October Newsletter - Seed Program Updates and Evalisa's Ontario Watermelon Project

Evalisa McIllfaterick wanted to grow watermelon, but she faced a challenge. Living in zone 3A just outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, she had a mere 90-day growing season with cool evening temperatures. A few years ago, she heard a podcast featuring Joseph Lofthouse discussing landrace gardening and thought, "That makes a lot of sense. Maybe I can adapt watermelon to my environment."

Read more about Evalisa’s Watermelon Project on the blog >

2025 Seed Share Program

It’s seed saving season, and we’re gearing up for the 2025 edition of our Seed Share. We’ve got some exciting mixes in the works. Seeds will be available February 1st on our website, but you can get early access in January by contributing seeds from your garden! This year we are able to accept seeds from Canada and beyond, through our new Small Lots of Seed Import Permit. Package up your seeds, review the guidelines, fill out this quick form, and we’ll send you a shipping label. Be sure to mail seeds by November 22 in order to get them included in this year’s mix.

Below is a sneak peek at some of what we have planned for 2025. Our seed program benefits from maximum diversity. Your contribution helps make that possible. By participating in this program, you're not just sharing seeds; you're contributing to a movement towards sustainable and resilient food systems. Questions? Just hit reply and we'll get back to you.

We've added new stewards and new seeds this year. You can look forward to diverse mixes of Cushaw Squash (Cucurbita argyosperma) and Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus). More new crops will be added as we sort through contributions from growers like you.

Farmers from our Support Program have contributed a portion of the seed they produced. We're especially excited about the coastally adapted sweet corn from Nye Ranch, and the disease and pest resistant cucumbers from Care of the Earth Community Farm.

Thanks to a group of growers who increased seed obtained from the USDA seedbank, our melon mixes will include rare, traditional landraces from India, Canada, and China. You can't get these seeds anywhere else!

 

In the Community Forum 

• Want locally adapted livestock? Get some tips on starting a chicken landrace. 
• Cucumber chaos and triumphs of 2024 – did yours survive the season or flounder? See what everyone’s up to and share your story.
• Stephane has been building a community project in France for the last six years with amazing results. Come for the photos, stay to get inspired. 
• Three crops to survive on a desert island – or just your backyard. What would yours be?
  
  

Wishing you a happy harvest season,

Anna Mieritz

Coordinator, Seed Share Support Program