Seed Saving

Seed Saving For Life
"Look!, they're living, breathing, embryos..." Bill McDorman

Cord and I attended the first ever Seed School in Cornville, Arizona with Bill McDorman of Seeds Trust. We had a great time and sprained our brains - it was 8 days of intensive study, field trips, hands - on learning, seed business training, one on one time with Bill and lots and lots of laughing and eating. What a blast.
So, the following information is all about seeds - this is our latest passion - save seeds, save the world, save yourself.

Note: The picture at the top of the page is of Moleplant (Euphorbia lathyrus) and Kale seed pods.

The Westcliffe Seed Lending Library is located in the Custer County Courthouse upstairs and just outside the Custer County Extension Office. 205 S. 6th St. Westcliffe, Co 81252

Check out Miss Penn's Mountain
Seeds on Social Media!

Seed Saver's Eye Candy

Some of Penn's seeds.

Seed collections are so much fun, so easy to build and so satisfying to grow.
One seed provides a million more, as Bill says, a self-replicating program.

When you begin to collect seed from your own garden, you will be amazed and delighted with the abundance you receive.

Begin today, go see what your garden still holds - and go get some free seed.

This picture shows a small portion of seed saving examples, one person from one garden can save an unbelievable amount of seed.

Swap it, share it, gift it, grow it.

Make Your Own

Home made seed envelopes.

Many seeds come to me in many ways - I have learned to create envelopes with junk mail, re-use seed envelopes and always remember to label and date everything I save.
Include as much information as you can, like growing conditions, or where you grew it in the garden.Paper is a perfect seed holder, it breathes and takes up very little space. Notice the corn's holder? It's cob - by the time I'd get around to packaging that - it's time to plant - right off the cob!The manilla envelope seed packets in front are home made by ThunderfooT, famous desert seedsman.I particularly like Shelbel's Arugula - "born @ 9,300 ft. - It's all about elevation up here, baby.The packs on the right are made from legal sized junk mail, cut in half and taped.

Seed Library

Cord and I and a great group of community members created a Seed Lending Library in Westcliffe. What is it? A seed lending library is a place you can go and check out seed for free, grow it out in your garden and return twice as much seed as you took. This not only provides the community with seed, but the seed adapts to the region, thereby helping to secure the local food supply. This is a positive response to the world seed situation. Cord and I saved extra seed this year - to donate to the library.
Here's How: http://www.RichmondGrowsSeeds.org
Here's Where: 205 S. 6th St. Westcliffe Co 81252 Upstairs in the courthouse outside the County Extension Office

To find out more - read these articles by Bill McDorman and Stephan Thomas:
http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Jan11_Seeds_McDormanThomas.pdf
http://www.nativeseeds.org/pdf/Jan2012_McDormanThomas.pdfo edit.

Westcliffe Seed Lending Library

The Westcliffe Seed Lending Library

Outside the Custer County Extension Office

Seed Swap

A Seed Swap is a great way to get people saving their own seed in your community. Host a swap - and don't forget to potluck!!! After swapping is over, any leftover seed can be donated to the seed library - to help jump start it. This is a great way to meet gardeners too.
We always hold a Seed Swap in Westcliffe - watch for dates - remember - even if you don't have any seed - but want to come - do it! I will have some 'trade seed' to give you - so you can get started on your seed collection.

Seed swappers showing their goods.

It's a happy, social event.

Saving Easy Seed - Beans and Peas

Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Peas, Mizuna in late afternoon sun.

Tomato Seed

Here are some tomato seeds - in 'cake' form.

Cleaned, dried, ready to go.

I saved about 25 varieties. They are really fun to save.

Clumps in their unsealed packages.

Crumbling them up.

Squash Seed

Pumpkins and squash flagged for seed.
The ones with flags were hand-pollinated by Cord.
They are curing in the blacksmith shop.
They are harvested before the first killing frost.
The pumpkin on the far right is a Northern Bush - grown at 8,000 ft.
The pumpkin on the left is a big old Jack-O-Lite.
There are winter and summer here - including lots of Spaghetti's!

Cutting open the ripe Northern Bush Pumpkin.

Open it up!

Growing Carrot Seed

So beautiful - enjoy!

Cord planting carrot roots in.

Leave the shoulder exposed.

The snow makes us hurry.

Mulching as we go.

Flowers...

The best part about it is the flowers - so beautiful - and so many. This is just the beginning - as they start to bud. Notice the pollinator's all over the open umbel. That is the King Umbel in the middle by the way. Big seed, but not the most desirable.

It took all summer for seed to form as there were so many flower heads per plant - they were in all stages of development at any given time.

I visited them every day.