash #zucchini #marigolds #garden #SeedSaving

#SeedSaversExchange - #SeedSaving

Whether you’re new to seed saving or want to brush up on the time-honored practice, these seed-saving basics are a smart place to start

"Why Save Seeds?

Have you ever tried to save seeds from your crops? While the topic may seem daunting, anyone can do it! Not only is seed saving practical, it’s also very rewarding and essential for biodiversity preservation."

Topics include:

#KnowYourPlants
#IsolationMethods
Understanding #SeedMaturity
Harvesting and Cleaning Seeds
Dry #SeedProcessing
#StoringSeeds

Includes a lot of information about common plants (tomatoes, peppers, squash, okra, cucumbers, corn), and instructional videos!

FMI:
https://seedsavers.org/learn/seed-saving/

#SolarPunkSunday #PreservingSeeds #SeedSwaps #SeedSaving #GrowYourOwn #HeritageFarms #SSE #Biodiversity #PreservingBiodiversity #HeirloomPlants #HeirloomSeeds

#SeedSavingExchange - Learn how to create a garden that will attract #NativePollinators with #SeedSaving in mind.

Excerpt:

"Serve Up an Enticing Menu Year-Round

Flowering plants supply #pollinators like #bees and #butterflies with essential pollen and nectar. #PollinatorFriendly plants also provide a safe shelter for our hard-working insect friends. The most important aspect of any pollinator garden is diversity. Because pollinators are active from April to October, make sure you have a colorful array of continuously blooming flowers from early spring through fall and keep your plants free of pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides.

Plants should be selected based on the space they will occupy. Specifically, consider your space’s soil type, sun exposure, and moisture levels.

You may also choose to select plant species to support specific pollinators.

- To help monarch butterflies, include #milkweeds and high-quality nectar plants like blazingstars.
- To support #Bumblebees, include plants like #WildBergamot, #hyssop, and #goldenrod.
- #Sunflowers offer not only a supportive perch but also seeds to help attract #hummingbirds and other feathered friends to your garden. #Honeysuckles are also a great way to attract hummingbirds.

To ensure that the pollinators will have something to forage from spring through fall, select various natives that flower at different times throughout the growing season. Choosing plants with a variety of flower colors and shapes will also help attract an assortment of insects of a variety of sizes and foraging habits. Larger clusters of a plant species are better for attracting pollinators than several smaller clusters in and around the garden space."

Learn more:
https://seedsavers.org/learn/pollinators/

#SolarPunkSunday #Gardening #GardeningForPollinators #SeedCollection #NativePlants

#Gardens that Nurture #Culture

Spring 2022

Excerpt: "Growing one’s own food became more appealing and, in some cases, a greater necessity to many in this pandemic era. #NativePeoples have long tended gardens that have provided their communities with #sustainably grown foods, #MedicinalPlants and #NaturalMaterials. Today these much-needed sources of local, healthy foods are also places to cultivate and preserve #CulturalTraditions.

" 'Even some Native cultures—like #foraging cultures—that didn’t historically garden now see it as a helpful use of land and time and money because they can efficiently produce the kinds of foods that people need to stay healthy,' said Elizabeth Hoover. Of #Mohawk and #Mikmaq descent, she is an associate professor of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California in Berkeley. Researching this trend, she drove 20,000 miles in 2014 to talk with dozens of #AmericanIndian gardeners and food advocates.

"In western North Carolina, David Anderson works as the horticultural operations supervisor at the #JessieOwleDugan #NativePlant and Greenhouse Facility of the Eastern Band of #Cherokee Indians. The complex includes three #greenhouses, 30 raised growing beds, a 3-acre nursery and 5 acres of fields dedicated to producing crops specifically for their seeds. It also has 330 acres of field that can be leased to enrolled tribal members who wish to garden or farm.

"While the facility does generate funds for the tribe, it also preserves culturally important species to get them into the hands of tribal members to plant. It focuses on growing traditional plants, such as #grapes, #elderberry, #WildStrawberries, #blackberries, #huckleberries sochan and #cohosh. In 2021, the greenhouse also grew #hickory saplings, which once mature, can to provide wood that can be used to make stickball sticks, artworks and other traditional projects. 'We serve our community with plants for home, for farmers, and for restoration,' said Anderson."

Read more:
https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/gardens-that-nurture-culture

#SolarPunkSunday #TraditionalFoods #NativeAmericans #CulturalPreservation #GrowYourOwnFood #Resilience #FoodSecurity #HeirloomPlants #SeedSaving

Found this through the #PennState Extension web page...

#SeedSaversExchange - #SeedSaving: Introduction

"Why Save Seeds?

Have you ever tried to save seeds from your crops? While the topic may seem daunting, anyone can do it! Not only is seed saving practical, it’s also very rewarding and essential for biodiversity preservation.

Why save seeds?

- You increase your #SelfReliance.
- You connect to nature and your food.
- You save money on future seeds.
- You establish ties to history.
- You adapt varieties to your local climate.
- Saved seeds make great personal gifts.
- You help preserve #biodiversity.
- You join a unique and large community of seed savers!

