#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

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

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

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:
vegplotter.com/blog/save-yo...

#SeedSaving #GardeningTips #GrowYourOwn

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

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

More seed saving!

Today I processed last season's blue lake bean pods. The way the beans get saved generally starts with a few beans getting too mature to eat by the time I notice them. So I let them grow and dry on the vine. Later I pick the whole pods and stick them in a paper bag and put them somewhere well ventilated until I'm ready to process them.

Here's my beans ready for planting! Blue lakes make skinny white beans that remind me of tic tacs. It's not a large amount but plenty for my needs. I discarded about 1/4th of them which were damaged or underdeveloped; we get a lot of Fall rain so there's always a risk that seeds will get damaged when I leave them to dry on the plant.

#Gardening #VegetableGardening #GrowYourOwn #SeedSaving

Seed saving!

It's a problem. Two or three dill plants last year lead to this, thousands of seeds! I always have big ideas for them. A lot of herb seeds can be used as spices. Or microgreens. Or sprouts. But I usually don't get around to it.

But yesterday I stepped into my local library and found out they are collecting seeds for a see & seedling swap. I left with several seed donation baggies and plans to share my seeds with my community.

This was step one - processing. Removing the dried seeds from the seed heads and collecting them up into bags.

#Gardening #VegetableGardening #SeedSaving #GrowYourOwn

🌱 Want to garden more sustainably? Saving your own seeds is a great way to close the loop and preserve local varieties! 🌻

Check out our latest guide on how to get started:
vegplotter.com/blog/saving-...

#GrowYourOwn #Sustainability #GardeningTips #SeedSaving

🌱 Want to garden more sustainably? Saving your own seeds is a great way to close the loop and preserve local varieties! 🌻

Check out our latest guide on how to get started:
https://vegplotter.com/blog/saving-seeds-for-a-sustainable-future

#GrowYourOwn #Sustainability #GardeningTips #SeedSaving

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

So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
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So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
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How To Minimize Cover Crop Risks

https://onlinemarketingscoops.com/2026/08/24/how-to-minimize-cover-crop-risks/

Experimental farmer Shane Simonsen: Working on locally adapted #plants & #crops of the future while we still have a safety net. 🌱🌻

https://youtu.be/apdB2H-y8c4

#plantbreeding #seeds #seedsaving #agriculture #local #permaculture #ecology #foodsecurity #food #nutrition

I'm deliberately letting a couple of my red lettuce plants go to seed -- so I'll have seed! All the other ones that have bolted I composted.

How to Harvest #LettuceSeeds: 6 Easy Steps for Harvesting

By Kate Van Druff
December 7, 2021
Updated on October 20, 2022

"Knowing when to harvest lettuce seeds is easy when you take the time to observe your garden. When the lettuce plant bolts, it sends up a flower stalk that soon contains viable lettuce seeds for next year’s crop. Plan to gather lettuce seeds when the flower stalk and seed heads are totally dry. You might even see a little fluff sticking out!"

Learn more:
https://www.bunnysgarden.com/how-to-harvest-lettuce-seeds/

#SolarPunkSunday #GrowYourOwnFood #GrowingLettuce #HomeGardens #SeedSaving

So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
2/2

So you rinse it, seal it in a bag with barely damp sphagnum, and set it at the back of the refrigerator for ninety to a hundred and twenty days. In spring you plant it an inch down in a deep pot. Five to seven years later, fruit no corporation ever priced.

Bi socair — be still.

What are you growing that won't pay off for years?

#Foraging #Pawpaw #Gardening #SeedSaving #NativePlants #Herbalism #FoodAsMedicine #Gàidhlig #MastoDaoine #Druid #Folklore #Solarpunk #Cooking
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Master Gardener Spotlight: The Need for Seed – MSU Extension https://www.allforgardening.com/1929694/master-gardener-spotlight-the-need-for-seed-msu-extension/ #biodiversity #ControlledPollination #F1 #gardening #GardeningMontana #GeneticDiversity #heirloom #hybrid #Montaña #OpenPollinated #SeedLibrary #SeedSaving #SeedSharing

#UMaineCooperativeExtension - Bulletin #2750, An Introduction to #SeedSaving for the #HomeGardener

By Mark Hutton

"Rediscovering Seed Saving

"Seed saving is an ancient art that enabled humans to cease being hunter-gatherers. Up until the end of World War II, home gardeners typically saved their own seeds, because high-quality seeds at affordable prices were generally not available. However, seed saving declined with the development of the commercial seed industry, which made low-cost, high-quality vegetable and flower seeds readily available. Presently, renewed interest in #heirloom, unique, and locally adapted vegetable and flower varieties is sparking a resurgence in seed saving.

