2010 CLASSES AT SEVEN SEEDS FARM
ORGANIC ORCHARD CARE, FEBRUARY 13, SATURDAY 1-4PM
Come and glean from nuggets of wisdom that we have leaned from over a decade of growing tree fruits, and berries organically in the Siskiyous. Topics to be covered will include pruning, mulching, fertility, pest and disease maintenance, and variety selection, planning and planting. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, next best is today!
GROWING FOOD FORESTS, MARCH 13, SATURDAY, 1-4 PM
Learn how to design and care for abundant perennial landscapes with many integrated elements. At the center of North American Permaculture lays deeply rooted forest gardens that include trees, shrubs, herbs and vines that produce nuts, fruits, medicine, fodder, nectar, fertility, shade and habitat. $25
PERMACULTURE HOMESTEAD TOUR, APRIL 3, SAT. 1-4PM
A Permaculture Approach to sustainable human settlement. Here at Seven Seeds Farm we have converted a dilapidated turn of the century (1900) homestead into a thriving passive solar home based family farm. This practical outdoor class will inspire ideas for your own home space. Topics include: pattern observation, assessment tools, retrofitting, creative resource location, infrastructure development, dancing with the elements, water catchment, growing soil, food crops, animals and food forests. $25
SEED SAVING, APRIL 17, SATURDAY, 1-4PM
How to plan for, plant, care for and harvest seed crops. Fresh, homegrown seed can perform significantly better than store-bought conventionally grown seed that is often many years old. Special emphasis will be given to understanding the basics of variety improvement through selection and basic plant breeding. Also covered, basic botany, basic genetics, isolation distances, pollination, seed life, vigor and germination and more. Help your garden adapt to climate change the old fashioned way – good genetics! $25
HOMEGROWN FOOD YEAR-ROUND, MAY 22, SATURDAY 1-4PM
In the Siskiyous, it takes experience, careful planning and good storage conditions to be eating from the garden year round. This timely class will emphasize growing winter foods and storage crops often overlooked by the more casual gardener. The best health insurance money can’t buy is eating healthy fresh food! $25
FARMER, DON TIPPING WILL BE THE INSTRUCTOR FOR ALL CLASSES. ALL CLASSES ARE ON SATURDAYS, FROM 1- 4PM AND COST $25 PER PERSON. LAST YEAR ALL CLASSES FILLED QUICKLY, SO PLEASE PREREGISTER ASAP. CALL 846-9233 OR EMAIL AT SEVENSEEDSFARM@YAHOO.COM.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
ALSO:
ANNOUNCING SISKIYOU SEEDS! – A BIOREGIONAL SEED BANK FOR THE PACIFIC NW WITH OVER 200 OPEN POLLINATED, ORGANIC VARIETIES. WEBSITE UP SOON AT
WWW.SISKIYOUSEEDS.COM
EMAIL FOR CATALOG AT @ sevenseedsfarm@yahoo.com
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Siskiyou Seeds Vision
Siskiyou Seed is a bioregional seed bank and seed source for gardeners and small farmers. Our vision is to serve as a hub to connect seed growers, gardeners and farmers in a mutually beneficial relationship to support small-scale agriculture in Southern Oregon. We grow and distribute certified organic, open pollinated seeds through seed racks, a catalog and the Internet / mail order. Our goal is to produce most of the seed on our farm and field we manage in Southern Oregon’s Applegate valley. We also work with local organic seed growers to round out a diverse offering. Varieties that are not successful seed crops here (due to climate or cross-pollination issues, such as Spinach or Carrots) are sourced from outstanding, organic growers in the Pacific Northwest.
We have arrived at this point after 14 years of growing certified organic seed for many national scale mail order seed companies, which we continue to do. After SOW Organic Seeds closed shop in 2007 after the untimely death of pioneering seedsman, Alan Vanet we recognized that our bioregion was left lacking a cohesive seed bank. Although we are blessed with abundant summer sun here in the “banana belt of southern Oregon”, the Siskiyous can be a challenging place to garden with our winter rainforest, summer desert climate of harsh extremes. Uniquely situated to serve our local community we recognized an opportunity to try and fill this important niche and will be offering our seeds nationally through our web site , and a catalog, both of which will be available after 2/1/10.
There is tremendous opportunity for the renaissance of the bioregional seedsman/woman to select and breed varieties for organic agriculture. I am committed to the notion that well-selected, open-pollinated seeds can outperform commercially available hybrids. Through focusing on this crucial work, we can cooperate with gardeners and farmers to address the agronomic challenges that we will all face as climate change shifts microclimates in North America. Population breeding with special attention to horizontal resistance will hopefully alleviate the hardships growers experience with plant diseases, pests and climatic stress.
Careful attention to plant selection for seed saving can contribute to the improvement of important traits such as disease resistance, pest tolerance, climate adaptation, flavor and nutrition. Domestication is not an endpoint. Rather it is a relationship that is ongoing and can go in different directions. We are much more concerned with breeding plants that will foster healthy food for people, rather than traits such as ship-ability and shelf life. When we consider the concept of “food security” I find it logical that “seed security” should receive equal attention especially considering the threats of genetic engineering and the corporate consolidation of the seed industry. Bioregional seed banks and distribution networks will emerge as one of the more important stores of wealth in the future. Anyone want to buy futures in seeds? Let’s get planting!
Stay tuned for more developments and please check out our pending web site at www.siskiyouseeds.com to follow the seed saga and get your hands on some fresh seed! Peace to you and yours.
We have arrived at this point after 14 years of growing certified organic seed for many national scale mail order seed companies, which we continue to do. After SOW Organic Seeds closed shop in 2007 after the untimely death of pioneering seedsman, Alan Vanet we recognized that our bioregion was left lacking a cohesive seed bank. Although we are blessed with abundant summer sun here in the “banana belt of southern Oregon”, the Siskiyous can be a challenging place to garden with our winter rainforest, summer desert climate of harsh extremes. Uniquely situated to serve our local community we recognized an opportunity to try and fill this important niche and will be offering our seeds nationally through our web site ,
There is tremendous opportunity for the renaissance of the bioregional seedsman/woman to select and breed varieties for organic agriculture. I am committed to the notion that well-selected, open-pollinated seeds can outperform commercially available hybrids. Through focusing on this crucial work, we can cooperate with gardeners and farmers to address the agronomic challenges that we will all face as climate change shifts microclimates in North America. Population breeding with special attention to horizontal resistance will hopefully alleviate the hardships growers experience with plant diseases, pests and climatic stress.
