2012 Local Seedsaving Workshops / Conferences

March 13 – 7-9 pm, 

Seed Saving and Basic Plant Breeding by Grant Watson

Cranberry Commons, 4272 Albert Street, Burnaby

Learn about the different strategies that plants use to reproduce and how to use this information to effectively select, harvest and store your own seeds. The emphasis is on annual food crops.

It is strongly recommended that you take “Botany for Gardeners” prior to this workshop.

Click the web link for details and to register.  $30

http://www.gourmetgardens.ca/workshops/

March 26 – 7-9 pm

Seed Saving and Basic Plant Breeding

West End Community Centre, Bidwell Room, 870 Denman Street, Vancouver

You will learn about the different strategies that plants use to
reproduce and how to use this information to effectively select,
harvest and store your own seeds. The emphasis is on annual food crops. Instructor TBD. Cost is $25. Event #45409.107WE

Register at: http://westendcc.ca  $25

November 9-11

BC Seed Gathering at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Richmond Campus

Topics include:

• beginners’ tips and tools
• skill building for commercial growers
• supporting community collectives
• developing a BC seed co-operative

Some sessions will be webcast from Montreal.

Keynote Speaker:  Don Tipping of Siskiyou Seeds and the Family Farmers Seed Cooperative

For program updates check:  http://www.farmfolkcityfolk.ca/

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Do It Yourself Seed Sorter

Check out this great clip on a DIY mechanism using a shop vaccuum designed  by Real Seeds in England:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAT0KU7Qw1A&feature=player_embedded#!

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How You can help…

Interested in Seed Saving and ensuring diversity is available for yourself and future generations?

How to become involved or help:

(1)     Donate seed to the collective.

(2)    Join the organizational team to further the cause.

(3)    Become a volunteer grower.

(4)    Donate cash so the collective may purchase more heritage or heirloom seed.

Donate Seed to the Collective

Have some unusual variety of vegetable or herb seed and want to share?  Donate as much as possible in a sealed envelope, provide details on growing habits (tall vine, needs to be staked, likes heat, etc.) and common name, the year the seed was harvested, your name and contact info.  Mention of your name in our contributor’s circle can be included on our website with your permission.

Join the Organizational Team

Like many grassroots organizations, more skilled volunteers will accelerate the growth and expansion of the collective, so if this interests you, contact us.

Become a Volunteer Grower

Interested in diversifying your own collection, and have some experience gardening vegetables organically on a small plot of land? Review the info posted below and contact us.

Donate Cash to the Collective

We gladly accept donations of funds to help further our projects and to purchase and add to our heirloom/heritage seed collection.  Mention of your name in our contributor’s circle can be included on our website with your permission.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

JOINING OUR SEED GROWERS CIRCLE

Our expectations of you:

–          That you possess organic gardening experience growing the vegetable that you are wanting.

–          Attend one meeting to meet us, to receive the seed and sign the Grower Pledge.

–          During the same year, the seed provided is grown organically and double the amount provided is returned  (delivered) to the collective before November 30 or at our year-end celebration.

What you can expect from the collective:

–          Viable seed to grow out, some heritage/heirloom varieties.

–          Once a month during the growing season, email contact from a member of the collective enquiring about how you are doing and if you have questions.

–          An invitation to the year-end celebration to thank you and celebrate your accomplishments.

–          Information forwarded to you about local seed saving workshops (tell us if you wish to opt out as we will automatically include you).

–          An opportunity to purchase the booklet “Five Levels of Seed Saving” by Terry J. Klokeid from the collective.  Cost is $5.00.

–          Your name added to the contributor’s circle if you wish (only added with permission).

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Seed Bank Inventory as at Feb.4, 2012

Much of the seed listed below was generously donated from personal seed collections or purchased.  That means we may have a lot or a little of each type.  An effort is being made to increase the stock, either through purchasing or having local gardeners “grow out” seed.

Contact us if you’re interested in helping out.  As the weather during 2011 was unpredictable, a couple varieties of seed have been removed as we were unable to replenish our original stock.  The seed in BOLD is available to growers.

