The Seed Farmer Podcast

Kate McEvoy and Ben Gabel run Real Seeds in Pembrokeshire in  west Wales. In this episode, Ben and Kate discuss their company structure that operates without shareholders to prioritize high quality seed, fair staff wages, and customer education over profit extraction. We talk about DIY equipment such as their Zigzag seed cleaner and 3D-Printed Seed Measuring Scoops. That they have shared both thes...

Julia Shanks (from the Farmer's Office) joins me on today's minisode to talk about our soon to be published book The Profitable Farmer: Strategic Business Planning for Profit, Purpose, and Quality of Life. We get into the importance of running a farm that sustains you and doesn't burn you out, the four pillars that support your farm, and we peek behind the scenes at all the steps that happen betwe...

Lane Selman is the founding director of the Culinary Breeding Network based in Portland, Oregon. She is also a professor of practice at Oregon State University and the co-author of the brand new book Radicchio: A Celebration of the Beloved Italian Vegetable. In this episode, Lane and I talk about the origin story behind the Culinary Breeding Network. We get into the importance of connecting plant...

Seed Farming is about building a relationship with different crops. Learning how they grow,  what they want, how to work with them … and it can take many years to build this relationship. Sometimes you think you figured them out but then you realised you hadn't. Other times, you think you figured them out, you realise you didn't, and then you discover you actually had figured them out. This is a s...

September is a busy month on your farm with to-do lists stretched to the limit and weather constantly on your mind. Even so, now is the ideal time to take a few moments to think about your season review. Waiting until November means dealing with missing information that is impossible to recover once the fields are clear. This minisode will set you up with what field records you want to have for th...

Carol Deppe is on the pod this week to talk about a new grant from OSSI (Open Source Seed Initiative) for  Independent Plant Breeders Developing Organic-Adapted Open Source Varieties.   The deadline to apply is Sept 15 and is open to all farmers and freelance breeders.   All the details are in the episode and on OSSI's website https://osseeds.org/ossi-plant-breeder-grants/   A head's up that thoug...

Brett Grohsgal runs Even'Star Organic Farm in Lexington, Maryland alongside his wife Dr. Christine Bergmark. They grow vegetables for CSA and farmers markets but they also keep a number of their own seed lines that are a large part of the success of their farm. In this episode, Brett and I talk about how to breed adaptive crops for a region and for extreme weather resilience. Brett has also elimin...

The fruiting seed crops are starting to pile up in buckets and it's time to decide whether to ferment or not! In this minisode we get into why you might want to ferment a wet seeded crop, what crops are generally fermented, and why you should be cautious with squash. Enjoy the show! 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱 Support the Seed Farmer Podcast https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast   🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱...

Gregg Muller operates Useful Seeds out of Bendigo, Australia. His seed journey began when Carol Deppe's writing inspired him to start breeding colorful snowpeas right in his own yard. This home-scale plant breeding effort quickly expanded into many different breeding projects and running a small seed company. In this episode, Gregg shares how his breeding work has shifted from selecting for specif...

In this minisode, we head into the field to evaluate eight bok choy varieties and see how they fared in the summer heat. This was part of a national variety trial organized by CANOVI, a collaboration between the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at the UBC Farm and the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security at SeedChange. Let's break down how you can run quick small-scale trials that...

Welcome to another special crossover edition of the Seed Farmer Podcast!  Here is episode 37 from the podcast Seeds & Their People. It features a conversation with Maria Hernandez of Cruz Family Little Farm and is about Cempaxochitl, Papalo, and more tastes of Mexico.  Enjoy the episode! And if you want to listen to moreSeeds & Their People episodes, you can find them where you find podcasts. Or h...

nd make some room in your seed drying area. This minisode is all about tackling that critical first seed cleaning to save space, protect your harvest, and manage farm sanity! In this episode, we'll get into… •  The 3 main goals of your first rough seed cleaning •  DIY screens made with hardware cloth  •  The differences of winnowing in the wind and using box fans •  Why you shouldn't cover your se...

