March Newsletter - Spring Updates and Opportunities
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| Joseph and Anna at the Organic Seed Growers conference seed swap |
Old Friends and New at the Organic Seed Growers Conference
Those of us who attended the OSA conference at the end of February had a blast! It was great to connect with folks from around the country. We met people from all facets of growing food and saving seeds, from plant breeders to government agricultural representatives, people from big seed companies, small seed companies, and people from seed libraries and other non-profits. Anna said one of her favorite parts was meeting many people she’d either seen over Zoom, grown their seeds, or read about and admired. Highlights also included an epic seed swap, a happy hour showcase of culinary exploration with items such as nixtamalized barley flatbread with okra chili crisps, and a 6-minute Seussian poem about onions written and read by Sefra Alexander.
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| The Local Seeds for Local Food panelists |
Grow with Us
As you may already know, we provide seeds and resources to gardeners, farmers, libraries, schools, and prison garden programs to start adaptation projects and increase the production of regionally adapted seeds in communities everywhere. We are looking to scale up our programs and are searching for quality seeds grown without pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers. Do you have surplus seeds to sell or donate?
We are looking for:
- Open-pollinated varieties, grexes, breeding populations, or established landraces
- All vegetable and grain crops
- Home or farm-grown seed
- Seeds from varietal trials, especially if they are cross-pollinated
If you have surplus and want to contribute, send us an email at grow@goingtoseed.org.
We also have a few small grants for growers to produce grexes for us. If you have experience growing watermelons, muskmelons, or moschata squash, and have space in your farm or garden to grow a large patch this season, we need your help! Grants range from $200-600. Apply here. (U.S. only)
Canadian Seed Share is Live!
Our very first Canadian Seed Collection is now available to everyone in Canada. With 10 diverse mixes across 8 different crops, featuring seeds contributed from the USA seed share program and growers across Canada, these packets are bursting with diversity. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!
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| Joseph in the garden |
Community Posts
Adapting Peruvian Purple Morado Corn to the Netherlands
While Peruvian corns are often day-length sensitive or take a very long time to mature, Thomas Cornelissen is adapting Purple Morado to the Netherlands. He has been breeding corn for the past 13 years and is excited to adapt this special corn from Peru to his climate. You can read more about this post here.
Tanja Eskildsen’s Adaptation Gardening Journal in Mallorca, Spain
Tanja has been journaling, photographing, and noting the details of her experience with growing adaptively in Mallorca, Spain for the past 4 years. Tanja provides us with beautiful photos, videos, and a comprehensive account of harvest weights from which we can get a sense of the success she has had. Note: the third year is the magic year! You can read more about Tanja’s journey here.
Is Adaptation Opposed to Diversity?
Are you interested in joining an engrossing discussion on adaptation and diversity theory within the lens of Adaptation Agriculture? Some people propose adaptation is counter to diversity while others maintain it is compatible. Will it end in aporia or will one line of reasoning prevail over the other? Click here to find out.
Until next month!
Lowell + Going to Seed