The Seed Farmer Podcast

Today's minisode is all about getting ready for the season- farm photo season, that is!    Whether you want good visuals for the crops on your online store, or you want to document your breeding selections, or you're writing up standard operating procedures for your crew; having the right images makes all the difference.   Those pictures don't happen by themselves, you need a Farm Picture Plan!  ...

Charlie Watt runs Homecoming Seeds in Northfield, Vermont. His seed journey began in Montana under the mentorship of John Austin, a connection that eventually led Charlie back to his roots in the Northeast with a suitcase packed with high-altitude adapted seeds. In this episode, Charlie shares the logistical challenges of scaling a seed business from a home garden to a production farm. We discuss...

Today's minisode is an audio immersive tour of our seed warehouse. We'll start in the cleaning room to hear the distinct seed rain of different types of seeds. We'll then put the fleet of seed cleaning machines to work and listen to their different rhythms, from the cascading acceleration of the spiral separator to the roar of the Winnow Wizard. From there we'll step into the chilled hums of the s...

Sarah Kleeger runs Adaptive Seeds alongside Andrew Still in Sweet Home, Oregon. Their journey began twenty years ago with the Seed Ambassadors Project, a massive seed-finding expedition through Europe that saw them return to the U.S. with over a thousand rare varieties that had almost no commercial presence in North America.   In this episode, Sarah shares what it's like growing over 380 crops in...

Let's head over to my library and take a look at the books that have most influenced my journey as a seed grower. Whether you are just starting out or looking to develop your own farm-original variety, these are the titles I return to time and time again.   🌱Basic Seed Books • How to Save Your Own Seeds by Seeds of Diversity Canada • Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth • The Seed Garden by Micaela C...

Jesse Frost operates Rough Draft Farm in Kentucky with his wife, Hannah Crabtree. Jesse is also the author of The Living Soil Handbook and hosts the No-Till Growers Podcast. As a writer and farmer, Jesse approaches plant breeding as a creative process; a rough draft shaped by the unique terroir of his land.   In this episode, Jesse shares how he moved past the seed intimidation of his early years...

This minisode is about unexpected seed opportunities in your cold room.   And those opportunities are the roots you're storing in that cold room and haven't eaten yet.   Most root crops are biennials, and you might be able to plant these roots as second year biennials and get a seed crop this summer!   This is true for onions, turnips, rutabagas, winter radish, beets, carrots, parsnips, and more!...

Edmund Frost is a seed grower and plant breeder based at Twin Oaks Community in Virginia. He is the manager of Commonwealth Seed Growers, a cooperative seed company focused on regionally adapted varieties for the Southeast.   In this episode, Edmund shares the hidden realities of contract growing and his efforts to build a Seed Workers Union through the Seed Worker Organizing project to advocate f...

This minisode is a conversation with Lucy Sharratt of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN).   I invited Lucy to talk about the new genetically engineered Purple Tomato. This the first biotech vegetable seed being directly marketed to home gardeners. It's important for folks in the seed world to be aware of this change and to start thinking about the potential long-term impacts on our s...

Bonnetta Adeeb is a founding member of the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, a program of the non-profit STEAM Onward based in Maryland. Bonnetta is dedicated to increasing the number of BIPOC seed farmers stewarding culturally meaningful crops and liberating seeds from "seed jail".   In this episode, Bonnetta shares her journey to find the Stone Mountain Watermelon, a variety mentioned in fami...

This minisode is a conversation with Rebecca Newburn of the Seed Library Network. We talk about seed libraries: what they are, how they work, and how anyone (yes, anyone) can start one. And we talk about the Seed Library Conference on February 14th, focused on helping people get started with seed libraries in their own communities.  Enjoy the conversation! Support the Seed Farmer Podcast http://sp...

Shannon Jones runs Broadfork Farm with Bryan Dyck in River Hebert, Nova Scotia. They grow vegetables and cut flowers for market. I've been trying to get Shannon on the podcast since the beginning of the pod because Broadfork is a great example of how a market farm can integrate seed production into their vegetable and flower fields. And we finally found a time that worked for us to have a conversa...