Careful attention to plant selection for seed saving can contribute to the improvement of important traits such as disease resistance, pest tolerance, climate adaptation, flavor and nutrition. Domestication is not an endpoint. Rather it is a relationship that is ongoing and can go in different directions. We are much more concerned with breeding plants that will foster healthy food for people, rather than traits such as ship-ability and shelf life. When we consider the concept of “food security” I find it logical that “seed security” should receive equal attention especially considering the threats of genetic engineering and the corporate consolidation of the seed industry. Bioregional seed banks and distribution networks will emerge as one of the more important stores of wealth in the future. Anyone want to buy futures in seeds? Let’s get planting!
Stay tuned for more developments and please check out our pending web site at www.siskiyouseeds.com to follow the seed saga and get your hands on some fresh seed! Peace to you and yours.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Heirlooms of Tomorrow
Heirlooms of Tomorrow:
Breeding and Selection for Adaptation to Climate Change
Heirloom vegetables hold a special place in many people’s hearts. Often they bring us a pleasant nostalgia of our ancestors in different regions preparing scrumptious feasts with garden grown treasures. Technically a vegetable variety can be considered an heirloom once it has been cultivated for over 50 years. Some consider the year 1951 to be a cutoff point for heirlooms because many modern hybrid varieties were introduced at that point. Often a variety achieved heirloom status by virtue of its flavor, appearance and general ability to perform well in a given region. Characteristics such as disease resistance, cold hardiness and vigor were very important before modern crop supports came to dominate the food supply. With respect to vegetable varieties – heirlooms were synonymous with place.
Nowadays, we tend to view heirloom vegetables differently. We want to taste to garden culture of the whole world in our own back yard, despite where we live. Because of the relative youth of our displaced, transplanted culture we conveniently overlook the reality that many of the traits for which heirlooms were selected for had to do with a varietals adaptation to a regions climate, pests, diseases and cultural preferences. Internet shopping, mail-order commerce, FedEx and cell phones have placed the whole world’s wealth within our grasp. Nonetheless, we still can’t dial up our desired climate or day length; there are limits to our technological prowess. Thank goodness!
Take red and purple carrots for instance. In India there exists a cultural preference for these colors in carrots that are predominantly used as cooking carrots. The average climate in India is too warm to produce the crisp, sweet fresh eating carrots that we clamor for at farmers markets across the country. So, what do we do when we desire a rainbow of colors for our bunches of carrots for fresh eating? Well, we turn to the heirloom of another culture and try and use it as we would an orange fresh market variety. Sadly, the results are somewhat lackluster. The flavor of red and purple carrots doesn’t hold a candle to the sugar on a stick sweetness of “Nantes” type carrots to which we have grown accustomed. A plant breeding failure or misguided application for a fine heirloom cooking carrot that grows well in warm subtropical climates? You decide. I’ll stick to my proven regional favorites, thank you.
John Navazio and Matthew Dillon at the Organic Seed Alliance have coined the term, “Heirlooms of Tomorrow” to describe a bioregional-based approach to selection for varieties that perform well within their intended marketplace. While many of our traditional heirlooms are certainly worthy of preserving for their cultural significance and fine attributes, we tend to glorify them based on their heritage alone. I would be happy to put 5 or 6 of our favorite tomatoes up to a flavor test against the current “best- flavor” titleholder, “Brandywine” anytime. They would also have more crack resistance and late blight resistance than that “Brandywine” seed I might otherwise buy from some national seed company. This speaks to the sad fact that many of our available heirlooms are no longer being grown in their region of origin or with attention to selecting them for a diversity of important traits.
Trialing different varieties (or even different strains of the same variety for that matter) are an excellent way to assess the merits of a given variety. While the trial results form a trial performed in the northeast United States many provide some interesting insights, they cannot be relied on as an accurate litmus test for a country as large and climatically varied as the USA.
I was fortunate to recently acquire a large established seed collection from the SOW Organics seed company that operated here in SW Oregon from 1974 until its founder, Al Vanet passed on in 2008. SOW Organics began back in 1974 as Stone Broke Hippie Seeds in Ruch, moving to Williams as Peace Seeds in 1978. This vegetable, flower and herb seed collection represents the best local repository of locally adapted open-pollinated vegetables in SW Oregon if not the entire state. When you consider that seeds of many of the varieties in this collection have been continually reproduced here for over 30 years, starting a garden with this genetic adaptation to climate, pests, soils and diseases in a huge advantage over using seed produced in a different bioregion. Many noteworthy individuals have been involved with this genesis including Gabriel Howearth, Dr. Alan Kapular, Alan Vanet, Alan Adesse, Chi Scherer, Frank Morton, and Munk Bergen to name a few. Sow Organic seeds also helped give rise to another early organic seed pioneer, Seeds of Change.
We have been going through the formidable task of performing germination tests and field trials to asses lot purity and uniformity of the over 200 varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers. From the information we gather in looking through this germplasm, we hope to build upon the awesome work of Alan Vanet and grow out the true workhorse varieties, selecting to preserve the best qualities of these strains and improving upon them where we see opportunity to do so. I truly believe that this type of work will enable agrarian societies to continue to thrive amidst erratic frost, heat and rain cycles. Domestication is not an endpoint; it is actually an ongoing process of which we are participants.
I believe that plants have the ability to imprint upon the environmental conditions within which they grow. Now consider that many of the seeds available to farmers and gardeners are grown all over the globe. While I do believe that national scale seed companies serve an important role. If we desire to see whole system farm agro-ecosystems thrive, we must have complimentary bioregional seed systems. Ideally, seed would be grown on site as much as possible, when this is not feasible, locally produced seed would be a good alternative.
As regional climate patterns become more erratic, a well-adapted gene pool that has already been bred for adaptation to our local climate affords growers a tremendous advantage. I am curious to test these theories through the trialing of different strains of vegetable varieties in replicated field trials to determine if we are able to see differences between seeds grown in different regions. I am encouraged by stories such as those of Dave Christensen, a farmer and plant breeder in Montana who developed the Painted Mountain Flour corn. Painted Mountain is the result of the intentional crossing of many different ethnic strains of flour corn, with the goal of a producing a short season flour corn that could withstand a variety of stresses. He has a remarkable story of one generation of growing it out wherein the entire crop was flattened by a cataclysmic hailstorm. A few plants managed to survive enough to still yield some seed. Painted Mountain carries this and many other special adaptive traits that benefit growers in this region, enabling them to produce crops more successfully. What is remarkable is that these heavy selection pressures also help when the corn is grown in different climates as well.
With this in mind, should we actually be producing seed under stressful, rather than idealized conditions? A big question, but the more I consider my role as a seedsman I see that we are in a quandary to be economic producing seed while doing selection and breeding that yields the true workhorse varieties. Another story to reinforce this point is that of a neighboring farmer here in SW Oregon named, Jonathan Spero who also works with corn predominately, but in this case the story is that of broccoli. He recognized that broccoli was a crop that was particularly sensitive to stress. Too much heat, cold or weeds will encourage the plant to “button-up” and produced an under-sized, small head prematurely. His hypothesis was that if he could force some plants in a diverse open pollinated population to produce under adverse conditions that their progeny would carry superior genetics into market farmer’s fields. The procedure involved broadcasting the seed thickly and identifying the choice specimens from the broccoli lawn that still managed to grow vigorously and produce a good head of broccoli. Sounds far-fetched you may say, however, the results may convert any skeptics.
