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:

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

We also offer some excellent books about seed saving (the basic guides are marked with a ✸).