I stopped buying the best seeds, and I'll never go back.
Why I only focus on local seeds.
Over the last few seasons, I have transitioned away from my favorite seed companies.
I used to buy heirloom seeds from national seed retailers you see online and in stores.
While these companies are GREAT at shipping seeds all over the world, I have experienced their biggest downfall:
Lack of adaptation.
If you look into sources for some of these large companies, you'll see that these seeds come from all over the world. Meaning they are grown in different climates from your own.
For example, imagine you live in Oregon and you're used to a temperate/cooler climate. The tomato seeds you get from a large company may have been grown in a tropical climate like Florida. Even though the tomato seeds have the same name, your newest purchase of seeds is not acclimated to your region. Further still, we get many of our seeds from international tropical regions.
While these plants may still grow and produce food for you, they are not optimal for your region. This optimization happens over generations (Plant-life generations) as plants change and adapt to the climates that they're grown in. As a result, "foreign" plants are going to need extra attention to perform well in your area.
Imagine hopping on a plane. Say you're from the South, and you hop on a plane to Portland in the Fall. You'll pack jackets, wool socks, raincoats, and boots, and you'll STILL be a bit chilly when you land. When you step off the plane you're dumbfounded by locals wearing T-shirts and drinking iced coffee. Since you're used to warmer weather you need extra layers to feel comfortable. The opposite is true if you're from the PNW and take a trip to Hawaii.
This is the same with the seeds you buy. Most retailers get their seeds from a variety of regions with different conditions. You will find yourself needing greenhouses, amendments, and pest control to keep plants alive. It does not have to be this way! But what other options do you have?
SAVE YOUR OWN SEED:
If you already have an established garden, growing healthy, you can save seeds from what you grow!
Over many years (generally 3-7 for annual plants) your plants will optimize for your garden. By harnessing the power of nature & genetics you can create your own strain/variety of seed! This sounds like quite an endeavor, but it's simple and humans have been doing it for thousands of years!!
To keep it simple:
PREP
GROW
SELECT
SAVE
REPEAT
There! That EASY! Prep, Grow, Select, Save, Repeat... Let's break this down.
PREP & GROW: Quantity & Quality
Quantity:
Want to pioneer your own low-maintenance and high-performing variety? It's possible with this method! If you have space to dedicate to one type of plant (1/8+ acre) and a diverse collection of seeds start a seed revolution!
Let's look at growing broccoli in the desert for example. If you don't already know, broccoli prefers cooler temperatures and plenty of moisture. Broccoli (and other biannual brassicas like kale) will not produce seeds unless an extended period of vernalization takes place. Vernalization occurs when temperatures reach between 34-45 degrees Fahrenheit (1-7 degrees Celcius). To achieve this in Arizona local growers need to artificially mimic ideal conditions. This makes growing broccoli in Arizona difficult and quite expensive.
A farmer took thousands of broccoli seeds from different growers and planted them on an Acre+ of poor Arizona soil. The farmer did not give the plants much attention and let them grow as they would. Over the course of a few months, all of the plants died... Except 3-4. From those and only those did the farmer save the seeds for replanting next season. Now the farmer grows entire fields of healthy, low-maintenance, heat-loving broccoli!
Quality:
Now, if you don't have much space to plant in you're still in luck! With healthy soil for your plants to grow in you can create ideal conditions for seed saving. Again with this method, you don't want to add too many unnecessary inputs for the plant to remain healthy. If you can grow 3-15 plants and save seeds from the best of the bunch, you're on your way to outperforming store-bought seeds.
If you only had the energy or resources to choose one, the Quantity & Quality methods will bode well for you.
SELECT: It's Up to YOU.
How do you choose the "best" plants?
The decision depends on what you want from your garden. Do you want vibrant colors that dazzle the eyes? Then Select the plants with the most visual appeal to you. Do you struggle with a certain pest in the garden? Then select from the plants that show the least damage from that pest. Is your garden all about the best flavors for your kitchen? I can tell you're catching on by now...
The Hardest Part: Don't eat the best stuff. A big ask I know... While it's painful in the short term, you're rewarded with an unlimited supply of the best seeds you've ever had.
The Best Part: We are all different. We all have different preferences. So what tastes amazing to me, might be lackluster to you. For example, I'll go to some of the most renowned coffee roasters in Portland to get a taste of their expensive espresso... and it tastes like battery acid. Or at least I used to think so. This is because I grew up on the cheap and consistent Folgers, which I still enjoy on occasion. Now I like the fancy stuff too. So when it comes to your growing preferences, no one can tell you what's right, grow what you believe in.
The question remains "What is the 'best of the bunch that I'll want to save." The answer: You decide.
SAVE: Where we tend to get nervous.
I like to keep it simple. Just do it, whatever seems like the right way to go about it. If it does not work, try again, a little differently.
If your first failed attempt fails (Or the idea of trial and error is not for you.) Drop down a few bucks and get a book on Seed Saving books from some of my favorite seed growers. (Until we write ours) :)
What is the right way to save seeds?
Is it different for every plant?
How do I store them?
Recommended Seed Saving books:
Basic Seed Saving, Bill McDorman ($3)
Organic Seed Production and Saving, Brian Conolly (on Sale for $7.97)
Seed to Seed, Suzanne Ashworth (On Sale for $18.71) (This is on my list to buy!)
Or check out this wonderful FREE article at Freepermaculture.com!
REPEAT: Here we go again!
At this stage, you've experienced some failures, but you've learned even more! Apply what you've learned and do it all again a little bit better this time.
SOUND LIKE TOO MUCH WORK?
If this 3-7 year process is not something you're interested in at the moment - I don't blame you. You have to be a certain kind of crazy to wait around for plants to grow and not eat them (guilty). Here's my advice - skip to the good part!
Find people already doing the work and ask for seeds. Try a Facebook neighborhood gardening page, go to a local seed swap, or check out the Seed Savers Exchange.
No luck in those arenas? Not finding a trustworthy source?
This is where LOCAL biodynamic seed companies come to the rescue!
My favorite seed company is Adaptive Seeds based in the Willamette Valley. Their seeds outperform anything else in my garden, and I neglect the plants.
I prefer them because they're not doing anything out of the box as a company, but because they grow in my region.
They grow a diverse variety of seeds and they do it in a "biodynamic" manner. Biodynamics means they provide genetic diversity for plants to yield the best traits. They acquire seeds and grow them for a few generations in our climate before advertising them for sale to local Gardeners & Farmers. They've done the hard part for me!
If it's something that they can't produce, like large amounts of grain, they will source local organic growers growing large quantities of seed in a similar fashion.
From snap peas to tomatoes to wheat and grains. Their seeds have become my best producers! :)
While the results in my garden are a testament to the skill and love of seeds at Adaptive Seeds, it is a greater testament to the value and power of LOCALLY GROWN seed.
If you've only been buying seeds from national or international companies you're missing out on a really great benefit.
I highly encourage you to do some searching on Google to find a seed company in your area for "Open-Pollinated or "Biodynamic" seeds. As long as they have been cultivated with care, I guarantee seeds from a grower near YOU will be the best performers in YOUR garden.
If you can't find a regionally appropriate company for you, here's my list that may help you in your hunt! Check it out & shoot me an email if you have a favorite seed company!
To learn more about the History & Diversity of our seeds Check out this piece from Bill McDorman & Stephen Thomas Seeds of Sustainability.