There are many such stories from the vanguard of plant breeding that inspire hope and reverence for the elasticity of the plant kingdom. Raoul Robinson shares many compelling examples of horizontal or population breeding in his book, Return to Resistance. Plants want to reproduce themselves, sometimes on-farm conditions can be fairly challenging, we must acknowledge this reality and steward in a new understanding of the intricate relationship between plants, climate and people. The heirlooms of tomorrow? Perhaps. Nature’s road signs are there, the question is, and can we follow them?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Southern Oregon Organic Seed Legacy Continues
Happy Spring!
The Hawthorne trees are about to open up their flowers here. Hawthorne is a vasodialator, which means that it helps increase blood flow my nourishing our heart. As I ponder this I think about my heart connection to plants and those who love plants. One way I contribute to this community is through my work with growing seeds. Organic farmers are a small minority these days, organic seed growers are a smaller minority still. All of us in the state of Oregon could easily fit in a small room. Yet, we carry an important piece of enabling local sustainable food systems to thrive.
I recently acquired the seed collection legacy of Al Vanet of SOW Organic seeds in Williams. SOW Organics began back in 1974 as Stone Broke Hippie Seeds in Ruch, moving to Williams as Peace Seeds in 1978. This vegetable, flower and herb seed collection represents the best local repository of locally adapted open-pollinated vegetables in SW Oregon if not the entire state. When you consider that seeds of many of the varieties in this collection have been continually reproduced here for over 30 years, starting a garden with this genetic adaptation to climate, pests, soils and diseases in a huge advantage over using seed produced in a different bioregion. Many noteworthy individuals have been involved with this genesis including Gabriel Howearth, Dr. Alan Kapular, Alan Vanet, Alan Adesse, Chi Scherrer, Frank Morton, and Munk Bergen to name a few. Sow Organic seeds also helped give rise to Seeds of Change, the Southern Oregon Barter Faire, the Williams Watershed Council and the Williams Town Council.
We are in the process of doing thourough germination and vigor testing and reproduction of these seeds and will be offering the work horse varieties through our own seed company, SISKIYOU SEED. We hope to build upon the awesome work of Alan Vanet and preserve the best qualities of these strains and improve upon them where we see opportunity to do so. I am planning on writing an article on the relationship between climate change, organic agriculture and seed saving for an upcoming blog, as I truly believe that this type of work will enable agrarian societies to continue to thrive amidst erratic frost, heat and rain cycles. Domestication is not an endpoint, it is actually an ongoing process of which we are participants.
Our seed rack in Ashland at the Coop has a number of these strains, along with biodynamic seed that we have grown and organic sweet corns from Lupine Knoll Farm. Feel free to email us to get on our mailing list for an upcoming catalog.
Thank you for your support, may your lives be full of abundant vegetation!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Germination & the Forces of Spring
Germination – The Awakening of the Seed
April 1st, 2009
The lengthening the day brings about profound changes in the natural world. Many natural processes either initiate or accelerate. In the northern hemisphere at our latitude (43 degrees) the time around February 1st, variably known as Candle mass, or Imbolc, or groundhogs’ day depending on your cultural persuasion heralds an awakening of the nature spirits which animate the growing world. The spiritual forces, which animate the plant world, have lain largely dormant since the yellowing of the leaves and leaf fall in autumn. Now we witness the remarkable rebirth known as spring or Easter. We are fortunate to perceive the swelling and flowering of buds, the unfurling of leaves, the sprouting of seeds and the untold billions of births which take place as the sun waxes higher in the sky with each day. We too are affected by this turn in the rhythm of the year. It is important for us to align our own soul’s hope, courage and sense of purpose with that which is occurring in the rest of the created world, Because, we too have a deep soul need to emerge from the darkness of winter and make positive contributions to the web of life.
As farmers and gardeners we are extremely fortunate to be able to plant seeds and share in this cycle. We hold the magic of the germination process in our heart and mind as we plant seeds and tend the germinating embryo, encouraging growth and reproduction. I feel that we must also shoulder the responsibility of communicating how important this process is for all of humankind and the world at large. When we consider how extensive humanities’ reach has become to manipulate the surface of the Earth, we must accept that we are the stewards of this beautiful planet. What an opportunity. Do we want to live in a peaceful relationship with the other 100 million other species we share the planet with, or continue with top down destructive domination? Those who tend the fields and forests of the Earth have a unique, yet imposing responsibility to not only do this critical work, but also to articulate how tenuous the health of the natural systems which sustain us are at this time. Just as the Lorax spoke for the trees in Dr. Seuss seminal classic, the Lorax, growers of food must speak up for the seed at this pivotal time in human history when genetic engineering is making rapid inroads into the cornerstones of the biology of the planet.
Is simply planting seeds, growing seeds and distributing them enough? Can we rely on non-profits, seed companies, NGO’s, the UN, or the USDA to adequately represent and respect the spiritual forces of growth and reproduction upon which all life depends? This is a challenging question with potentially disturbing consequences. Fear aside, who is better qualified to articulate concerns over genetically engineered seeds and other threats to seed freedom than those whose livelihood and life forces are already aligned with seeds and the plant world? As the fervor over the local foods movement builds more steam, I encourage all farmers and gardeners to engage in constructive dialogue with our fellow world community members. I am tremendously inspired by the rapid changes in attitude occurring among the general populace with regards to valuing agriculture and connections with farmers. Just as the plight of salmon here in the Pacific Northwest has fostered people to adopt the paradigm of thinking about watersheds, we need to usher in an understanding of “food sheds”, “pollen sheds” and bioregional responsibility for maintaining the integrity of these systems.
The concept of pollen sheds has hit my backyard recently, as I had to nervously await the results of a purity test to determine if a crop of Swiss chard seed I was trying to sell was free from contamination from genetically modified “Round-Up ready” sugar beet pollen. Fortunately the test showed up negative and I was able to sell the seed, but I had to pay a few hundred dollars and submit a 1-pound sample for the test. Did Monsanto cover these costs, or would they reimburse me if my certified organic seed were rendered unsellable as a result of the technology? No, they did not, nor would I hold my breath awaiting a cordial response from them. Unfortunately, organic and biodynamic agriculture will be presented with these challenging quandaries with increasing frequency. There is a big push to develop SW Oregon’s Rogue River valley where I live as a prime area for canola seed production for Biofuels. This follows a failed attempt in Oregon’s Willamette valley to do likewise. Nearly all Biofuels canola is planted to Monsanto’s, Round-up Ready varieties. If this goes through, all of the Brassica rapa varieties (Tatsoi, Mitzuna, turnips, Pac Chois and other Chinese cabbages) for which we and other seed growers produce seed for will be threatened with GMO contamination, necessitating more costly purity testing and restricting the viability of our farm systems. Do we cower back from this threat and retreat to GMO free watersheds? Or do we stop growing crops, which have potential of crossing? Do we say, “nothing can be done”, and let someone else fill David’s shoes (or sandals) to challenge Goliath? I would like to stand up for the seed and I am confident that I am not alone. But let us use the language and tactics of positivity in creating sustainable seed systems in order to appeal to the more enlightened element of the human psyche.
