5th Annual West Plains Seed and Plant Swap

Share the Seed West Plains is holding its  5th Annual West Plains Seed & Plant Swap on March 5th from 1-4 PM at the Trillium Trust Community Room, East Towne Village, 1380 Bill Virdon Blvd, just a few doors down from Heroes Coffee and Wages Brewery.  Everyone is encouraged to bring seeds, plants, starts, cuttings or any other non-toxic garden related items to share with fellow gardeners! See our event page https://www.facebook.com/events/1659276750765810 

Seed Saving Time: Radishes

I don’t know about you, but our spring garden is never complete without at least a few rows of crisp, spicy radishes.  We love to put them in salads, on sandwiches and, of course, for snacking on while we weed!  Common radishes are super easy to grow, have few pests and diseases, and can really tolerate the cold wet weather of the early spring months. Radishes are also among the easiest seeds to save, provided you follow a few simple rules.  As a bonus, by saving your own radish seed you get to enjoy an entirely new round of tasty edibles in the form of the young green seedpods, which are a taste treat in their own right.  So don’t pull all your radishes just yet… Read the entire article now!

The Role of Flowers in Pollination

Show Me Oz – No matter where you live in the country, you are either itching to get your hands in the dirt or are already in the garden digging, planting and dreaming! If you want to save seed this year, you have come to the right place! Because today we are talking about flowers and how they achieve pollination – and what those two things have to do with saving pure quality seed. Understanding these things not only helps you reap a larger harvest of fruits and vegetables to eat, but also ensures that the seeds you harvest from those fruits will come true in next year’s garden. So, let’s get right to it!  Read more….

Seed Saving Time: Testing Germination Rates

Last week, I received my first spring seed catalog.  And while it’s a bit early for me to even think about ordering seed for next year, it is an early reminder to test some of the seed stock I currently have on hand. Checking the quality of the seed you save is just as important as saving it. After all, there’s nothing more disappointing than spending hours planting seeds that either germinates slowly, patchy, unevenly, or (gasp) not at all.  So, whether you save your own seed or lean heavily towards “accumulating” seed, you should be testing at least a portion of your stash every winter.  Read the entire article here.

Grow Pure Seed with Blossom Bags

Experienced seed savers know that the key to obtaining pure seed is controlling the pollination process.  Each species is made up of many varieties.  If two – or more! – of those varieties get too close to one another during flowering their seeds will not come true.  Of course, not all gardeners have the room to grow multiple varieties spaced far apart.  Sometimes, we just don’t know that we’d like to save a certain variety of seed in early spring and so we don’t pay any attention to the spacing requirements for purity.  If this sounds like you; have no fear!  Blossom bags are here to save the day!  Read the entire article here….

Seed Saving Time: Harvesting Dry Seeds

For gardeners, the most rewarding part of the season is when the harvest begins and all those luscious fruits and veggies really start to add up.  For seed savers, that joy is doubled when, in a few short weeks after the fresh harvest begins, the handful of fruits or plants that are purposely left on the vine to mature begin to set seed.  After a long season of planning, cultivating, monitoring and harvesting the bounty of the garden, the reward is more than bountiful!
Continue reading….

Seed Saving Time: Legumes

By Jill Henderson – via Show Me Oz –

If you’re planning on saving some of your own seeds this summer, the very best time to start is before a single seed goes in the ground.  In fact, your seed saving efforts should begin with that catalog you’ve been perusing all winter.  In addition to a myriad of valuable information such as germination times, growth characteristics, suggested planting dates and so on, many seed catalogs now list each vegetable’s Latin botanical name, as well.  You know the one I’m talking about…those two  little words written in italics and perched between parenthesis can mean the difference between seed saving success or seed saving failure.  READ ON….

Why Save Seed? GMO’s and Your Garden

by Jill Henderson – Show Me Oz –

Last week we discussed some of the more obvious reasons for saving your own seed: to be more self-sufficient and save money, to adapt varieties to the local environment, and to increase genetic diversity in food crops.  But, of course, I can’t talk about saving seeds without discussing Genetically Modified Organisms, (GMO’s) otherwise known as Franken-food.

