Garden, Plant, Cook!

Friday, October 02, 2015

Seed Saving & Sharing - After Starting A Garden, The SINGLE Most Important Activity!

Dear Folks,

I mentioned. in my prior post on my experiences at the Grow Phoenix Summit, I would write more on seed harvesting, saving and sharing.

Here is why I titled this post the way I chose. The SINGLE Most Important Activity! After starting (or extending) your garden.

(The picture from is showing tomato seeds in the cup before washing and then on a paper plate to dry before storing.  See notes below about this preservation process.)


Those of us who are concerned about where our food comes from, who want to grow some or more of our own food, are increasingly at the mercy of just 10 major companies who control ALL of the commercial seed sources -- in the World!!  Monsanto, Dupont  and Bayer (all chemical companies) accounted for 40% of all seed control (Appx time 2007-2008 - it has grown since then). -- GMwatch.org

Here is the goal.  Harvest, store and share your garden's seed!  That is the single most important way each of us can take back control of quality, productive, diversity, healthy and GOOD tasting plant foods.

Each of you then contributes to not only keeping great plant varieties going but you are adding to regional adaptation which in turn creates healthier plants that do BETTER in your area.

Some folks in the Valley for instance are growing multi-generation cilantro for better production, slower to bolt and grow more greens into mid to late spring than losing them in late winter.

First -- Sow Wisely!  If you are a wiz at growing things and like to plant different varieties make sure you keep them separate by a good 50 feet.  The most loved plants like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and basil easily cross-pollinate.  If you want your sweet bell pepper AND your habanero to come back true next year you have to segregate them so keep the harvested seeds pure.

Likewise all the squash, melon and cucumber plants need the pollinators to help and those pollinators will happily go back and forth from you cucumber to your summer squash thereby crossing the two in the seed later on.

Corn - Plant ONLY one variety a season - corn self-pollinates BUT the pollen can drift for up to two miles.

Make sure you check out the RMSA link below on tips on basic seed saving which refers to avoiding cross-pollination.

A point about crossing - the above information is for those who want to share and trade seed to keep heirloom varieties fresh.  I recommend you do this.

However if you are interested in "Landrace" (intentional crossing adaptation to build stronger varieties), you should check out this Adaptive Landrace site.  Landrace is THE most ancient of permaculture principles - just like nature, sowing multiple varieties - together - and seeing which ones are the strongest, harvest the seed and sowing again.  Thousands and thousands of years of natural cross-pollination and adaptation brought us many of the beloved heirloom varieties.  What could you come up with if you decided on a Landrace garden?

Harvest & Store

Seed must be perfectly mature and then dried for storage.  Moisture equals mold and destruction.  If you can, watch for the best and healthiest of your plants and be strong and DON'T harvest that fruit or vegetable.  Allow it to go to seed.  Why?  Because it is the healthiest and best and that is the plant you want to have come back next year.

Some seed is easy to see when they are ready to harvest dried -- bean and pea pods, the whole cabbage family (kale, radish etc.), root crops and lettuces, basils, parsley, cilantro all show you their dried seed heads.  Pluck seed heads, drop into paper bags, keep in cool dry place for a week or two, shake daily and then you will have most of the seeds drop to the bottom of the bag.  Sift the seed to remove the chaff and store in cool, dark and dry area in jars, paper envelopes or if perfectly and completely dried they can be stored in ziplock bags.  Label with date of harvest, variety and what generation it is (first time harvest is 1st Generation. Sow and reap next year, 2nd Gen.

Harvesting fruit seeds is a little different.  Some dry easily (melon, pumpkin, squash).  Tomato benefits from a type of fermentation where you pull the gelatin pulp of seeds out, place in a cup of water and let sit for a couple of days.  You will see white stuff form on the top (good mold).  Rinse multiple times to separate the pulp and the tip out onto a paper plate to completely dry.  This curing process makes for very stable and durable storage seed.  Here is a simple video on fermenting the tomato seeds.  I personally do not cover the container while fermenting and I use a paper plate instead of parchment paper.  Both ways will work.


Listen to a 4 minute webinar on Seed Preservation courtesy of Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance (RMSA)

RMSA has a 48 page guide to all you need to know about seed saving and preservation for $5.95.  To see what the guide has to offer use this link, click on a content title and see (for free) the depth of information available.

Share


Seed Bank vs. Seed Library

Many of us have read about "seed banks" or "seed vaults" where seeds are preserved and stored to allow for the quick re-start of sustainable food production in the event of a disaster.