I propose and am actively working on creating regional seed producing hubs, which network with one another like spokes of a wheel. In order to maintain the viability of small scale integrated biodynamic & organic farms we must work together to share experience, resources, tools and training. Through the newly incorporated Family Farmers Seed Cooperative (an outgrowth of the Organic Seed Alliance), we are developing bioregional hubs in SW Oregon, Colorado (near Boulder/Longmont), NW Washington (near Port Townsend and the Skagit valley), North Dakota, Idaho, and also in Oregon’s Willamette valley. Within these hubs, seed growers can share seed harvesting and cleaning equipment; pool resources for performing in-house germination tests, print labels for packaging and participate in plant breeding/improvement seminars and field days. At this point in time we need many more growers of organic seed, many of whom will probably already be farming fresh market vegetables among other things. How do we train and equip these new seed growers to supply the huge gap between organic seed supply and demand? These bioregional seed hubs will be a big step in the right direction. If we can include established growers of fresh market produce in the process we can ascertain their needs for variety improvement and work towards breeding and selecting to address their concerns and they can give us realistic feedback as to how to achieve these goals.
I am particularly excited about a new model for seed production. I recently was able to develop a relationship with an established medium scale organic farm in the Rogue Valley. Steve and Suzie Fry have been growing certified organic flowers, vegetables and vegetable starts for 20 years and now farm nearly 80 acres. They are acutely aware of the strengths and shortcomings of many of the available varieties of seed currently available. They also buy and use a lot of seed on 80 acres. Yet, the rigors of their system overrule the idea of starting a seed production aspect to their operation themselves. That’s where the relationship with an experienced seed grower can create multiple beneficial outcomes. For instance, they had 18,000 row feet of parsley, which had over wintered and we were able to walk the rows and discuss what traits are desirable for producing healthy plants in quantity. That many plants would be a lot of seed, but we can save 1,500 plants that demonstrated the best vigor, resistance to yellowing and crown rot and let them mature to seed. Meanwhile they can still fill boxes for wholesale produce sale. They are skilled at the vegetative growing aspect, and I can come in with my crew for the seed selection, harvest, and cleaning aspects, for which my operation is already configured. They get improved seed, have a big insectary hedgerow as all that parsley flowers (normally it would be tilled under), we sell some seed and pay some bills and together move closer towards a sustainable seed system. In cooperation we write a good story.
I would like to see more of these types of relationships sprout and flourish. I am partnering with Fry Family Farms to grow a large crop of Swiss chard in an area where the potential for crossing with GMO sugar beet exists. So, not only are we producing improved seed, but also creating a compelling argument for restricting the planting of GMO crops within established seed growing region. This is not merely an environmental issue, it also has elements of economics, and social/cultural ramifications. Our hope is to align ourselves with the concepts laid out in Rudolf Steiner’s threefold social order in order to appeal to our larger community to develop reasonable agreements that respect our personal freedoms. May your seeds sprout vigorously and inspire you with renewed creativity at thriving amidst challenging times!
Don Tipping and his family farm in SW Oregon’s Siskiyou mountains at Seven Seeds Farm. They grow vegetables, herbs, sheep, poultry, seed and cooperate with other farmers to manage a CSA. Their seed is sold by Turtle Tree Seed, Johnny’s, Fedco, Renee’s, High Mowing Seed, Wood Prairie Farm, Seeds of Change and Uprising Seeds. This is their first year selling seed directly through their own local seed company, Siskiyou Seed . I welcome input about any of these ideas, email at sevenseedsfarm@yahoo.com, or see blog with more articles at www.biodynamicseeds.blogspot.com
April 1st, 2009
The lengthening the day brings about profound changes in the natural world. Many natural processes either initiate or accelerate. In the northern hemisphere at our latitude (43 degrees) the time around February 1st, variably known as Candle mass, or Imbolc, or groundhogs’ day depending on your cultural persuasion heralds an awakening of the nature spirits which animate the growing world. The spiritual forces, which animate the plant world, have lain largely dormant since the yellowing of the leaves and leaf fall in autumn. Now we witness the remarkable rebirth known as spring or Easter. We are fortunate to perceive the swelling and flowering of buds, the unfurling of leaves, the sprouting of seeds and the untold billions of births which take place as the sun waxes higher in the sky with each day. We too are affected by this turn in the rhythm of the year. It is important for us to align our own soul’s hope, courage and sense of purpose with that which is occurring in the rest of the created world, Because, we too have a deep soul need to emerge from the darkness of winter and make positive contributions to the web of life.
As farmers and gardeners we are extremely fortunate to be able to plant seeds and share in this cycle. We hold the magic of the germination process in our heart and mind as we plant seeds and tend the germinating embryo, encouraging growth and reproduction. I feel that we must also shoulder the responsibility of communicating how important this process is for all of humankind and the world at large. When we consider how extensive humanities’ reach has become to manipulate the surface of the Earth, we must accept that we are the stewards of this beautiful planet. What an opportunity. Do we want to live in a peaceful relationship with the other 100 million other species we share the planet with, or continue with top down destructive domination? Those who tend the fields and forests of the Earth have a unique, yet imposing responsibility to not only do this critical work, but also to articulate how tenuous the health of the natural systems which sustain us are at this time. Just as the Lorax spoke for the trees in Dr. Seuss seminal classic, the Lorax, growers of food must speak up for the seed at this pivotal time in human history when genetic engineering is making rapid inroads into the cornerstones of the biology of the planet.
Is simply planting seeds, growing seeds and distributing them enough? Can we rely on non-profits, seed companies, NGO’s, the UN, or the USDA to adequately represent and respect the spiritual forces of growth and reproduction upon which all life depends? This is a challenging question with potentially disturbing consequences. Fear aside, who is better qualified to articulate concerns over genetically engineered seeds and other threats to seed freedom than those whose livelihood and life forces are already aligned with seeds and the plant world? As the fervor over the local foods movement builds more steam, I encourage all farmers and gardeners to engage in constructive dialogue with our fellow world community members. I am tremendously inspired by the rapid changes in attitude occurring among the general populace with regards to valuing agriculture and connections with farmers. Just as the plight of salmon here in the Pacific Northwest has fostered people to adopt the paradigm of thinking about watersheds, we need to usher in an understanding of “food sheds”, “pollen sheds” and bioregional responsibility for maintaining the integrity of these systems.
