Seeds in my garden are starting to ripen. Some overwintering crops like my favorite crumpled-leafed shiny green, blue and purple kale have already been threshed. My first ever crop of parsnip seed is starting to dry down. Leeks are popping off their little hats and bursting into flower. It’s time to get organized for the 2027 Seed Share, and for you to start to gather your contributions and send them our way.
The Seed Share this past winter was big. It was our fourth year for the US program, and we shipped nearly 10,000 packets of 60 different crops to over 1000 growers – about 5x the volume we had in our first year. The Canadian program, in its second year, offered 25 different mixes and shipped over 700 packets. The seed room here in Moss Beach nearly burst at the seams with the 500+ packages of seed we received.
Many contributors, many volunteers and lots of hot tea and cookies made this giant effort possible. As fall harvests start to roll in, the core team has been reflecting on how we can strengthen and sustain the program going into 2027.
First, we want to hold tight to our goals: making high quality, high diversity seeds available to anyone who wants to grow them and adapt them to their gardens. The basics of the program will remain unchanged: growers mail their seeds to us (postage paid), we’ll sort and combine them into diverse mixes, and distribute them through our website for only the cost of shipping. Those who contribute seeds get access to early ordering, after which anyone can order.
To increase genetic diversity we’ve sponsored growouts of some collections from the USDA GRIN Seedbank and some exciting grexes from different regions of the US. These already crossed-up populations are grown by experienced seed savers, and provide a “year 2” starting point for adaptation projects. Stay tuned for more details on these special mixes.
To make it as easy as possible for people to contribute, we will continue to accept most seeds – with some caveats to keep things more manageable for us. Although we love and depend on pollinators, we will discontinue the Pollinator Mix this year, limiting what we accept to food crops only. And while we promise to treat your homegrown seeds with all the love and respect they deserve, we may not be able to include all contributions in the mixes. Excess seed will be redirected to the Serendipity Seed Box or distributed to seed libraries, community gardens, or other groups that need them. The Canadian Seed Share is looking for a volunteer to manage its own version of the Serendipity Swap.
If you’ve read this far, we know you’re serious about seeds. Have you considered joining our team of seed stewards? Stewards seek out diverse genetics from sources like the USDA GRIN seed bank and Seed Savers Exchange, organize grow outs, help decide what goes into the mixes, and inspire growers and answer community questions in the online forum throughout the season. It’s a fun and flexible volunteer role that distributes the effort that goes into this big project. Reach out to me at anna@goingtoseed.org if you want to learn more.
I hope you are having an abundant harvest season. If it’s been a tough season due to weather, or pests, or just a gardener with too little time, remember that it has made your seeds stronger for the seasons ahead.