"Seed-saving is a natural next step for passionate gardeners. Saving seeds not only allows home gardeners to save money; it provides them with an opportunity to express their creativity! This is because saving seed is a form of selection—the very basis of plant breeding. When choosing which plants to save seed from, a gardener must decide which plants have the most desirable characteristics in terms of meeting their goals for plant size, yield, fruit quality, maturity date, attractiveness, etc., thus helping to improve the offspring. When you save seed from your garden, you can create a cultivar uniquely suited to your location, your aesthetic sensibilities, and culinary tastes. Saving seeds takes time, planning, and attention to detail. Here are some basics to get you started on your seed saving adventure."

Learn more:
https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2750e/

#SolarPunkSunday #UMaine #Maine #GrowYourOwn #Seeds #HarvestingSeeds #HeirloomSeeds #Gardening #HomeGardens

#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

#FalmouthME - #SeedCollection & Processing – Workshop Series at #GilslandFarm

Aug 15 2026

9:00 am - 10:30 am

Cost: $25 members, $30 nonmembers

"Join us on the third Saturday of each month at the Ann & Jim Hancock Native Plants Education Center for a day of hands-on learning, seasonal skill-building, and creative exploration.

Morning workshops (9–10:30 am) are led by Maine Audubon’s Native Plants Program team and focus on practical topics such as seed collection, propagation, potting, and ecological planting. From 11 am–1 pm, all registrants are invited to visit the nursery for in-person plant shopping and guidance from staff.

Afternoon sessions (1–3 pm) shift toward art-based workshops inspired by native plants and the landscapes they shape."

FMI and to register:
https://maineaudubon.org/events/seed-collection-processing/?emci=c4afe479-ac8a-f111-b337-000d3a1558ce&emdi=89f9b436-5f8e-f111-b337-000d3a1558ce&ceid=14973917

#SolarPunkSunday #MaineAudubon #NativePlants #SeedSaving #ArtWorkshops #MaineEvents #SpendTimeInNature #Nature

Seeds and Soil Organics in Alaska 🌲 grows agroecological seeds for food sovereignty 🌱. No-till, no chemicals—just living soil and resilience ❄️🌞. https://agroecologymap.org/l/392 #Agroecology #Permaculture #Alaska #SeedSaving #SoilHealth

#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

How to Recreate a Pioneer Garden at Home https://www.allforgardening.com/1893750/how-to-recreate-a-pioneer-garden-at-home/ #AppleTrees #compost #EdibleLandscaping #EspalierTechnique #flowers #FoodGardens #FruitTrees #garden #gardening #GardeningTips&Hacks #gardens #HeirloomCrops #herbs #landscaping #MikschGarden #OldSalem #PeachTrees #RaisedGardenBed #SeedSaving #SingleBrothers’Garden #VegetableGarden #vegetables #WinstonSalem

Ancient #Seeds, Lost Beans: The Professor Saving North Macedonia's Vanishing Crops

https://balkaninsight.com/2026/07/20/ancient-seeds-lost-beans-the-professor-saving-north-macedonias-vanishing-crops/bi/ #seedsaving

Grow a Modern Victory Garden – Mother Earth News https://www.allforgardening.com/1845946/grow-a-modern-victory-garden-mother-earth-news/ #garden #SeedSaving #VictoryGarden

How do you like the pantyhose plant I'm growing in my garden? Just kidding! I've put knee-high stockings over the seed pods on this collard plant so I can save the seed without it falling to the ground or, more likely, getting eaten by our greedy goldfinches.