The concept of pollen sheds has hit my backyard recently, as I had to nervously await the results of a purity test to determine if a crop of Swiss chard seed I was trying to sell was free from contamination from genetically modified “Round-Up ready” sugar beet pollen. Fortunately the test showed up negative and I was able to sell the seed, but I had to pay a few hundred dollars and submit a 1-pound sample for the test. Did Monsanto cover these costs, or would they reimburse me if my certified organic seed were rendered unsellable as a result of the technology? No, they did not, nor would I hold my breath awaiting a cordial response from them. Unfortunately, organic and biodynamic agriculture will be presented with these challenging quandaries with increasing frequency. There is a big push to develop SW Oregon’s Rogue River valley where I live as a prime area for canola seed production for Biofuels. This follows a failed attempt in Oregon’s Willamette valley to do likewise. Nearly all Biofuels canola is planted to Monsanto’s, Round-up Ready varieties. If this goes through, all of the Brassica rapa varieties (Tatsoi, Mitzuna, turnips, Pac Chois and other Chinese cabbages) for which we and other seed growers produce seed for will be threatened with GMO contamination, necessitating more costly purity testing and restricting the viability of our farm systems. Do we cower back from this threat and retreat to GMO free watersheds? Or do we stop growing crops, which have potential of crossing? Do we say, “nothing can be done”, and let someone else fill David’s shoes (or sandals) to challenge Goliath? I would like to stand up for the seed and I am confident that I am not alone. But let us use the language and tactics of positivity in creating sustainable seed systems in order to appeal to the more enlightened element of the human psyche.
I propose and am actively working on creating regional seed producing hubs, which network with one another like spokes of a wheel. In order to maintain the viability of small scale integrated biodynamic & organic farms we must work together to share experience, resources, tools and training. Through the newly incorporated Family Farmers Seed Cooperative (an outgrowth of the Organic Seed Alliance), we are developing bioregional hubs in SW Oregon, Colorado (near Boulder/Longmont), NW Washington (near Port Townsend and the Skagit valley), North Dakota, Idaho, and also in Oregon’s Willamette valley. Within these hubs, seed growers can share seed harvesting and cleaning equipment; pool resources for performing in-house germination tests, print labels for packaging and participate in plant breeding/improvement seminars and field days. At this point in time we need many more growers of organic seed, many of whom will probably already be farming fresh market vegetables among other things. How do we train and equip these new seed growers to supply the huge gap between organic seed supply and demand? These bioregional seed hubs will be a big step in the right direction. If we can include established growers of fresh market produce in the process we can ascertain their needs for variety improvement and work towards breeding and selecting to address their concerns and they can give us realistic feedback as to how to achieve these goals.
I am particularly excited about a new model for seed production. I recently was able to develop a relationship with an established medium scale organic farm in the Rogue Valley. Steve and Suzie Fry have been growing certified organic flowers, vegetables and vegetable starts for 20 years and now farm nearly 80 acres. They are acutely aware of the strengths and shortcomings of many of the available varieties of seed currently available. They also buy and use a lot of seed on 80 acres. Yet, the rigors of their system overrule the idea of starting a seed production aspect to their operation themselves. That’s where the relationship with an experienced seed grower can create multiple beneficial outcomes. For instance, they had 18,000 row feet of parsley, which had over wintered and we were able to walk the rows and discuss what traits are desirable for producing healthy plants in quantity. That many plants would be a lot of seed, but we can save 1,500 plants that demonstrated the best vigor, resistance to yellowing and crown rot and let them mature to seed. Meanwhile they can still fill boxes for wholesale produce sale. They are skilled at the vegetative growing aspect, and I can come in with my crew for the seed selection, harvest, and cleaning aspects, for which my operation is already configured. They get improved seed, have a big insectary hedgerow as all that parsley flowers (normally it would be tilled under), we sell some seed and pay some bills and together move closer towards a sustainable seed system. In cooperation we write a good story.
I would like to see more of these types of relationships sprout and flourish. I am partnering with Fry Family Farms to grow a large crop of Swiss chard in an area where the potential for crossing with GMO sugar beet exists. So, not only are we producing improved seed, but also creating a compelling argument for restricting the planting of GMO crops within established seed growing region. This is not merely an environmental issue, it also has elements of economics, and social/cultural ramifications. Our hope is to align ourselves with the concepts laid out in Rudolf Steiner’s threefold social order in order to appeal to our larger community to develop reasonable agreements that respect our personal freedoms. May your seeds sprout vigorously and inspire you with renewed creativity at thriving amidst challenging times!
Don Tipping and his family farm in SW Oregon’s Siskiyou mountains at Seven Seeds Farm. They grow vegetables, herbs, sheep, poultry, seed and cooperate with other farmers to manage a CSA. Their seed is sold by Turtle Tree Seed, Johnny’s, Fedco, Renee’s, High Mowing Seed, Wood Prairie Farm, Seeds of Change and Uprising Seeds. This is their first year selling seed directly through their own local seed company, Siskiyou Seed . I welcome input about any of these ideas, email at sevenseedsfarm@yahoo.com, or see blog with more articles at www.biodynamicseeds.blogspot.com
Germination & the Forces of Spring
Germination – The Awakening of the Seed
April 1st, 2009
The lengthening the day brings about profound changes in the natural world. Many natural processes either initiate or accelerate. In the northern hemisphere at our latitude (43 degrees) the time around February 1st, variably known as Candle mass, or Imbolc, or groundhogs’ day depending on your cultural persuasion heralds an awakening of the nature spirits which animate the growing world. The spiritual forces, which animate the plant world, have lain largely dormant since the yellowing of the leaves and leaf fall in autumn. Now we witness the remarkable rebirth known as spring or Easter. We are fortunate to perceive the swelling and flowering of buds, the unfurling of leaves, the sprouting of seeds and the untold billions of births which take place as the sun waxes higher in the sky with each day. We too are affected by this turn in the rhythm of the year. It is important for us to align our own soul’s hope, courage and sense of purpose with that which is occurring in the rest of the created world, Because, we too have a deep soul need to emerge from the darkness of winter and make positive contributions to the web of life.
