July 2015
Summer Seed Edition
It's the heat of summer, and we know you're probably spending more time in the garden than reading email newsletters. Take a moment though to check out our article on saving herb seeds, because they'll be ready in your garden before you know it. And take an in-depth look at our Seed Library, and our Vegetable Seed Producers Network.
Happy summer, and good gardening!
A Day in the Life of a Seeds of Diversity Seed
Have you ever wondered how we keep our Seed Library organized and up-to-date here at Seeds of Diversity? Well, we thought we would give you a little insight into how we do things. With the large volume of seeds that we receive, we have to make sure they all end up in the right places.
When a new package of seeds comes to us, our first step is to determine whether or not we already have that variety in storage. The Seed Library has two types of storage: permanent (dehydrated and stored in a deep-freezer) and temporary (stored at room temperature for easy access). If we already have a significant amount of a variety in permanent storage, we put the new seed into temporary storage. If we don’t, the new seed is divided into two, and put in both temporary and permanent storage.
Bulking Up: VSPN in the field
The Vegetable Seed Producers Network (VSPN) is up and running!
The network now has 39 members, who have planted 11 varieties of vegetables this year. The list includes beans, cucumbers, lettuce, melons, peas, peppers, tomatoes and winter squash. Each of the skilled seed growers who make up the membership of the VSPN will be producing a few varieties of seed according to industry best practices. These seeds will then be pooled, to build farm-scale seed stocks of locally grown, open-pollinated crop varieties in Ontario.
How to Save Herb Seeds
Growing herbs from seed can be very rewarding. Most herbs grow reliably for gardeners of every level of experience, and who doesn't love the scent of fresh basil, oregano, or rosemary?
However, it's often difficult to get fresh herb seeds. The packets in your local store probably contain seeds that were grown a long way away, even overseas, and possibly a long time ago. Sometimes, they grow very well, but I've had lots of packets of commercial herb seed that just wouldn't germinate.
Review: Open Sesame – The Story of Seeds
Open Sesame tells a compelling story about the past, present and future of our seed system. The film opens with scenes from a protest and the story of a collective lawsuit brought by a number of organic growers (the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association, or OSGATA) against Monsanto in 2011. The case challenged the company’s patents and sought to protect organic farmers from GM contamination, and from being accused of patent infringement in the case of such contamination.
In this issue
A Day in the Life of a Seeds of Diversity Seed
Review: Open Sesame – The Story of Seeds
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.
NEW CONTACT INFO
We have a new mailing address:
Seeds of Diversity
40-304 King St S,
Waterloo, ON
N2J1N8
And a new phone number: 226-600-7782 (our previous number will be in service until July 27th).
UPCOMING SEED WORKSHOPS
Squash Seed Saving
Whole Circle Farm
Monday, July 20, 2015
9:30am - 12:00pm
786 Wellington 50, RR#3, Acton, ON
Managing Potential Diseases in Organic Seed Crops
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
4:00pm - 5:30pm
webinar
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