#gardening #SeedSaving #GrowYourFood

Some Home Gardeners Are Saving and Replanting Seeds From Every Harvest, And After Two Years They Say They Have Not Bought a Single Seed Packet Since https://www.allforgardening.com/1820805/some-home-gardeners-are-saving-and-replanting-seeds-from-every-harvest-and-after-two-years-they-say-they-have-not-bought-a-single-seed-packet-since/ #garden #gardener #gardening #plant #PlantingSeeds #SeedSaving

#climatecrisis #plantextinction #seedsaving

Meet the people protecting the magic beans of life from extinction | Jess Harwood | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2026/jun/13/meet-the-people-protecting-the-magic-beans-of-life-from-extinction

#ScotlandGrows - #ShetlandKale

by Cairi Balmain

"I want to draw your attention to a rare Scottish heritage vegetable called Shetland #Kail / #Kale. I have been eating lots of the young leaves recently and wanted to share my love of this not so commonly known vegetable, its history, why it’s so special, and why it should be a staple in Scottish vegetable gardens.

What is Shetland Kale?

Shetland Kale is one of the most productive crops grown in Shetland and officially is classified as a #cabbage. Traditionally, in Shetland the hearts were eaten like a normal cabbage, while the leaves were given to the cattle and this still continues on some #crofts today. I like to eat the young leaves as it is a waste letting them go tough when you do not have cattle to feed! When they are small and tender, the leaves taste nice and peppery and go very well with other types of kale in meals. I like to make kale crisps in the dehydrator or oven.

What is Its History?

Shetland Kale is the oldest known Scottish variety and has been grown in Shetland since the 17th century. Before the era of cheap oil, all #ShetlandCrofts grew crops including #oats, #bere, #neeps, #potatoes, and Shetland Kale. Due to the challenges of the weather in Shetland, seeds were sown in #PlantieCrubs: circular stone walled enclosures where the plants were protected from wind, frost, rabbits, and grazing animals. The seeds were grown successfully here, then were transplanted into kail yards, also made with stone walls to protect them from the near constant wind! There are still many ruined #KailYards visible in the islands, not used any more but part of the landscape heritage of Shetland.

Why Does it Need Saving?

Shetland Kale has been registered as a #ConservationVariety due to its decline in usage over the past thirty years, and until recently the seed’s survival was dependent on local crofters saving their seed and passing it on. Recently, however, there has been a resurgence of people wanting to grow the heritage seed. Shetland Kale Seed Producers Network has recently released seed that I bought from Planticrub, the local garden centre in Shetland. You can find information on Shetland Kale and where to buy it through the Shetland Kale Growers Seed Network. You also might be lucky and find it in a local #SeedSwap #SeedLibrary or meet.

How to Grow

Since not many people have, or have need of, a stone polycrub these days, sow the seeds like normal brassicas inside the house or greenhouse in March/April. Plant out with the other kale, cabbages, and broccoli in late April/early May and harden off in the usual manner. You can also grow them with successive sowings through the Spring and Summer to keep a constant supply. Shetland Kale takes up a lot of space, so space the plants well or they will take over!

I like to harvest a few leaves at a time off each plant when they are young and tender and leave the heart to develop into a cabbage to eat in the Winter. It makes a unique #kimchi! Shetland Kale is hardy so will survive the Scottish Winter fine outside. Shetlanders normally leave a few plants to go to seed the second year to see the beautiful yellow flowers come out and to harvest the seed. To save the seed from your own Shetland Kale and help save this heritage seed, harvest the pods when they have turned brown and slightly brittle, place on a cloth to prevent seed loss and thresh the pods by rubbing between the hands. Then store in a cool area."

https://scotlandgrowsmagazine.com/2020/10/22/shetland-kale/

#SolarPunkSunday #Scotland #TraditionalFoods #SeedSaving #EndangeredSpecies #GrowYourOwn #SeedSaving

Transport Evolved Chicken and Garden Update: Nikki’s Got A New Stash! https://www.allforgardening.com/1657173/transport-evolved-chicken-and-garden-update-nikkis-got-a-new-stash/ #abutilon #BackyardGarden #Baldur'sGate #BG3 #BroadBeans #Broccoli #CaliforniaBellPeppers #celery #DanversCarrots #FavaBeans #garden #geraniums #greenhouse #HickenAndGarden #Karlach #Parsnip #PortlandNursery #RaisedBeds #SeedPotatoes #SeedSaving #SnowPeas #squash #SweetCorn #TelegraphCucumber #VancouverCentennial #WinterGardening #zucchini

Seed for Thought

Saturday’s mail brought the first of the season’s seed catalogs. And Saturday night it snowed. The snow was just a sugar coated dusting, but it was a reminder that winter is coming—eventually—because it is forecast to be as warm as 59F/15C by next Saturday.