As farmers and gardeners we are extremely fortunate to be able to plant seeds and share in this cycle. We hold the magic of the germination process in our heart and mind as we plant seeds and tend the germinating embryo, encouraging growth and reproduction. I feel that we must also shoulder the responsibility of communicating how important this process is for all of humankind and the world at large. When we consider how extensive humanities’ reach has become to manipulate the surface of the Earth, we must accept that we are the stewards of this beautiful planet. What an opportunity. Do we want to live in a peaceful relationship with the other 100 million other species we share the planet with, or continue with top down destructive domination? Those who tend the fields and forests of the Earth have a unique, yet imposing responsibility to not only do this critical work, but also to articulate how tenuous the health of the natural systems which sustain us are at this time. Just as the Lorax spoke for the trees in Dr. Seuss seminal classic, the Lorax, growers of food must speak up for the seed at this pivotal time in human history when genetic engineering is making rapid inroads into the cornerstones of the biology of the planet.
Is simply planting seeds, growing seeds and distributing them enough? Can we rely on non-profits, seed companies, NGO’s, the UN, or the USDA to adequately represent and respect the spiritual forces of growth and reproduction upon which all life depends? This is a challenging question with potentially disturbing consequences. Fear aside, who is better qualified to articulate concerns over genetically engineered seeds and other threats to seed freedom than those whose livelihood and life forces are already aligned with seeds and the plant world? As the fervor over the local foods movement builds more steam, I encourage all farmers and gardeners to engage in constructive dialogue with our fellow world community members. I am tremendously inspired by the rapid changes in attitude occurring among the general populace with regards to valuing agriculture and connections with farmers. Just as the plight of salmon here in the Pacific Northwest has fostered people to adopt the paradigm of thinking about watersheds, we need to usher in an understanding of “food sheds”, “pollen sheds” and bioregional responsibility for maintaining the integrity of these systems.
The concept of pollen sheds has hit my backyard recently, as I had to nervously await the results of a purity test to determine if a crop of Swiss chard seed I was trying to sell was free from contamination from genetically modified “Round-Up ready” sugar beet pollen. Fortunately the test showed up negative and I was able to sell the seed, but I had to pay a few hundred dollars and submit a 1-pound sample for the test. Did Monsanto cover these costs, or would they reimburse me if my certified organic seed were rendered unsellable as a result of the technology? No, they did not, nor would I hold my breath awaiting a cordial response from them. Unfortunately, organic and biodynamic agriculture will be presented with these challenging quandaries with increasing frequency. There is a big push to develop SW Oregon’s Rogue River valley where I live as a prime area for canola seed production for Biofuels. This follows a failed attempt in Oregon’s Willamette valley to do likewise. Nearly all Biofuels canola is planted to Monsanto’s, Round-up Ready varieties. If this goes through, all of the Brassica rapa varieties (Tatsoi, Mitzuna, turnips, Pac Chois and other Chinese cabbages) for which we and other seed growers produce seed for will be threatened with GMO contamination, necessitating more costly purity testing and restricting the viability of our farm systems. Do we cower back from this threat and retreat to GMO free watersheds? Or do we stop growing crops, which have potential of crossing? Do we say, “nothing can be done”, and let someone else fill David’s shoes (or sandals) to challenge Goliath? I would like to stand up for the seed and I am confident that I am not alone. But let us use the language and tactics of positivity in creating sustainable seed systems in order to appeal to the more enlightened element of the human psyche.
I propose and am actively working on creating regional seed producing hubs, which network with one another like spokes of a wheel. In order to maintain the viability of small scale integrated biodynamic & organic farms we must work together to share experience, resources, tools and training. Through the newly incorporated Family Farmers Seed Cooperative (an outgrowth of the Organic Seed Alliance), we are developing bioregional hubs in SW Oregon, Colorado (near Boulder/Longmont), NW Washington (near Port Townsend and the Skagit valley), North Dakota, Idaho, and also in Oregon’s Willamette valley. Within these hubs, seed growers can share seed harvesting and cleaning equipment; pool resources for performing in-house germination tests, print labels for packaging and participate in plant breeding/improvement seminars and field days. At this point in time we need many more growers of organic seed, many of whom will probably already be farming fresh market vegetables among other things. How do we train and equip these new seed growers to supply the huge gap between organic seed supply and demand? These bioregional seed hubs will be a big step in the right direction. If we can include established growers of fresh market produce in the process we can ascertain their needs for variety improvement and work towards breeding and selecting to address their concerns and they can give us realistic feedback as to how to achieve these goals.
I am particularly excited about a new model for seed production. I recently was able to develop a relationship with an established medium scale organic farm in the Rogue Valley. Steve and Suzie Fry have been growing certified organic flowers, vegetables and vegetable starts for 20 years and now farm nearly 80 acres. They are acutely aware of the strengths and shortcomings of many of the available varieties of seed currently available. They also buy and use a lot of seed on 80 acres. Yet, the rigors of their system overrule the idea of starting a seed production aspect to their operation themselves. That’s where the relationship with an experienced seed grower can create multiple beneficial outcomes. For instance, they had 18,000 row feet of parsley, which had over wintered and we were able to walk the rows and discuss what traits are desirable for producing healthy plants in quantity. That many plants would be a lot of seed, but we can save 1,500 plants that demonstrated the best vigor, resistance to yellowing and crown rot and let them mature to seed. Meanwhile they can still fill boxes for wholesale produce sale. They are skilled at the vegetative growing aspect, and I can come in with my crew for the seed selection, harvest, and cleaning aspects, for which my operation is already configured. They get improved seed, have a big insectary hedgerow as all that parsley flowers (normally it would be tilled under), we sell some seed and pay some bills and together move closer towards a sustainable seed system. In cooperation we write a good story.
I would like to see more of these types of relationships sprout and flourish. I am partnering with Fry Family Farms to grow a large crop of Swiss chard in an area where the potential for crossing with GMO sugar beet exists. So, not only are we producing improved seed, but also creating a compelling argument for restricting the planting of GMO crops within established seed growing region. This is not merely an environmental issue, it also has elements of economics, and social/cultural ramifications. Our hope is to align ourselves with the concepts laid out in Rudolf Steiner’s threefold social order in order to appeal to our larger community to develop reasonable agreements that respect our personal freedoms. May your seeds sprout vigorously and inspire you with renewed creativity at thriving amidst challenging times!
Don Tipping and his family farm in SW Oregon’s Siskiyou mountains at Seven Seeds Farm. They grow vegetables, herbs, sheep, poultry, seed and cooperate with other farmers to manage a CSA. Their seed is sold by Turtle Tree Seed, Johnny’s, Fedco, Renee’s, High Mowing Seed, Wood Prairie Farm, Seeds of Change and Uprising Seeds. This is their first year selling seed directly through their own local seed company, Siskiyou Seed . I welcome input about any of these ideas, email at sevenseedsfarm@yahoo.com, or see blog with more articles at www.biodynamicseeds.blogspot.com
April 1st, 2009
The lengthening the day brings about profound changes in the natural world. Many natural processes either initiate or accelerate. In the northern hemisphere at our latitude (43 degrees) the time around February 1st, variably known as Candle mass, or Imbolc, or groundhogs’ day depending on your cultural persuasion heralds an awakening of the nature spirits which animate the growing world. The spiritual forces, which animate the plant world, have lain largely dormant since the yellowing of the leaves and leaf fall in autumn. Now we witness the remarkable rebirth known as spring or Easter. We are fortunate to perceive the swelling and flowering of buds, the unfurling of leaves, the sprouting of seeds and the untold billions of births which take place as the sun waxes higher in the sky with each day. We too are affected by this turn in the rhythm of the year. It is important for us to align our own soul’s hope, courage and sense of purpose with that which is occurring in the rest of the created world, Because, we too have a deep soul need to emerge from the darkness of winter and make positive contributions to the web of life.
