Contributing Seeds

Crop

 Alliums

Steward: Holly

True seeds (no bulbs or bulbils please) of the following:

• Chives 
• Elephant Garlic 
• Garlic 
• Garlic Chives 
• Leeks 
• Bunching Onions (Egyptian walking, Welsh, potato & shallot, etc) 
• Bulbing Onions (Red, white, yellow and must be designated long day or short day) 
• Wild Onions (Spring onion or Rampson/Ramps, Onion grass, Tree onion, Canada onion, etc)

Follow dry process and seed drying guidelines. Be sure to Cut the seed heads (aka umbels) from the plants and allow to completely dry. Label the seeds with year and general type of allium. If you have several types of alliums that could cross, please note on the seed envelope the possibility that they could have crossed with another type. For example, wild onions may have crossed with potato onion.

Steward: Christopher

Any and all beans of the species Phaseolus Coccineus 

Steward: Christopher

Any and all beans of the species Phaseolus Vulgaris. Please separate and identify bush and pole types.

Follow the dry process and seed drying guidelines. Where possible, allow the pods to mature fully on the plant and begin to dry down into a crispy state. Harvest pods and finish drying the beans -- on a screen, in the sun, in a dehydrator. A seed, when struck with a hammer should disintegrate and be dry through, not smash into a patty. We want mature seeds, perfectly dry, and free of pests in our collection.

Steward: Anphlo

Any Vicia Faba. We welcome any relevant information such as your USDA growing zone, unusual characteristics such as unusual flower color, heat resistance, ability to overwinter in your zone, non-bitterness of the bean outer skin or any supplemental information that you find distinctively relevant to this Fava submission.

Do not save seeds from diseased, pest attracting plants or plants with pods prone to shattering in the field or molding (fava pods should become very brittle and black when they dry. Once you open the dry black pod, the inside of the pod should be totally dry and clean. The bean should be able to just slide right off the pod. Do not save if the inside of the pod is rotten or moldy which will show as whitish or blackish mold inside the pod that makes the beans stick to the pod and leave some moldy residues on the bean when you take it out of the pod.

Follow dry process guidelines. We want to save fully mature and fully dry seeds (should SHATTER if hit with a hammer). Once seeds are fully dry, put them in a tightly closed and waterproof container (ziplock/mason jar) and leave them in the freezer for 3 days to kill weevils (even if you can’t see any, they might be eggs ready to hatch during storage).

Steward: Malcolm

Any open pollinated head-forming brassica oleracea. Please avoid commercial hybrids as they are likely to contain genes for cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). A small percentage of non-heading plants in a submission is acceptable.

Follow dry process guidelines.

Steward: Austin

Any Daucus carota subsp. sativus. When sending multiple varieties, please separate if possible.

Submit only open pollinated varieties or those you are confident do not contain genes for cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). CMS is common among commercial hybrid carrots, and we do not want to introduce it into our populations. Follow dry process guidelines.

Steward: Kim

Any Celery / Apium graveolens. All varieties accepted: green, red, white and pink.

Follow dry process guidelines. Collect dried seeds from cured flower stems, winnow several times if possible to remove stems.

Steward: Anphlo

Follow dry process guidelines. We want to save fully mature and dry seeds (should SHATTER if hit with a hammer). Once seeds are fully dry, put them in a tightly closed and waterproof container (ziplock/mason jar) and leave them in the freezer for 3 days to kill weevils (even if you can’t see any, they might be eggs ready to hatch during storage).

Steward: Lowell

Flint, Dent, Flour, Pop, and Sweet corn accepted. Please label collections with those groups. The grain mix can include any mix of flint, dent, flour, or popcorn types. For the popcorn mix, please ensure contributions were not grown near non-popping varieties. Please ensure that sweet corn seed is not mixed or cross-pollinated with the other types.

Follow dry process guidelines. Make sure seeds are thoroughly dried. This can be tested by hitting a seed with a hammer which should cause the seed to shatter.

Steward: Kim

Regular (Cucumis Sativus) and Armenian cucumber (Cucumis Melo var. flexuosus). All cucumber varieties, mixed or pure.

Allow the chosen fruit to remain on the plant until it becomes large and yellow. Further maturation is recommended (3 weeks) until the cucumber softens (but don’t allow it to decompose). Remove the seeds from the cavities of the cucumbers, and allow to ferment 1-3 days. Add water, agitate, pour off floating skins and any seeds that didn’t sink. Repeat several times until the water is clear, then pour into a strainer. Follow seed drying guidelines.