But today is gray and very windy and below freezing, a perfect reason to lose myself for a little while in the seed catalog. Yes, yes, I know, the garden just finished up and James picked all the collards Friday and has them fermenting—collard kraut! It’s a thing!

My internet recipe searches told me collard kraut used to be very popular across the southern United States and some people say it is even better than sauerkraut. James has ours fermenting with some garlic and crushed red pepper. I’ll let you know how it comes out.

This is the first year I’ve ever grown collards in the garden, and they’ve been a great success. Not only did they grow well, but we enjoyed eating them too. The small leaves made it fresh into salads and as they got bigger they’d get sautéed with onions and eaten as a side dish or combined with other things like tofu scramble, lentil eggs, curry, or soup. The variety I grew was “yellow cabbage” and came from a Minnesota seed company called North Circle Seeds. I asked James whether he liked the collards enough to grow them again next year, and he said that while it took him a little while to figure out how to use them and get used to cooking with them, he did indeed like them and we should definitely grow them again. Noted!

I also grew Swiss chard for the first time this year and we liked that too. I grew “bright lights” and the plant stalks and leaf vein colors ranged from golden yellow to bright red. We generally ate the leaves while they were small, chopped up in salads, which added some lovely color. The bigger leaves sometimes ended up in a stir fry. This will also make it into next year’s garden. Yum!

It’s sunchoke digging time! I dug up the first bowl Saturday afternoon just from one small area in the chicken garden. There are sunchokes in the chicken garden because last year I was silly enough to plant two roots along the outside of the chain link fence thinking—actually I don’t know what I was thinking. At the end of last season I dug up half a bowl of huge roots and thought, there, I’ve got them all. Yeah, right.

This year I had even more sunchokes growing along the fence outside and inside the chicken garden. So I dug and I dug and I didn’t worry about pulling out runner roots I came across because I am sure in spring I will discover that they have spread even more.

The sunchoke patch in the main garden is enormous. There will be more bowls to come as James has time to preserve them and I have time to dig and as long as the ground is not frozen. In spring when the ground thaws I will be able to dig up more, and there will be more, because I will find out as they pop up where all the runner roots have gone to this growing season. It’s a good thing we like them.

My turn for Reaping What She Sows: How Women are Rebuilding Our Broken Food System by Nancy Matsumoto came up on Friday. So far I’ve read the first chapter, “Black Mutual Aid, From the Rural South the Urban Northeast,” and it is fantastic.

As with everything in U.S. history, Black farmers have been, and continue to be, discriminated against. You can read a very good and succinct history in this September 2019 Atlantic article (gift link), The Great Land Robbery: The shameful story of how 1 million black families have been ripped from their farms.

Matsumoto tells pieces of this history in her storytelling about a number of women farmers who have created cooperatives, training and helping Black farmers acquire land, seed, and fair prices through a cooperative distribution network. The women and their stories are inspiring and full of lessons on how to support regenerative farming outside a white-supremacist agri-capitalist system.

Matsumoto is familiar with cooperatives. Her Japanese grandparents were interred during World War II and her grandfather helped create a cooperative network in the internment camps. This network became the second largest consumer co-op in the United States. Given the political and economic situation in the United States currently, I suspect we will be seeing more cooperatives and mutual aid societies popping up all over the country in the coming years.

Throughout history women have been the seed keepers, carefully saving and preserving seeds from season to season and generation to generation. A few years ago I read a wonderful novel called The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson. It is the story of a current day Dakota woman who is gifted a cache of seeds saved by her ancestors when they ran from being attacked by U.S. troops. It is a story of healing and renewal. I was reminded of this novel while reading the first chapter of Reaping What She Sows because one of the women she profiles is a seed keeper and works for Truelove Seeds, an heirloom seed company that offers culturally important seeds.