*Note: must have sufficient land to grow at least 50 plants in one season.

A

• Purple Amaranth (grain)
• Red Amaranth (grain)
• Anise Hyssop/Korean Mint (herb)

B

• Arikara Yellow Bean (heritage bush bean, 3 growers)
• Black Turtle Bean (bush bean, 9 growers)
• Blue Lake Pole Bean (9 growers)
• Coco Jaune de Chine Bean (heritage soup bean, 2 growers)
• Cranberry Bean
• Dragon Tongue Bean (bush bean, 3 growers)
• Flagg Bean (heritage soup bean, 2 growers)
• Jacob’s Cattle Bean (2 growers)
• Kintoki Bean
• Red Kidney Bean
• Bull’s Blood Beets (2 growers)
• Early Flat Egyptian Beet (heritage, several growers)
• Heirloom Broccoli* (heritage, 1 grower)
• Sorrento Raab* (5 growers)
• Catskill Brussel Sprouts* (heritage, 6 growers)

C

• Coeur de Boeuf des Vertus Cabbage* (heritage, 11 growers)
• Calendula/Pot Marigold (flower)
• Chatenay Carrots (heritage, several growers)
• Common Chives (perennial herb)
• Cilantro/Coriander (herb)
• Black Wisconsin Pickling Cucumber (2 growers)
• Fin de Meaux Cucumber (2 growers)

D

• Mammoth Dill (herb)

E

• Green Curled Escarole (several growers)

K

• Lacinata Kale* (4 growers)
• Early White Vienna Kohlrabi* (1 grower)
• Purple Vienna Kohlrabi* (8 growers)

L

• Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce (several growers)
• Salade du Russie Lettuce (several growers)

O

• Red Orache, Mountain Spinach (several growers)

P

• Green Arrow Snap Peas
• Mammoth Melting Sugar Snow Peas
• Darlaine Pea (ideal for soups, non-staking bush, 8 growers)
• Homesteader Pea
• Alma Paprika Pepper
• Ancho Hot Pepper (8 growers)
• Grandpa’s Siberian Home Pepper
• Red Bulls Horn Sweet Pepper
• Red and Blue Poppy mix (flower)
• Purslane/Pigweed/Little Hogweed

R

• Sugar Loaf Radicchio
• French Breakfast Radish

S

• Europe Sage, Clary Sage
• Spinach

T

• Purple Tomatillo
• Marizol Gold Tomato
• Pollock Tomato

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Fate of the world’s seeds

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot, posted in Common Ground, linked here:

http://commonground.ca/?p=2767

 

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Seed News — Salt Spring Seeds

GMO News

Many of you will know that I’ve been opposing genetically modified seeds since their introduction a couple of decades ago. I’m hoping that recent revelations about GMO seeds could prove to be very bad news for the GMO manufacturers.

Round Up Ready crops have been bioengineered to withstand the application of the glyphosphate poison that kills any green growth that competes with them. This past year, US soil scientists have discovered an entirely new organism that is part fungus and part virus. This organism is only associated with Round Up Ready crops and seems to be reducing the yields of these crops considerably.

The other kind of GMO seeds are those genetically altered to contain the poison which kills the bugs when they ingest the crop. Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, is a soil-dwelling bacterium that organic growers sometimes use for pest control but which is greatly concentrated in GMO crops such as corn and cotton.

Manufacturers of Bt crops have always maintained that Bt kills insects by destroying their stomach linings but that it is quickly broken when eaten by humans. Recent research at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec has shown clearly that this is not the case and that Bt does persist and stays active in our stomachs.

Despite these recent findings (or perhaps because of them), the GMO poison pushers are promoting GMO crops more vigorously than ever. Some of these, such as Round Up Ready sugar beets and Round Up Ready alfalfa threaten to contaminate our heritage of open-pollinated beets and alfalfa plus destroy the organic meat industry.

