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Save and Share Seeds!

Do you want to bypass seed shortages and supply bottlenecks? Preserve and pass on family or regional heirlooms? Develop seed that’s adapted to your growing conditions? Do you want to embed the art and craft of ongoing food sovereignty into your life and community? Simple: Save seed and share seed.

Seed saving is a responsibility that should not be left to corporations. Now is the time for us all to save seed and work within our communities to make sure seeds are adapted to local growing conditions and available to everyone.

Where to start? We’ve highlighted throughout this catalog a handful of vegetables that are easiest to save seed from (see beans, cukes, many greens, peas, peppers and tomatoes). As you dream of next year’s garden, plan with seed-saving in mind:

• choose open-pollinated varieties;

• consider isolation distances when laying out your garden plan;

• collaborate with other gardeners to diversify and share seed crops;

• pay attention to how a plant completes its life cycle.

One successful seed crop of a variety could result in enough seed to share with your whole town. If stored properly, most seed crops can remain viable for several seasons.

Seed-Saving Resources:

Nothing beats a good seed-saving reference book. Here are a few we carry:

• Fedco Guide to Sowing by us! A basic little guide, with seeding charts adapted from the catalog. Includes an essay by CR Lawn, "Why Save Seeds?"

• The Seed Farmer by Dan Brisebois. This new book is geared toward market growers but will be just as valuable to home gardeners. We also recommend Dan's podcast of the same name.

• Will Bonsall’s Essential Guide to Radical by Will Bonsall, who saves thousands of seed varieties.

Here are a few more books we recommend:

• Growing Garden Seeds: A Manual for Gardeners and Small Farmers by Robert Johnston. A small affordable booklet for beginners.

• Seed To Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth.The manual we give to all our seed growers.

There are several useful resources on our website with information about saving seeds:

• Seed Saving for Beginners, which includes:

  • Vegetable Seed Longevity Chart

  • Herb and Flower Seed Longevity Chart

  • Seed Storage Tips

• Curious about the difference between open-pollinated vs. hybrid seed?

• Learn more about OSSI and the Four Seed Freedoms.