Of course I had to look at their offerings, and wow! If you want to read more about the company, The Sierra Club has a great article about them, The Preservation of Culture Begins With a Seed I am definitely going to try and grow green striped cushaw squash! And they also have Korean hong-gochu peppers so I can make kimchi and even collard-chi next year.

The next chapter of the book is about rebuilding the grain economy. Looking forward to learning even more!

While I am on the subject of seeds, I have been a fan of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and bought seeds from them many times through the years. But in the last few months I’ve found out that as wholesome as they advertise themselves to be, this is not the case. In 2019 they invited a white supremacist to speak at their spring planting festival. After much uproar, they uninvited him, but issued no statement of apology or anything that I was able to discover. I have also heard that they steal seeds from indigenous peoples and then rename them and don’t acknowledge where they really came from, though I am unable to find direct confirmation of that. However, just last year the tomato they had on the cover of their catalog turned out to be a recently released GMO variety they sold as non-GMO. They said their seed came from France and they tested it and the results were inconclusive. Nonetheless, they pulled it from their stock and destroyed all the seeds.

Along with just discovering Truelove Seeds, I learned a few months ago about Native Seed Search and there is also Bertie County Seeds I just found out about. I generally buy seeds from Fedco who tell you exactly where the seeds come from (corporate grower, independent farmer, etc) and also credit and pay indigenous communities for their seeds. There is also Seed Savers Exchange. And then, as I mentioned earlier, North Circle Seeds, a small independent Minnesota seed company that sells varieties that will grow in my climate.

I guess I am getting a lesson in seed keeping and seed companies that I hadn’t thought much about before. Seeds are more than hybrid, open-pollinated, heirloom, GMO, organic. It’s important to know their origins and to make sure the people who have stewarded them are acknowledged and compensated. For some reason I always believed this was the case, but it turns out to be otherwise.

#collardKraut #collards #cooperatives #firstSnow #NorthCircleSeeds #seedCatalogs #seedKeepers #seedSaving #seeds #sunchokes #swissChard #TrueloveSeeds

#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

I'm still a week or more out from planting anything. I might have to up-pot some plants into gallon pots. I trimmed the basil and put some of that in water to root. Jalapenos are looking funky, might just be bad genetic plants, I don't need any hot peppers and these are extremely hot jalapenos and not the mild kind they were suppose to be. Sweet peppers look good. No tomato problems except lack of space.

#gardening #GrowYourOwn #SeedSaving #tomatoes #peppers #basil #tomatillo #garden

Tomato progress. So far nice stocky tomatoes since I've been able to keep it cool. The round pots are a mix of my experimental soil that killed all but one of the peppers.. 🤣 and some more recycled soil. The saved Campari seed ones are doing good and might be far enough along to pick a winner. Might pull a few and transplant if I get to it soon. The tomatillo is doing good too.

#gardening #tomatoes #tomatillo #GrowYourOwn #GrowLights #SeedSaving

All saved tomato seeds from last year have sprouted up and the tomatillo seeds I gathered from the ground in the garden a month ago are up too. Heat mat turned off. They were started on April 1.

#gardening #GrowYourOwn #SeedStarting #SeedSaving #garden #seedlings #tomatoes #tomatillo #GrowLights #April6

First tomatoes are up, peppers are growing fast, and some new growth on the overwintered Red Marconi sweet pepper that I pruned and fertilized.

#gardening #GrowYourOwn #SeedStarting #seedlings #peppers #tomatoes #SeedSaving #April5 #garden #GrowLights #verbena #GrapeVine

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

"Currently more than 60% of the world’s commercial seeds are sold by just four companies, which have led the push to patent seeds, orchestrated a global monopoly of certain GM crops such as cotton and soya and sued hundreds of small-scale farmers for saving seeds from commercial crops."

#HannahEllisPetersen, 2023

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/apr/28/fighting-giants-eco-activist-vandana-shiva-on-her-battle-against-gm-multinationals

#CorporateGreed #GE #GM #patents #FoodPatents #seeds #SeedSaving

I have #Lunaria, aka silver dollar, aka honesty, tattooed on me, but have not yet managed to get the plant to grow in my yard. I snapped off a few sprigs from plants spotted in my neighborhood, and just a few minutes of cleaning produced a generous amount of seeds. #SeedSaving