What kind of seeds will grow the food we will be eating tomorrow? Corporations like Monsanto are trying to achieve total control of our food system with seeds genetically perverted for poison and profit. Thanks to huge subsidies given by the US government, they have come a long way and are close to claiming victory with some crops.

However, those subsidies are likely to be greatly reduced in these crazy economic times and it seems to be that GMO crops are sowing the seeds of their own destruction. As more and more evidence reveals the dangers of GMO technology, people and communities everywhere are uniting in defense of the simple, saveable seeds that have fed us for ten thousand years.

So! Thanks for supporting small agriculture and I encourage you to save your own seeds and develop your own stocks so that one day there will be enough uncontaminated seeds for everyone in the world to share.

Dan Jason

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Common Vegetable Families

Jeremy Pitchford of Glen Valley Organic Farm in the Fraser Valley has put together this list of the most common plant families from which we grow food crops by seed.

Apiaceae (Umbellifeae) – Carrot, Celeriac, Celery, Coriander, Dill, Fennel, Lovage, Parsley, Parsnip

Asteraceae – Chicory, Dandelion, Endive, Lettuce, Salsify, Sunflower, Sunroot

Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) – Broccoli, Brussel Sprout, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collards, Horseradish, Kale, Kohlrabi, Mustard, Radish, Rutabaga, Turnip

Chenopodiaceae – Beet, Chard, Orach, Spinach

Cucurbitaceae – Cucumber, Melon, Winter and Summer Squash

Fabaceae (Leguminosae) – Bean, Chickpea, Favabean, Lentil, Pea, Soybean, Vetch

Lamiaceae – Basil, Catnip, Mint

Liliaceae (Alliaceae) – Chives, Elephant Garlic, Garlic, Leek, Onion, Shallot

Poaceae – Corn, Wheat

Polygonaceae – Buckwheat, Rhubarb, Sorrel

Solanaceae – Eggplant, Ground Cherry, Peppers, Potato, Tomatillo, Tomato

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Free Seed? OK!

Our collective is looking for several volunteers to support our seed bank by growing out a couple varieties of seed. You don’t need to live in the Cedar Cottage neighbourhood to participate! We provide you with free seed, ongoing support, and guidance throughout the growing season. At harvest time, volunteers may keep half of the bounty for themselves while the other half is returned to the seed bank.

Varieties being offered:

• Monstrous Carentan Leek
• Walla Walla Onion
• Flat of Italy Onion
• Gotte Jaune d’or Lettuce
• Mixed Heritage Lettuce

Email us at ccseedsavingcollective@gmail.com if you’d like to help!

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Another Good Resource

The Seed Ambassadors Project Seed Saving Zine 4th Edition:

A Guide to Seed Saving, Seed Stewardship & Seed Sovereignty (PDF)
By Sarah Kleeger and Andrew Still. Covers the easier-to-save types like tomatoes, beans, lettuce to the harder-to save varieties like beets, carrots, and leeks. Copy and distribute freely! Love their use of vintage vegetable/fruit illustrations, especially the celeraic on their cover:

 

Click on the image to download, "A Guide to Seed Saving, Seed Stewardship & Seed Sovereignty" (PDF)

 

For more resources, check out the Resources tab at the top of our blog!

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Village Vancouver Group Created

To help streamline communications, the Cedar Cottage Seed Savers now have their own group page on Village Vancouver (VV). To be a part of it, one must be a member of VV and then request membership to the CC Seed Savers Collective.

Don’t know about Village Vancouver? Here’s a selection from their website:

Village Vancouver (VV) is about taking action on sustainability, community resilience, social justice, and health. VV is Vancouver’s Transition Town initiative, responding appropriately and smartly to Climate Change, Peak Oil, and economic insecurity. We are one of over 335 Permaculture inspired official Transition Towns worldwide, one of 18 in Canada, and the fourth Transition Initiative in BC.

Village Vancouver coordinates, organizes and facilitates individuals, neighbourhoods and organizations to collaborate in taking actions that build sustainable and resilient communities, cities and bioregions.

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