Scatterseed Project
(click here
to visit Scatterseed's website.)
Please Support Scatterseed
We have long donated funds from our Education
Subsidy program to Will Bonsall’s Scatterseed Project
and recently became the largest supporter of his vital preservation
work. Scatterseed maintains a collection of more than 700
varieties of potatoes. Each one of those varieties must
be grown out each year. Consider making a donation to Scatterseed
(send a check to us or directly to Scatterseed) to help keep
Will’s potatoes alive.
Will
Bonsall moved to Industry, Maine, in 1971 to live simply and
self-sufficiently.
He runs Khadighar Farm with his partner Molly Thorkildsen. Will’s
Scatterseed Project hosts and preserves thousands of genetically
diverse crops well-suited to Maine’s seasons and soils. The
project focuses on a few vegetable families and makes a valiant
effort to keep viable a healthy selection of genetics. One of Will’s
main focuses is clonally propagated tubers with over 700 varieties
of potatoes and the most extensive jerusalem artichoke collection
in North America. Scatterseed is beyond heroic, maintaining 1200
pea varieties as well as other legumes: chickpeas, favas and runnerbeans.
Because
two-season, or biennial, crops are hard to overwinter or store in
our Maine climate, there are few growers in New England saving seed
for crops such as rutabagas, leeks or turnips. However, Will tends
a magnificent collection of these as well, concentrating on those
crops that excel in our challenging climate.
To round out his collection and to emphasize self-sufficiency,
Will plans to add what he considers the easier crops to his seed-saving
work, like beans, tomatoes and grains.
The
vital work of seed-saving doesn’t leave much room or time
for raising market crops. Will earns little revenue from his crusade.
Scatterseed may be the only place on the planet where some of these
varieties are still alive. Here a little more labor can mean huge
success. Your donations make a very real impact—more than
$2800 in 2021. Scatterseed
relies on our support. Consider making a donation on the Potatoes, Onions
and Exotics
order form to keep the work going and to ensure that we can continue
to enjoy our world of vegetable wonders.
To learn about Will’s growing methods, check out his new book: Will Bonsall’s Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant
Gardening.