Seed Saving at Seed Savers Exchange

Saving seeds is integral to our mission at Seed Savers Exchange. It’s right there in our name! At our Heritage Farm headquarters, we steward a living collection of over 20,000 different varieties of seed crops, potatoes, garlic, grapes, and apples. Learn more about preservation at SSE.

There is inherent value in all of the seeds we work to protect. Some of the plants we preserve have a strong cultural history. Others possess unique culinary properties, and others display resilience to climatic events or invasive pests. Read seed stories from the collection.
Rows of large metal shelves full of boxes with many seed packets
The seed bank at Heritage Farm

By saving your own seeds, you play an important part in carrying out our collective mission. It’s up to all of us to lend a hand by saving and sharing seeds. Other ways to support SSE.

You don’t have to save seeds alone! By saving seeds, you join a community of countless other gardeners with similar interests. SSE facilitates the largest free seed swap between home gardeners like yourself. Through the Exchange, gardeners can request seeds from other gardeners, and list their own to share!"

Saving seeds also gives you a special opportunity to make an impact in your own community. Join or start a local #SeedLibrary, attend or host a #seedswap and connect with local gardeners!

Through the Community Seed Network, co-created by SSE, you can connect with other gardeners. You will also find extensive resources on creative ways to share seeds within your community."

Learn more [includes isolation methods, know your plants, harvesting and cleaning seeds]:
https://seedsavers.org/learn/seed-saving/

#SolarPunkSunday #SeedSaving
#HarvestTime #Harvesting #SeedSavers #FoodSecurity #GrowYourOwn #HeirloomSeeds #HeirloomPlants

A step-by-step guide to #SavingSeeds

by Maud Powell, March 2010

"Summer and autumn are the seasons when many gardeners and farmers are out in their fields collecting vegetable, fruit and flower seeds for the next season. Seed saving is an excellent way to engage in the worldwide movement to preserve some of the older 'heirloom' varieties of seed.

"During the past two decades, many seed companies have consolidated, and regulations regarding the patenting of seed varieties have been loosened. As a result, seed companies routinely drop older varieties for newer ones, which are usually hybridized and/or patented.

"Organized grassroots #SeedSaving efforts, as well as inspired gardeners and farmers, have done an excellent job of saving many heirloom varieties.

"Seed saving is also a great way to develop seed lines that are well adapted to a particular environment. Saving seed from the healthiest plants year after year enables growers to select for traits that are most suitable for their growing conditions.

"Finally, seed saving encourages a deeper understanding of the life cycle of plants. We rarely see certain vegetable plants, such as lettuce, onions and carrots, in the reproductive stage of their lives. Saving seed provides growers with an education in plant genetics and breeding, which is usually left to universities and seed companies. Following are the four basic steps to saving seed."

Read more:
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/flowers-shrubs-trees/step-step-guide-saving-seeds

Español version:
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/es/gardening/flowers-shrubs-trees/step-step-guide-saving-seeds

#SolarPunkSunday #HarvestTime #Harvesting #SeedSavers #FoodSecurity #GrowYourOwn #SeedExchange #SharingEconomy #OSUExtensionService #OregonStateUniversity #HeirloomSeeds #HeirloomPlants

#Wabanaki group restoring 245-acre farm in #SwanvilleME as food hub

#Niweskok, a Wabanaki-led #FoodSovereignty organization, recently bought the farm to aid its work reinvigorating traditional crops and land management.

by Gillian Graham, May 8, 2025

"A Wabanaki-led food sovereignty organization recently acquired a 245-acre farm in Swanville, marking the return of Wabanaki stewardship to ancestral lands in the Penobscot Bay region.

"Niweskok: From the #StarsToSeeds, a collaboration of Wabanaki #FoodAndMedicine providers, has focused for years on reinvigorating #TraditionalCrops and #LandManagement strategies, distributing #TraditionalFoods and hosting workshops. But they did not have a permanent land base until buying the farm.

" 'Now, with this land, we have permanency of place — and the ability to continue this work for generations to come,' said #AliviaMoore, a #PenobscotNation citizen and Niweskok co-director.

"Niweskok (which translates to 'dried seeds for planting' in the Penobscot language) raised more than $1.8 million in just three months to buy the farm, which had been used to raise cattle and board horses. The group continues to raise money toward its $3 million capital campaign goal.

"Acquiring the land in January was a major step toward restoring the #PenobscotBay region as a Wabanaki food hub and allows Indigenous communities to reconnect with #TraditionalFoodways, #medicines and #ecological #stewardship. Niweskok sees the land as an intergenerational center where Wabanaki values of care, reciprocity and sustainability can flourish.
Moore said the land will allow Niweskok to go much deeper in its food production work. The group’s plans for the land include educational programming, #SeedSaving, #WildHarvesting and cultural camps.

"Moore said the land itself would determine the name of the farm. The farm was selected because it is close to the ocean and Penobscot territory.
'Penobscot people have been, through the process of #colonization and #genocide, thoroughly removed from coastal access,' Moore said. 'So for us to truly have healthful economies, healthful social structures and political systems, we need to be able to engage in our coastal ecology.'

