3rd ANNUAL SLO COMMUNITY SEED EXCHANGE
By Elizabeth Johnson
A heaping bowl of dried parsley umbels was all that remained of a vigorous, four-square-foot, two-year-old volunteer curly parsley patch. As I shook and rolled each dry, feathery stem of Petroselinum crispum between my fingers, tiny seeds lept out onto a white dinner plate. Tens, hundreds, thousands of seeds prepared to start new life when human, garden and weather conditions merged in readiness. I marveled at the sheer generosity of the number and implied life force in the growing seed pile. Through experience, reading and listening to other gardeners, I’m learning how to save seeds that remain true in their genetics and have a high germination rate. This study of parsley seeds included a lesson in abundance, showing how one plant cycle ended with enough seed to ensure all future generations in many gardens.
In late October 2009, local seedsaving gardeners met for the third annual community Seed Exchange at the SLO Library. The Seed Exchanges are self-organized by gardeners dedicated to sharing information and increasing seed-saving skills. Seeds donated from local organic farms and individual gardeners were set out on tables. As you can see in the photographs, seeds came in all kinds of containers – paper bags, baskets, glass jars, and Ziplocs. Attendees foraged among the seed tables before, after and during the talks, looking for new varieties to try in their gardens that they then repackaged into small coin or recycled envelopes. People also perused a resource table with how-to books, organic seed catalogs, and informational websites. Farmer John DeRosier, horticulturist Jesse Arnold, Master Gardener Donna Duerk, and organic gardening/medicinal plant teacher Melinda Forbes each gave a short talk with demonstrations.
John DeRosier’s talk about growing and eating freshly milled organic grains included a demonstration of wheat threshing techniques and simple hand winnowing. He brought a seed separator, a scythe, and a couple of models of family-sized hand mills – an Austrian-designed electric mill and a lovely Danish hand-cranked mill. John embodies a new generation of farmers who see the big picture and know how to get back on the land, beautifully and sweetly!
Cambria gardener Jesse Arnold discussed the difference between open pollinated and hybrid seed using two tall corn stalks with tassels. The stalk representing hybrid seed had its tassels lopped off! Since hybrid seed isn’t reliable, the seed shouldn’t be saved, but open-pollinated seed has genetic characteristics that remain true over time. Gardeners have an important role to play in maintaining heirlooms because industrial agriculture has reduced crop varieties to just a few that serve their processing and marketing needs. Small farmers and gardeners help keep diversity alive by saving seed!
Donna Duerk showed up with calendula and arugula to talk about easy-to-save seeds. She clipped the dry stalks and put them in a paper shopping bag for storage. She brought a sieve to demonstrate how she cleans seeds and explained standard techniques for cleaning and saving other seed like tomato.
Melinda Forbes brought baskets of dried medicinal plant stalks bearing seeds, a flat of young motherwort seedlings from her garden, and samples of tinctures and sprays that she makes at home. She talked about herbs having the same job in soil and garden health as they have in the human body. Melinda’s long family agricultural background, her delight in experiment, and her teaching have created a reservoir of knowledge that she generously shared with attending seeders.
Jim Maguire wasn’t able to talk as planned about year-round gardens, but he sent a handout chart from his gardening “bible” that lists seasonal crops and best times for planting and harvesting in California. See the Resource section for details.
What seeds did I take to share? Broom corn, broccoli, curly parsley, cayenne, purple larkspur, and crocosia bulbs. What seeds did I choose to bring home for my garden? Black chickpeas from Afghanistan, scarlet hollyhocks, white sage, Melinda’s anise, angelica and burdock. I also brought home leftovers – pumpkin, hybrid beets, several bean varieties, herbs, nigella, romaine, zucchini, and a bag that says “Good Bee Blend” that I’ll save for next year’s Seed Exchange. Last year we had lots of native tree and flowering plant seed, and I hope they show up again, especially in the context of native pollinator gardens.
Josephine Laing brought her student neighbors who have been learning to garden under her tutelage. They started collecting seeds months before the event and have planted their winter gardens with seeds from the Exchange. They loved the event! Seed savers and exchangers are a special human breed who mirror the generosity and abundance of the plants they caretake through generations. Perhaps you’ll be among us next year for the 4th annual.
Elizabeth Johnson is a visual artist, writer, and gardener.