I think by now most Americans have a general understanding of what GMO’s are, but just so we’re all on the same page, let me give you a quick definition. GMO’s are organisms (in this case, food crops) that have had their natural genetic structure altered by literally forcing the genes of unrelated plants, animals, insects, fungi, bacteria, viruses and even human genes into the host plant’s embryonic cells using a virus as a vector to infect the host and spread the new gene.  Read the entire article here.

BORROW…GROW…SHARE! A New Seed Library in Springfield, MO

Saving Seed Equals Healthier Plants

Howdy Seeders!

I want to share a bit of seed saving and sowing insight from Master Seedsman, Justin Huhn.  Justin’s blog, The Seedkeepers, is a wealth of information for anyone wanting to learn more about seed!  Be sure to dig deeply through his site and be sure to sign up for his weekly email newsletter, from which the following originated…

Why Save Seed? Selection & Genetic Diversity

I have been saving seed for almost 20 years.  What started out as a simple way to save a buck, quickly became a passion with very deep roots.  After all these years, it is exciting to see so many people interested in saving their own garden seed.  In fact, saving seed has become quite popular. But there are those who still think it’s just a fad – another hashtag in a world of buzzwords. And perhaps seed saving is just another trend in a long line of trends – like bacon everything, backyard chickens, and kale, but for those of us who have worked towards seed sovereignty and food freedom for years, an American seed saving fetish is just what this country needs!

Read the entire article at Show Me Oz
https://showmeoz.wordpress.com/2015/02/17/why-save-seed/

4th Annual West Plains Share the Seed Seed & Plant Swap

You are invited to the 4th Annual Share the Seed Seed & Plant Swap hosted by Share the Seed , West Plains.

The event will take place on Sunday, February 22, 2015, from 1-4 PM in the Trillium Trust Community Room located in the East Towne Village Marketplace, next to Heroes Coffee, 1376 Bill Virdon Blvd, West Plains, Missouri.

Invite your friends and bring your seeds, starts, plants, and any kind of non-toxic garden related items (pots, compost, yard art, whatever!) that you would like to share and enjoy a FREE, fun-filled day with fellow gardeners and seed enthusiasts! After you swap seeds, we invite you to stick around and visit the demonstration booths, sit in on a special presentation, and savor delectable treats!

To learn more about the swap and how you can participate, please visit our Facebook event page “Share the Seed 4th Annual Seed & Plant Swap“, or scroll to the bottom of this page to find the answers to the most frequently asked questions (FAQ).

Please consider becoming a volunteer at the seed swap. We need hands setting up (starting at noon the day of) or tearing down (starting at 4:30 PM) the day of the event.  See you there!

Share the Seed Thanks Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

Share the Seed would like to thank Southern Exposure Seed Exchange for their generous donation of starter seeds for the members of the project in 2014.  The seed from SESE allows our members to start their seed saving efforts with pure, high-quality seed!

In addition to a catalog containing over 700 open-pollinated heirloom varieties of fruits, vegetables, grains, cover crops, and other specialty items, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is “a worker-run cooperative where every worker has a voice in the decisions of the company and where workers receive equal compensation regardless of the economic value traditionally placed on the jobs done.”  Hats off to SESE for their dedication to GMO-free seeds and their work supporting small community-minded groups like ours!

For those wanting to learn more about saving their own seed, SESE has a ton of fantastic resources on their website.  Check out their Growing Guides and Library for detailed information on every crop imaginable!

Share the Seed Welcomes a New Chapter!

I am very excited to announce that Share the Seed is expanding its reach with a second chapter Ava, Missouri, headed up by Share the Seed member Aubree Sanders.  Aubree is an herbalist and skilled organizer who joined the group last year and comes to us with a rich history of community service and a fantastic way with people!  While living in Springfield, MO, Aubree worked with the Well Fed Neighbor Alliance and the 1,000 Gardens Project educating the community about the need for food security in the Ozarks. Aubree and her partner, Bradley, own and operate Celestial Springs Herbs in Ava.   She plans to kick off the Ava chapter with a seed swap!  So if you live in the Ava, MO area, please contact us here to volunteer and get all the details! We will be posting the Ava seed swap event and more right here, so stay tuned!