Fruits and Vegetables 2021: the art and science of organic seed saving
Shannon Jones from Broadfork Farm explains seed saving — self-pollinators, biennials, wet vs dry seed, and where to start.
Springtime is coming, and it’s time to buy your seeds from local producers. Starting in February, we are featuring our vendors and members in a ten-part series for the International Year of Fruit and Vegetables.
In this first chapter, Shannon Jones from Broadfork Farm — a local grower that will soon start selling seeds again for the season — explains the thorough process behind seed saving every year. For Shannon, who started Broadfork Farm with her partner Bryan Dyck in 2011, saving seeds as an organic farm "just seemed natural". Supporting your local seed producer is important, since 95% of vegetables planted in Canada are grown from imported seeds.
Seeds are first either self-pollinated or cross-pollinated. Self-pollinators ("selfers") include peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers and lettuce — easier to plant since you don’t have to worry about crossing. Squash, zucchini, cucumber, corn and broccoli are cross-pollinating.
Biennial crops (like carrots and onions) are harder than annuals — in our climate they’ll often rot in the ground over winter, so they need to be lifted into a root cellar or basement and replanted the next spring. They flower in their second year, and the flowers become seeds.
Hybrid seeds — often the ones bought in supermarkets — are unpredictable. For predictable crops, buy initial seeds from open-pollinated varieties rather than hybrids. Tomato seeds are a great beginner choice: they’re annual and ripen at the same time as the fruit.
Shannon’s tomato method: squish a ripe tomato into a jar with water, leave for a few days (it gets a little moldy, that’s okay), then rinse repeatedly — non-viable seeds float away. Dry the seeds, but not bone-dry: they’re alive, just dormant.