"The land, with access to the #GooseRiver, includes agricultural #fields, 140 acres of #forest, #wetlands and ponds. There are miles of riding trails through the woods, which Niweskok staff will map and decide which to maintain and whether more are needed for waterway access.

"Niweskok staff members have been preparing the soil for future planting and harvesting. Moore has been working on a 1-acre welcome garden that includes #perennials, #FruitTrees, #SweetGrass, #blueberries and other plants. Last week, she planted 70 #asparagus seedlings and 35 #rhubarb plants.

"Plans also are underway to spruce up a #farmstand where Niweskok will share #FreeProduce with neighbors.

"Moore has also been focused on working to restore the forests as #FoodForests — a process that will take years — and has started selective cutting to support existing #hazelnut groves and #BlackCherries.

"Niweskok will also create outdoor classrooms for community members to engage with the land, including demonstrations on plantings and #agroforestry techniques.

" 'An outdoor kitchen is one of our high-priority areas because so much of our time and how we want to support our community is being with our foods and outside as much as possible,' Moore said. 'Cooking over open fire is not only a way we want to engage with folks, but an important, culturally significant and really beautiful way to be together.'

"Niweskok this month was awarded the #EspyHeritageAward from the #MaineCoastHeritageTrust, an annual award that recognizes those who make outstanding contributions to #LandConservation while inspiring others. It was the first time the award was given to an #Indigenous-led group.

"Angela Twitchell, director of partnerships and public policy for Maine Coast Heritage Trust, said Niweskok’s work to restore the Penobscot Bay region as a Wabanaki food hub is 'an inspiring example of how land conservation is evolving.'

"For decades starting in the 1950s, land conservation was centered on ecological and species protection and protecting lands from people and development. It has since evolved to center its work in community, Twitchell said.

" '(Niweskok’s) work embodies resilience and a deep commitment to healing and nourishing both the land and the community,' she said. 'The collaborative work between #LandTrusts and Niweskok stands as a model to be replicated.'

"Moore said the award acknowledges the leadership of Niweskok, and added that other incredible Wabanaki-led land work is happening in the region. Moore hopes the award indicates that Maine conservation groups will continue to find ways to support Wabanaki leadership in conservation.

"Having the land has been a 'beautiful invitation' for the #NonWabanaki community 'to support Wabanaki food sovereignty and be in support of our leadership in care of the land,' Moore said."

Source:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/05/08/wabanaki-group-restoring-245-acre-farm-in-swanville-as-food-hub/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/Ii0au

#WabanakiConfederacy
#MaineFirstNations #LandBack #FoodSecurity #FoodSovereignty #sovereignty #Wabanakik #WabanakiAlliance #Decolonize #SolarPunkSunday #LandStewards #stewardship #NatureEducation #Foraging #Maine #IndigenousPeoplesDay

Community #SeedBanks revive diversity in #India’s Kolli Hills

By Tamilarasi Krishnan on 24 September 2024

"Many farmers are now struggling with the high costs of seeds, as the traditional practice of saving a portion of the harvest specifically for seed has largely vanished with the growth of open seed markets. Here, commercially produced varieties offer huge yields but high licensing restrictions, meaning that farmers often cannot save seed as they might have done in the past, because they do not own it.

"Numerous activists, such as the renowned Vandana Shiva, have voiced concerns over the proliferation of private seed banks in India. Shiva argues that seed monopolies could lead to a loss of diversity, increased seed costs, and a rise in chemical use in seed production. Her advocacy emphasizes the importance of community seed banks in preserving agricultural diversity and supporting local farmers.

"Despite the dominance of private seed companies, numerous community-based seed banks are now thriving across India, helping farmers to get access to lost varieties without paying high charges. One notable example is the seed bank initiative in Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu, which demonstrates the potential of local solutions using native seeds to prevent private firms from dominating the local market.

"The Kolli Hills region is home to the Mayalali tribes, who have been cultivating traditional millet varieties with the support of community seed banks. The initiative began in 2009 with the establishment of a single seed bank. Today, there are seven such banks operating across the region. These seed banks have successfully conserved over 20 varieties of millet that had not been previously cultivated for nearly a decade."

Read more:
https://rapidtransition.org/commentaries/community-seed-banks-revive-diversity-in-indias-kolli-hills/

#SustainableAgriculture #SeedBanks #SeedSaving #SolarPunkSunday #FoodSecurity #FoodSovereignty #BigAg #PlantDiversity #TraditionalPlantVarieties #NonGMO #HeirloomPlants #HeirloomSeeds #CommunityAgriculture

Organized the "seed vault" today. Threw out anything that had gotten moldy or was too old. I have some treasured heirloom seeds tucked away in sealed containers just in case (beans, corn, sunflowers, etc.). Hopefully this year, my black #walnut tree will start producing walnuts. The "mother tree" was one fully acclimated to #Maine. I've manage to keep alive a few #HeirloomPlants -- including strongly scented #lilacs, that I've rooted and planted in other locations. I've always idolized #FreemanLowell from #SilentRunning -- trying to keep my little corner of the universe green and full of food for the local wildlife.

Updated tag for #SolarPunkSunday . #SolarPunk #SeedSaving