As farmers and gardeners we are extremely fortunate to be able to plant seeds and share in this cycle. We hold the magic of the germination process in our heart and mind as we plant seeds and tend the germinating embryo, encouraging growth and reproduction. I feel that we must also shoulder the responsibility of communicating how important this process is for all of humankind and the world at large. When we consider how extensive humanities’ reach has become to manipulate the surface of the Earth, we must accept that we are the stewards of this beautiful planet. What an opportunity. Do we want to live in a peaceful relationship with the other 100 million other species we share the planet with, or continue with top down destructive domination? Those who tend the fields and forests of the Earth have a unique, yet imposing responsibility to not only do this critical work, but also to articulate how tenuous the health of the natural systems which sustain us are at this time. Just as the Lorax spoke for the trees in Dr. Seuss seminal classic, the Lorax, growers of food must speak up for the seed at this pivotal time in human history when genetic engineering is making rapid inroads into the cornerstones of the biology of the planet.
Is simply planting seeds, growing seeds and distributing them enough? Can we rely on non-profits, seed companies, NGO’s, the UN, or the USDA to adequately represent and respect the spiritual forces of growth and reproduction upon which all life depends? This is a challenging question with potentially disturbing consequences. Fear aside, who is better qualified to articulate concerns over genetically engineered seeds and other threats to seed freedom than those whose livelihood and life forces are already aligned with seeds and the plant world? As the fervor over the local foods movement builds more steam, I encourage all farmers and gardeners to engage in constructive dialogue with our fellow world community members. I am tremendously inspired by the rapid changes in attitude occurring among the general populace with regards to valuing agriculture and connections with farmers. Just as the plight of salmon here in the Pacific Northwest has fostered people to adopt the paradigm of thinking about watersheds, we need to usher in an understanding of “food sheds”, “pollen sheds” and bioregional responsibility for maintaining the integrity of these systems.
The concept of pollen sheds has hit my backyard recently, as I had to nervously await the results of a purity test to determine if a crop of Swiss chard seed I was trying to sell was free from contamination from genetically modified “Round-Up ready” sugar beet pollen. Fortunately the test showed up negative and I was able to sell the seed, but I had to pay a few hundred dollars and submit a 1-pound sample for the test. Did Monsanto cover these costs, or would they reimburse me if my certified organic seed were rendered unsellable as a result of the technology? No, they did not, nor would I hold my breath awaiting a cordial response from them. Unfortunately, organic and biodynamic agriculture will be presented with these challenging quandaries with increasing frequency. There is a big push to develop SW Oregon’s Rogue River valley where I live as a prime area for canola seed production for Biofuels. This follows a failed attempt in Oregon’s Willamette valley to do likewise. Nearly all Biofuels canola is planted to Monsanto’s, Round-up Ready varieties. If this goes through, all of the Brassica rapa varieties (Tatsoi, Mitzuna, turnips, Pac Chois and other Chinese cabbages) for which we and other seed growers produce seed for will be threatened with GMO contamination, necessitating more costly purity testing and restricting the viability of our farm systems. Do we cower back from this threat and retreat to GMO free watersheds? Or do we stop growing crops, which have potential of crossing? Do we say, “nothing can be done”, and let someone else fill David’s shoes (or sandals) to challenge Goliath? I would like to stand up for the seed and I am confident that I am not alone. But let us use the language and tactics of positivity in creating sustainable seed systems in order to appeal to the more enlightened element of the human psyche.
I propose and am actively working on creating regional seed producing hubs, which network with one another like spokes of a wheel. In order to maintain the viability of small scale integrated biodynamic & organic farms we must work together to share experience, resources, tools and training. Through the newly incorporated Family Farmers Seed Cooperative (an outgrowth of the Organic Seed Alliance), we are developing bioregional hubs in SW Oregon, Colorado (near Boulder/Longmont), NW Washington (near Port Townsend and the Skagit valley), North Dakota, Idaho, and also in Oregon’s Willamette valley. Within these hubs, seed growers can share seed harvesting and cleaning equipment; pool resources for performing in-house germination tests, print labels for packaging and participate in plant breeding/improvement seminars and field days. At this point in time we need many more growers of organic seed, many of whom will probably already be farming fresh market vegetables among other things. How do we train and equip these new seed growers to supply the huge gap between organic seed supply and demand? These bioregional seed hubs will be a big step in the right direction. If we can include established growers of fresh market produce in the process we can ascertain their needs for variety improvement and work towards breeding and selecting to address their concerns and they can give us realistic feedback as to how to achieve these goals.
I am particularly excited about a new model for seed production. I recently was able to develop a relationship with an established medium scale organic farm in the Rogue Valley. Steve and Suzie Fry have been growing certified organic flowers, vegetables and vegetable starts for 20 years and now farm nearly 80 acres. They are acutely aware of the strengths and shortcomings of many of the available varieties of seed currently available. They also buy and use a lot of seed on 80 acres. Yet, the rigors of their system overrule the idea of starting a seed production aspect to their operation themselves. That’s where the relationship with an experienced seed grower can create multiple beneficial outcomes. For instance, they had 18,000 row feet of parsley, which had over wintered and we were able to walk the rows and discuss what traits are desirable for producing healthy plants in quantity. That many plants would be a lot of seed, but we can save 1,500 plants that demonstrated the best vigor, resistance to yellowing and crown rot and let them mature to seed. Meanwhile they can still fill boxes for wholesale produce sale. They are skilled at the vegetative growing aspect, and I can come in with my crew for the seed selection, harvest, and cleaning aspects, for which my operation is already configured. They get improved seed, have a big insectary hedgerow as all that parsley flowers (normally it would be tilled under), we sell some seed and pay some bills and together move closer towards a sustainable seed system. In cooperation we write a good story.
