February 2018
Find a Seedy Saturday/Sunday Near You!
Every winter, Seedy Saturdays and Seedy Sundays pop up in communities all across Canada. We've listed 148 of these events on our web site (and we add a few more every day), so there is probably one near you!
Seedy Saturdays and Seedy Sundays are community events for gardeners, seed savers, and everyone who wants to learn about food, flowers, and seeds. You'll find local seed vendors there, workshops for gardening techniques, expert speakers, and... Seeds of Diversity.
We want to thank all the amazing volunteers who help promote Seeds of Diversity at these events, and the programs we offer for seed savers and gardeners.
Get Your 2018 Member Seed Directory Online or Mailed to You
Seeds of Diversity's member seed exchange is in full swing. Our members are offering over 2100 different kinds of vegetable, flower, grain, and herb seeds to other members. Check it out on our online Member Seed Directory page.
Renew your membership, or join today, to take full advantage of the seeds that our seed savers are offering!
A Quick Tour of Our Member Seed Exchange
Since our very beginning over 30 years ago, the heart of Seeds of Diversity's membership has been our seed exchange. Back in 1988 members rescued and collected their favourite heritage varieties, saved seeds, and shared them with other members to keep the varieties alive. We listed about a hundred varieties back then.
Today, our members are still rescuing and saving heritage varieties, but they exchange over 2100 varieties of vegetables, grains, fruit, flowers, and herbs!
Farewell to a Mountain Tomato Grower
Andy Pollock, a gardener who should be an inspiration to all of us, passed away last fall and left a legacy that seed savers will continue to honour with every new growing season.
A native of Manitoba, Andy lived for much of his life in the interior of BC, gardening and working various jobs. He became known for his cooking, his passion for garlic and tomatoes, his teaching, his art, and his sense of humour.
Among his many gifts, he also had a knack for tomato breeding. Living in a mountainous and high-altitude region, Andy had to use every trick to extend his short gardening season. Surprise frosts are common in mountain areas, but he used those to his advantage. As he explained, he purposely let the frost get into his greenhouse, so regular tomatoes would be killed but "frost-hardy" specimens would survive. One of his favourites, his own selection from Bonny Best, survived many light frosts that would kill any other tomato plant.
Organic Vegetable Seed Production Certificate Course
For the second year, Canadian Organic Growers is excited to open registration for Canada's only intermediate-level Organic Vegetable Seed Production e-learning certificate! This course is provided in partnership with USC Canada through The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security.
If you're interested in learning about producing organic seeds, their commercial production, harvesting, quality, marketing, breeding and more, then this course is for you! The course will focus on building the competencies needed for successful commercial, organic seed producers, including the practices and business of organic seed production.
Pollinators of the Venus Flytrap
Researchers at North Carolina State University recently discovered the insects that pollinate the Venus flytrap in their native habitat. During the plant's five-week flowering season (May-June), researchers captured insects found on Venus flytrap flowers at several sites. Each insect was identified and examined for Venus flytrap pollen.
Out of nearly 100 types of insects found on the flowers, only a few were both common and carrying a lot of pollen: a green sweat bee (Augochlorella gratiosa), a checkered beetle (Trichodes apivorus) and the notch-tipped flower longhorn beetle (Typocerus sinuatus).
In this issue
A Quick Tour of Our Member Seed Exchange
Farewell to a Mountain Tomato Grower
Organic Vegetable Seed Production Certificate Course
Pollinators of the Venus Flytrap
Not yet a member?
An annual membership to Seeds of Diversity gives you access to our seed exchange, seed grow-out programs, and our online news.
Seedy Saturdays and
Seedy Sundays
Friday March 2, 2018
Boileau, QC
Saturday March 3, 2018
Cambridge, ON
Comox Valley, BC
Ladner, BC
Newmarket, ON
Ottawa, ON
Richmond, BC
London, ON
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Brockville, ON
Regina, SK
Enderby, BC
Gilles, ON
Toronto-Parkdale, ON
Amherst, NS
Robson Valley, BC
Sointula, BC
North Shore Vancouver, BC
Castlegar, BC
Sudbury, ON
Utopia, ON
Roberts Creek, BC
Sunday March 4, 2018
Moose Jaw, SK
Nanaimo, BC
Renfrew County, ON
Squamish, BC
Perth, ON
Saturday March 10, 2018
Brampton, ON
Kamloops, BC
Kingston, ON
Stoney Plain, AB
Saskatoon, SK
Cobble Hill, BC
Central Algoma, ON
Langley, BC
Montague, PE
Chilliwack, BC
Almaguin Highlands, ON
Toronto-Central, ON
Maynooth, ON
Desbarats, ON
Pictou County, NS
Golden, BC
Kimberley, BC
Hillsborough, NB
Sunday March 11, 2018
Kelowna, BC
Peterborough, ON
Indian Head, SK
Summerside, PE
Saturday March 17, 2018
Cobourg, ON
St. Thomas, ON
Cornwall, ON
Powell River, BC
Calgary, AB
Centre Wellington, ON
Vernon, BC
Nelson, BC
Port Alberni, BC
Durham, ON
Stewiacke Valley, NS
Quadra Island, BC
Sunday March 18, 2018
Toronto Central, ON
Cowichan Valley, BC
Edmonton, AB
Lumby, BC
Saturday March 24, 2018
Campbell River, BC
Toronto Scarborough, ON
Haldimand County, ON
Lethbridge, AB
Red Deer, AB
Guelph, ON
Quinte West, ON
Owen Sound, ON
Orillia, ON
Summerland, BC
Pemberton, BC
Brighton, ON
North Battleford, SK
Fort Qu'Appelle, SK
Sunday March 25, 2018
Meadow Lake, SK
Wednesday March 28, 2018
Toronto-Scarborough, ON
Saturday March 31, 2018
Innisfil, ON
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