"In the first half of the 20th century, seeds were overwhelmingly in the hands of farmers and public-sector plant breeders." http://www.gmwatch.org/gm-firms/10558-the-worlds-top-ten-seed-companies-who-owns-nature


"A seed library is an institution that lends or shares seed. It is distinguished from a seedbank in that the main purpose is not to store or hold germplasm or seeds against possible destruction, but to disseminate them to the public which preserves the shared plant varieties through propagation and further sharing of seed." -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed_library


Share your seeds with a Seed Library.  Here are some of the Seed Libraries in the Phoenix Area

Valley Permaculture Alliance

Phoenix Libraries

Mesa Seed Library

I know there are others - try googling your area and the words "seed library."


Seed Swaps

A Seed Swap is a stand-alone, usually one time event, where groups come together to trade seeds and helpful information.

I host a Free Seed Share/Swap at the Mesa Community Farmers Market - one is happening today, October 2nd).  I do this 3 times a year to coincide with the next primary planting time.  (Picture is my seed case for the seed swap.)

The Urban Farm is hosting "The Great American SeedUp" on October 31st.  There is a small reservation fee to get your place ($5).  The day of you can then purchase bulk scoops of seeds for nominal prices.  This is a great opportunity to get some seeds for sowing and sharing.  Register now as they sell out the tickets fast.



Find sources and groups near you to build YOUR network of seed sources and keep the Chemical Corporations and Corporate Ag, out of your garden!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Finally a word on sowing.  Here in the Valley maximum success is achieved by planting at the right time for the variety.  My wall calendar is designed specifically to help you with those dates.  Each month the calendar shows what vegetables, fruits, herbs and edible flowers to plant, along with gardening tips and maintenance information.







Disclaimer: Clicking on links on this blog may earn me a small commission if you purchase something. Your price does not change.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Flea Beetles - The little buggers really bug me!

 Dear Folks,

Came out yesterday morning to find the flea beetles had attacked one of my young caper plants.

These little pests come out overnight and can do quite a bit of damage in one day.

The good news is they rarely endanger the plant overall.  The plant recovers and goes on growing.

The bad news is if you are harvesting the leaves, the damage can be significant, as seen in the photo I took this morning of my arugula.  Grrrr.

Last night the flea beetles found my volunteer arugula (I tend to let the lettuces some up in this garden at will).  More grrr.

With yesterday's Caper attack I chose to use Neem Spray because this is one of my caper trial transplants from Suzanne Vilardi (see our project post).

With today's problem with the arugula I am going to let nature work its way through this.  I harvested usable leaves (a few holes as opposed to lots) so I have some to add to my salads.

Here is some helpful info on flea beetles.  They come out at night, tend to favor certain vegetables.  Like aphids they like our cooler nights in spring and fall.  I am going to pick up some DE (Diatomaceous Earth) and keep on hand.


. . .

Check out my publisher's site for helpful tools (books - both print and ebook - and my year-round-gardening calendar on when to plant all the veggies, fruits, herbs and edible flowers.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Disclaimer: Clicking on links on this blog may earn me a small commission if you purchase something. Your price does not change.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

I attended the GroPhx Summit Yesterday - What a Great Day!

Dear Folks,

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the GroPhx Summit by The Urban Farm U.

The speakers covered a range of topics from taking control of your food sources (your backyard and gardens) to Seed Sharing, Community Food Banks utilizing gardens, training food entrepaneurs, to raising chickens and goats, to building food communities one street at a time.

Greg Peterson started off the day with a great presentation on Food Systems and how YOU can make it sustainable.

How about the idea of having one community garden per street in a city?

My major take away from this day was this:

The SINGLE most important thing YOU can do in your garden this year (besides plant, harvest and use/share) is to SAVE your seeds each season.  I am going to do a separate post on seed saving/sharing because it is so important.

AND remember my Free Seed Share/Swap is this coming Friday (October 2nd) at the Mesa Community Farmers Market.

For me the other important take-away is how I am going to try and get involved with local food bank(s) to find a way to teach their clients to grow some of their own food - if even in a large pot.  SNAP benefits can be used to purchase seed and plants that grow food.  Spending a small amount of their benefits on food seeds and plants can provide more Food $ value down the road, and maybe, just maybe they can grow enough to have leftover to sell.

Speakers:

Greg Peterson - Urban Farmer and Local Enthusiast. Greg's Urban Farm U has online classes, free webinars (check for those coming up soon), books, and other helping tools and resources for getting your backyard farm/garden going and growing.

Kari Spencer - Master Gardener and Farmer at her "The MicroFarm Project" growing food and raising chickens and goats for eggs and milk.