Steward: Lowell

All warm weather small grains (except corn and quinoa). Can be pseudo grains like buckwheat and amaranth. Examples include all millet types, sorghum, and rice.

Follow dry process guidelines. Make sure the grains are clean from chaff as much as possible.

Steward: Joseph Z

Any open-pollinated Brassica Oleracea. NO F1 hybrids which can introduce male sterility genes. Because this species includes many crops including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, etc., please note the type and any relevant characteristics. Crossed seeds within this species are OK but please describe what you are submitting.

Follow dry process guidelines. Be sure to fully dry seeds and freeze to kill pests.

Steward: Julia

For the ‘Polar Mix’ we are looking for the earliest melons that manage to survive in either a cool summer environment or a very short season. Flavor is not the primary selection criteria, but please do not include anything that is overly bland. If you want your seeds to be included in this mix, please include your growing zone and your average summer high temperatures.

For the ‘Delicious Mix’ please send in seeds from your tasty, early, and healthy plants.

Follow wet process and seed drying guidelines. Be sure to fully dry seeds and freeze to kill pests.

Steward: Lowell

Any edible species of the genus Pisum Sativum (common peas)

Follow dry process and seed drying guidelines. Make sure seeds are thoroughly dried. This can be tested by hitting a seed with a hammer which should cause the seed to shatter. 

Steward: Lowell

Any edible species of the genus  Vigna species (cowpeas, mung beans, rice bean, matpe, etc.).

Follow dry process and seed drying guidelines. Be sure to fully dry seeds and freeze to kill pests.

Steward: Anna

All capsicum annuum, Capsicum chinense, or ‎Capsicum frutescens. Please separate and label sweet vs. hot, and note any special characteristics of the varieties you’re including. Be sure that you have isolated sweet peppers from hot peppers, either by a space of 20 feet or more, or by mechanical means during pollination.

Allow the chosen fruit to remain on the plant until it becomes completely ripe and begins to wrinkle. Remove the seeds from the peppers, remove any that are damaged or discolored. Follow dry process and seed drying guidelines.

Steward: Julia

We are accepting True Potato seeds (not tubers). If potatoes have a hard time producing berries in your climate, save any berries. If you have enough options to select for colored flesh, go ahead and do that. Please label collections with whatever is known about parentage. Optional: Take photos of the tubers with one cut in half.

Let berries ripen for as long as possible, ideally they will turn white and soft, even if they are picked green. Avoid moldy or rotten berries by letting potato berries mature (after picking) in natural soil/leaf mold. Mist or keep moist and don't let them dry out, as processing them becomes harder. Ferment for a short period only-- max 2 days. Then use a blender on low speeds to separate seeds from fruit. Wash as you would tomato seeds. Dry thoroughly, and store and ship with a silica packet if you can.

Steward: Malcolm

Any Chenopodium quinoa. Wild crosses are encouraged.

Follow dry process and seed drying guidelines.

Steward: Joseph Z

Any open-pollinated Spinach Oleracea. NO F1 hybrids which can introduce male sterility genes.

Follow dry process and seed drying guidelines. Be sure to fully dry seeds and freeze to kill pests.

Steward: Debbie

Any Cucurbita maxima.

Please have a good understanding of the differences between the 4 species we are distributing this year (maxima, moschata, pepo, ficifolia) to avoid mixups. While the 4 species do not cross-pollinate (or extremely rarely), it would be a waste of seed and garden space if someone ends up planting a species they don’t want. Here is a guide to differentiate between some of these species.

We are looking for good-tasting, bug-resistant, drought-tolerant squash with good shelf life. Other qualities such as short season, resistance to powdery mildew, cold, heat, etc. are also desirable. Let us know what your squash is capable of.

Harvest squash when skin is hard and difficult to scratch with fingernail. If time allows, cure/ripen indoors or in a shaded area for 3 weeks or longer (optional). Follow either the wet or fermentation process guidelines, fermenting for 24 hours. In general, viable seeds should sink, though maximas with a brown woody seed coat may float. Dry seeds thoroughly. Seeds should feel hard and snap cleanly in half when sufficiently dry. Because squash seed stores well and has a long lifespan, we will accept seeds that are one or two years old.

Steward: Debbie

Any Cucurbita moschata

Please have a good understanding of the differences between the 4 species we are distributing this year (maxima, moschata, pepo, ficifolia) to avoid mixups. While the 4 species do not cross-pollinate (or extremely rarely), it would be a waste of seed and garden space if someone ends up planting a species they don’t want. Here is a guide to differentiate between some of these species.