I would like to see more of these types of relationships sprout and flourish. I am partnering with Fry Family Farms to grow a large crop of Swiss chard in an area where the potential for crossing with GMO sugar beet exists. So, not only are we producing improved seed, but also creating a compelling argument for restricting the planting of GMO crops within established seed growing region. This is not merely an environmental issue, it also has elements of economics, and social/cultural ramifications. Our hope is to align ourselves with the concepts laid out in Rudolf Steiner’s threefold social order in order to appeal to our larger community to develop reasonable agreements that respect our personal freedoms. May your seeds sprout vigorously and inspire you with renewed creativity at thriving amidst challenging times!
Don Tipping and his family farm in SW Oregon’s Siskiyou mountains at Seven Seeds Farm. They grow vegetables, herbs, sheep, poultry, seed and cooperate with other farmers to manage a CSA. Their seed is sold by Turtle Tree Seed, Johnny’s, Fedco, Renee’s, High Mowing Seed, Wood Prairie Farm, Seeds of Change and Uprising Seeds. This is their first year selling seed directly through their own local seed company, Siskiyou Seed . I welcome input about any of these ideas, email at sevenseedsfarm@yahoo.com, or see blog with more articles at www.biodynamicseeds.blogspot.com
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Permaculture Classes at Seven SeedsFarm
2009 SEVEN SEEDS FARM DAY COURSES
GROWING FOOD FORESTS - FULL
SUNDAY MARCH 15TH – 1:00 PM – 4:00PM COST $25
LEARN HOW TO DESIGN AND CARE FOR ABUNDANT PERENNIAL LANDSCAPES.
DEEPLY ROOTED PERMACULTURE FOREST GARDENS INCLUDE TREES, SHRUBS AND HERBS THAT PRODUCE FRUIT, NUTS, MEDICINE, FODDER, NECTAR, FERTILIZER, SHADE AND HABITAT
GROWING FOOD FORESTS
SUNDAY MARCH 29TH – 1:00 PM – 4:00PM COST $25
LEARN HOW TO DESIGN AND CARE FOR ABUNDANT PERENNIAL LANDSCAPES.
DEEPLY ROOTED PERMACULTURE FOREST GARDENS INCLUDE TREES, SHRUBS AND HERBS THAT PRODUCE FRUIT, NUTS, MEDICINE, FODDER, NECTAR, FERTILIZER, SHADE AND HABITAT
SAVING YOUR OWN SEEDS (SPRING)
SUNDAY APRIL 5TH – 1:00 PM – 4:00PM COST $25
HOW TO PLAN, PLANT AND CARE FOR CROPS TO BE HARVESTED FOR SEED
CREATING AN ECOLOGICAL HOMESTEAD
SUNDAY APRIL 19TH – 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM COST: $40
A PERMACULTURE APPROACH TO HUMAN SETTLEMENT.
THIS PRACTICAL, OUTDOOR CLASS WILL INSPIRE IDEAS FOR YOUR OWN HOMESPACE.
TOPICS INCLUDE: PATTERN OBSERVATION, ASSESMENT, RETROFITTING, INFRASTRUCTURE, DANCING WITH THE ELEMENTS, WATER, SOILS, FOOD CROPS, FOOD FORESTS + ANIMALS
HOMEGROWN FOOD YEAROUND
SUNDAY MAY 24 – 1;00PM – 4:00PM COST $25
IN THE SISKIYOUS, IT TAKES EXPERIENCE AND CAREFUL PLANNING TO HAVE HOMEGROWN FOOD ALL THE MONTHS OF THE YEAR.
THIS TIMELY CLASS WILL EMPHASIZE GROWING WINTER FOODS AND STORAGE CROPS OFTEN OVERLOOKED BY THE HOME GARDENER.
SAVING YOUR OWN SEEDS (FALL)
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH – 10:00 PM – 4:00 PM COST $40
HOW TO SELECT, HARVEST, CLEAN AND STORE HOMEGROWN SEEDS
INSTRUCTOR: DON TIPPING
LOCATION: SEVEN SEEDS FARM, WILLIAMS, OR
PRE- REGISTATION IS REQUIRED
BY PHONE #541-846-9233 OR BY EMAIL SEVENSEEDSFARM@YAHOO.COM
GROWING FOOD FORESTS - FULL
SUNDAY MARCH 15TH – 1:00 PM – 4:00PM COST $25
LEARN HOW TO DESIGN AND CARE FOR ABUNDANT PERENNIAL LANDSCAPES.
DEEPLY ROOTED PERMACULTURE FOREST GARDENS INCLUDE TREES, SHRUBS AND HERBS THAT PRODUCE FRUIT, NUTS, MEDICINE, FODDER, NECTAR, FERTILIZER, SHADE AND HABITAT
GROWING FOOD FORESTS
SUNDAY MARCH 29TH – 1:00 PM – 4:00PM COST $25
LEARN HOW TO DESIGN AND CARE FOR ABUNDANT PERENNIAL LANDSCAPES.
DEEPLY ROOTED PERMACULTURE FOREST GARDENS INCLUDE TREES, SHRUBS AND HERBS THAT PRODUCE FRUIT, NUTS, MEDICINE, FODDER, NECTAR, FERTILIZER, SHADE AND HABITAT
SAVING YOUR OWN SEEDS (SPRING)
SUNDAY APRIL 5TH – 1:00 PM – 4:00PM COST $25
HOW TO PLAN, PLANT AND CARE FOR CROPS TO BE HARVESTED FOR SEED
CREATING AN ECOLOGICAL HOMESTEAD
SUNDAY APRIL 19TH – 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM COST: $40
A PERMACULTURE APPROACH TO HUMAN SETTLEMENT.
THIS PRACTICAL, OUTDOOR CLASS WILL INSPIRE IDEAS FOR YOUR OWN HOMESPACE.
TOPICS INCLUDE: PATTERN OBSERVATION, ASSESMENT, RETROFITTING, INFRASTRUCTURE, DANCING WITH THE ELEMENTS, WATER, SOILS, FOOD CROPS, FOOD FORESTS + ANIMALS
HOMEGROWN FOOD YEAROUND
SUNDAY MAY 24 – 1;00PM – 4:00PM COST $25
IN THE SISKIYOUS, IT TAKES EXPERIENCE AND CAREFUL PLANNING TO HAVE HOMEGROWN FOOD ALL THE MONTHS OF THE YEAR.
THIS TIMELY CLASS WILL EMPHASIZE GROWING WINTER FOODS AND STORAGE CROPS OFTEN OVERLOOKED BY THE HOME GARDENER.
SAVING YOUR OWN SEEDS (FALL)
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH – 10:00 PM – 4:00 PM COST $40
HOW TO SELECT, HARVEST, CLEAN AND STORE HOMEGROWN SEEDS
INSTRUCTOR: DON TIPPING
LOCATION: SEVEN SEEDS FARM, WILLIAMS, OR
PRE- REGISTATION IS REQUIRED
BY PHONE #541-846-9233 OR BY EMAIL SEVENSEEDSFARM@YAHOO.COM
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