Michael McDonald, from the Community Food Bank in Tucson talked about how they are incorporating food growing, food entrepreneur training, and food markets into the system of Food Banks to create a true community to tackle all the issues surrounding poverty, poor diet and poor economic communities.

Chad Hudspetch of Endless Food Systems talked about Aquaponics - fish driven food systems to grow food.   While many people raise the fish for food you can use the same concept to raise fish just for your own enjoyment.  The fish waste feeds the plants and the plant beds clean the water.  A Win/Win for growing your veggies.

Bill McDorman of Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance detailed the loss of heirloom seeds, the concentration of commercial seed supplies to just a few - mostly chemical companies and the need for ALL OF US to share seed from our gardens, both locally and regionally to sustain precious varieties and keep us all in control of the future of seeds.  While Seed Banks and Seed Vaults are part of the idea, the real seed storage is located right in your back yard, in your gardens, waiting for you to harvest the next generation of regionally adapted food seeds.  MORE In my next post.

THERE is a cool opportunity to get seeds in bulk at the end of October. The Great American SeedUp sponsored by The Urban Farm.  Tickets are just $5 and they sell out fast!

Scott Murray, a 32-year Organic Farmer spoke on "Intensive Innovative Organic Production:" and how he has consulted on and built backyard to large farm projects utilizing organic methods and intensive and innovative ideas to secure the best food results.  One of the very fascinating new projects is growing coffee trees in an avocado orchard - in San Diego, California area.  Super concept!

Jake Mace provide a short Tai Chi exercise after lunch to loosen everyone up.

Check out the Speaker Bios here.

Two more organizations were present:

Whole Foods sponsored the breakfast for attendees to promote their WholekidsFoundation.org which provides grants for school gardens, funds school salad bars and has a Healthy Teacher program to show teachers how to cook healthy, to set examples for their students.

IMPORTANT:  The WKF is now accepting applications for the School Garden Grants, so if your child's school wants to start or add to an existing one, get the info ASAP>

Our LocalFirst folks have a new tool for you to FIND FOOD.  Good Food Finder AZ is where you can search for any source for food, whether farmers market, restaurant, distributor etc.  Check it out!

 It was a great day for all those who attended to get started or increase their participation and control over their food supply.
. . .

Not part of the summit, this came to me in my email and I had to share this.  THE BEST homemade DIY Chicken Feeder - No Spill (or very little).  If you have or are considering getting chickens you do need to see this video.

. . . 
GET GROWING IN October:

My planting info for October:
Beginning of Primary Planting Season -- Heavy planting possibilities:

Anise; Bay, Greek (Sweet); Beans, Fava; Beets; Bok Choy; Broccoli; Brussels Sprouts; Cabbage; Cabbage, Ornamental; Caraway; Carrots; Cauliflower; Celery; Chard; Chervil; Cilantro; Dill; Endive (and Chicory); Fennel, Leaf; Fruit Trees; Garlic; Kale, Ornamental; Kale; Kohlrabi; Lavender; Lemon Grass; Lemon Verbena; Lettuce (arugula, leaf lettuce etc.); Marjoram; Mints; Mustard; Myrtle; Onions, Green; Onions; Oregano, Greek; Oregano, Mexican; Parsley; Parsnip; Peas, Sugar & English; Potato seeds (not seed potatoes - use seeds) ("seed potatoes" or cut pieces of potato should be planted Nov 1-Jan 1); Radishes; Rosemary; Sage; Savory; Spinach; Tarragon, Mexican; Tarragon, French; Thyme; Turnips

EDIBLE FLOWERS TO PLANT:  Calendula; Carnation (Dianthus); Cornflower (Bachelor Buttons); English Daisy; Evening Primrose (Oenothera Berlandieri); Hollyhock; Jasmine Sambac (Arabian); Johnny-Jump Up; Marigolds, including Tangerine Scented (Tagetes Lemonii), Citrus Scented (Tagetes Nelsonii); Nasturtiums; Pansies; Primrose; Scented Geraniums; Shungiku Chrysanthemum; Snapdragons; Stocks (Matthiola); Sweet William (Dianthus); Sweet Alyssum; Violet


Aphids are a major problem with cabbage family - forestall infestations. Add a fingertip of Dawn to 1 quart of water. Shake, pour 1/4 cup down center of each plant once a week.


Check out my wall calendar for all the rest of the month-by-month planting help   When to plant all the veggies, fruits, herbs and edible flowers.





-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Disclaimer: Clicking on links on this blog may earn me a small commission if you purchase something. Your price does not change.