We are looking for good-tasting, bug-resistant, drought-tolerant squash with good shelf life. Other qualities such as short season, resistance to powdery mildew, cold, heat, etc. are also desirable. Let us know what your squash is capable of.

Harvest squash when skin is hard and difficult to scratch with fingernail. If time allows, cure/ripen indoors or in a shaded area for 3 weeks or longer (optional). Follow either the wet or fermentation process guidelines, fermenting for 24 hours. In general, viable seeds should sink, though maximas with a brown woody seed coat may float. Dry seeds thoroughly. Seeds should feel hard and snap cleanly in half when sufficiently dry. Because squash seed stores well and has a long lifespan, we will accept seeds that are one or two years old.

Steward: Emily

Any Cucurbita pepo that tastes good. Please include a note saying whether the fruits were selected for tastiness as winter squash or tastiness as summer squash. (If it’s tasty both ways, make a note of that, and I’ll include some in each grex!)

Please have a good understanding of the differences between the 4 species we are distributing this year (maxima, moschata, pepo, ficifolia) to avoid mixups. While the 4 species do not cross-pollinate (or extremely rarely), it would be a waste of seed and garden space if someone ends up planting a species they don’t want.

Pepo squashes are easy to grow, easy to cross, and popular, so it's easy to find good seeds. Please send in your BEST seeds. We are particularly interested in anything with particularly good flavor as summer squash, particularly good flavor as winter squash, a shelf life of six months or longer, drought tolerance, or disease resistance (including powdery mildew resistance). When sending in pepo seeds, please make a note of any of these that apply to your seeds!

Follow the directions for wet processing. I highly recommend leaving them to soak for about three days, because that ferments the pulp off them and leaves them clean, but that isn't necessary. Viable seeds should be fat and hard when they're dry. Nonviable seeds are usually thin. The float test is helpful: any seed that sinks is viable.

Squash - Cucurbita Ficifolia

Steward: Emily

Any Cucurbita ficifolia.

Please have a good understanding of the differences between the 4 species we are distributing this year (maxima, moschata, pepo, ficifolia) to avoid mixups. While the 4 species do not cross-pollinate (or extremely rarely), it would be a waste of seed and garden space if someone ends up planting a species they don’t want.

Of particular interest is anything with traits that are unusual for the species, because that will be valuable to share more genetic diversity, but all seeds of this species are welcome.

Follow the directions for wet processing. I highly recommend leaving them to soak for about three days, because that ferments the pulp off them and leaves them clean, but that isn't necessary. Viable seeds should be fat and hard when they're dry. Nonviable seeds are usually thin. The float test is helpful: any seed that sinks is viable.

Steward: William

Solanum lycopersicum and tasty interspecies crosses. This year, we are accepting ONLY Promiscuous(open-flower types)tomatoes! Please identify any seed which has demonstrated strong disease resistance. Note the original source population name or names, as well as any additional characteristics of interest such as determinate/indeterminate, fruit size, color, flavor, or leaf type.

Follow fermentation fermentation process and seed drying guidelines. Ferment the seeds for 3 to 5 days, until a white scum begins to form on the surface or until observation shows that the seed coat has broken down. I do not add water to tomato seed pulp. I typically put the seeds into a small or large reused yogurt carton inside of a plastic bag to ferment in an interior room where no sunbeam can overheat the bag. Rinse (I love those faucet sprayers and a high quality small mesh sieve), dry well, making sure to crumble seeds to ensure no interior moisture remains, before packaging.

Steward: Kim

Any Watermelon / Citrullus Lanatus

Follow wet process and seed drying guidelines. Watermelon seeds should sit in juices/water for 2-3 days, then rinse and strain - seeds will not sink. Please label collections with species. Include brief notes on direct seed vs transplant, planting times, days to maturity, and inputs if any.

Steward: Anna

Flowering plants which are attractive to pollinators, including herbs.

Avoid submitting weedy species which may be aggressive or invasive in some areas of the US and Canada. Use whichever method is appropriate for the species. Follow seed drying and freezing guidelines. Send clean seed only without excessive chaff.

Steward: Joseph

Anything open pollinated which is not one of the crops listed above. Seeds will be pooled and redistributed. This is a great way to trial many species at minimal expense. Find what works for you in your particular ecosystem.

Please list: 

• Species and/or common name
• Location where seeds were grown
• Brief description about the grower

Avoid submitting weedy species which may be aggressive or invasive in some areas of the US and Canada. Use whichever method is appropriate for the species. Follow seed drying and freezing guidelines. Send clean seed only without excessive chaff.