At the end of every Seed Farmer conversations I ask my guests two questions 1- What would you tell your younger seed-growing self? 2- What would you say to market growers & gardeners to inspire them to start growing seed? Here are the answers from episodes 26-35 to inspire you in your seed work. In this episode we hear words of advice from … • Heron Breen of Fruits of our Labors • Kim Delaney of H...

Ever wonder if your seeds are actually ready to harvest, or if you're jumping the gun? This minisode is all about learning how to listen to your plants and read the clues they give us that their seeds are mature.    In this episode, we'll get into…   •  Ripeness indicators for fleshy fruit crops and seed pods •  The bite tes •  Beating the weather •  When to harvest for farm efficiency Enjoy the s...

Welcome to a special crossover edition of the Seed Farmer Podcast!  I am thrilled to share an episode from the Seed Heads podcast published by the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security.  This episode features Steph Benoit in conversation with Rav Singh and Ekow Stone. In this episode they get into their farming and seed work. They also talk about an okra breeding project they are both...

Say cheese! In this minisode, we are diving deep into part two of our seed photography series. (Part 1 was in episode 62). This episode is about taking product shots of your vegetables and flowers for your online store and seed packs. In this episode, we'll get into… •  The three types of photo to capture for each of your crops •  How to use your greenhouse plastic or wash station to cheat bad lig...

Chris Sanford runs Yonder Hill Farm with Garrett Lauten on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. Her seed journey is deeply anchored in a commitment to regional resilience from working to preserve the local Tancook Island Cabbage to breeding and establishing hardy hazelnut, chestnut, and walnut orchards. In this episode, Chris shares the logistics of running a small-scale seed farm. We talk about how ha...

I've been encouraging you to go out and find any accidental crosses that might be in your fields. These can be the beginning of exciting breeding projects. But once you've found those very special individuals, what should you do? That's what this minisode is about! In this episode we get into  •  The difference between crossers and selfers  •  How many crossed up plants you need to start a breedin...

Petra stewards  Fruition Community Seed Farm with Matthew Goldfarb in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Petra's seed journey began at a young age in her father's garden, harvesting seeds and packing them into homemade seed packets to then share them with others. This early love for the magic of sharing seeds eventually led to founding Fruition.   In this episode, Petra shares the evolution of F...

Have you ever noticed a single red lettuce in a bed of green oakleaf, or a pepper that doesn't look like anything you planted? While some growers see these as mistakes to be culled, they are also opportunities to start a new breeding project.   This minisode is all about hidden treasures, specifically looking for crosses in your fields that could be the start of your next favorite variety.   In th...

Fanny Lebrun is the driving force behind Les Marequiers, a Belgian non-profit dedicated to regional food autonomy. Through their flagship program, Semences d'Ici (which translates to Seeds from Here), Fanny works to strengthen the local organic seed sector. Prior to that, Fanny started the seed company Cycle en Terre by herself then built it into a citizen-owned seed cooperative.   In this episode...

Today, let's talk about how to set you up for successful seed harvests this summer. Taking a little time right now to make sure you have the right tools on hand means you can just head to the field and get those seeds when the weather is right! Today's minisode is all about •  Setting up your Seed HQ for your summer seed work •  Choosing your seed harvest tools •  Building field screens •  And pro...

Josh Volk runs Cully Neighborhood Farm on a one-acre lot in Portland, Oregon, where he grows vegetables for a CSA. Josh also operates Slow Hand Farm, where he helps grow market gardens and community through his writing and technical support. He is the author of Compact Farms and Build Your Own Farm Tools. Across all his work, Josh brings an engineering mindset to farming. In this episode, Josh exp...

Have you been feeling scared to keep the seeds from your crops? Have those seed books with their 1 to 2 mile isolation distances gotten you down? This minisode is all about how to cheat those formal isolation distances and still harvest seed that works for your farm.   In this episode we get into    •  The four main isolation crop groups and what distances you can get away with •  How to create ph...

Mélanie Ouellette runs the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library from her home in Orleans, Ontario. This all began when she asked "What's preventing people from growing native plants in our region?" In this episode, Mélanie shares the logistics of how the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library works. How hundreds of volunteers harvest the seeds, pack seed packs, fulfill orders, and attend events to distribute th...