Episode 50 of the Seed Farmer Podcast!!!! Wow!   Let's do something a bit different to pause and mark the occasion.   In this episode, I'm joined by my podcast producer, Molly Brisebois, for a behind-the-scenes conversation about how the podcast gets made, how it's changed over time, and what we've learned along the way.    We talk about how sharing seed stories and talking about seed work brings...

Chris Belnap is the owner of Cambridge Pacific, based in Cambridge, NY. Their tagline is The Folks Who Make The Packets, and that's exactly what they do: printing seed packs for a wide range of seed companies.   In this episode, Chris shares the history of Cambridge Pacific and walks us through how seed packs actually get printed. We dig into what you should think about when designing your own see...

It's crop planning time!   I'm sharing the spreadsheet system I've been evolving on farms for over 20 years. These sheets start with your financial goals and work backwards through your sales plan to your field plan. You end up with field schedules, nursery schedules, and a seed order.    Crop planning can feel overwhelming, but when it's done right, it brings clarity, confidence, and less stress...

I invited Janisse Ray for this New Year's Eve episode because I wanted to start the year grounded in the idea of place, rooted in connection, and inspired in your seed work.   Janisse is a writer, naturalist, and farmer based in south Georgia. She is the author of The Seed Underground and Journey in Place, and writes the Substack Trackless Wild.   In this episode, Janisse and I talk about how you...

As we wrap up this year, I want to do something a little bit different. 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?   The answers I get are really wonderful and I often think about them afterwards.   I've decided to take...

So I've been quietly working on something since April. It hasn't exactly been a secret, but it has mostly stayed under wraps. In this episode, it's finally time to share that project.   The big news: I've co-written a book with Julia Shanks of The Farmer's Office, and we've just submitted the manuscript to the publisher.   In this episode, Julia and I talk about how this collaboration began, why w...

Alexis Yamashita is a community organizer, seed grower, and PhD student in Food Systems at the University of Vermont. Alexis has also been deeply involved with seed-based cooperatives. She helped found and served as co-director of Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, she co-managed the seed racks division of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, and she lived  in the egalitarian intentional community T...

Fred Thériault is a farmer and founding member of Tourne-Sol co-operative farm in Les Cèdres, Quebec, where they grow vegetables for 500 weekly CSA baskets and an acre of seed crops. I say "they" but I should guess I mean "we" because I farm with Fred at Tourne-Sol and we've been great friends for the last 25 years and have done all kinds of things together. Such as - Fred and I also co-authored t...

Here's a peek inside the Seed Farmer Mentorship—a guided learning experience I've created to help growers build the skills, systems, and confidence to produce high-quality seed on their farms. This winter, I'll be hosting the mentorship for the second time, and I'm excited to guide a new group of growers through hands-on learning, practical tools, and a season of intentional seed projects.   In th...

David Catzel is the BC Seed Security Program Manager at FarmFolk City Folk, the Regional Program Coordinator for the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security, and serves on the board of the BC EcoSeed Co‑op. He also grows seed at Fraser Common Farm Co‑op.   In this episode, David shares his experience supporting growers, organizing cooperatives, and stewarding seed networks. We talk about...

You've reviewed your field records, gathered feedback from your team, looked at your sales channels, and even listened to your customers. Now it's time to bring it all together.   This is the final episode of the 2025 Season Review Challenge! Let's pull together everything you've learned and turn it into a clear picture of your season.   I'll also share a few examples from Tourne-Sol - including m...

Matt Bell has worked at Johnny's Selected Seeds in Albion, Maine, since 2018. He is currently a trial technician focusing on cucurbits, but today's conversation dives into some of his previous work with brassicas.   Matt comes from a family with a long history of seed saving and continues that tradition by growing seed at home outside of his work at Johnny's. He also grows vegetables for his partn...

This week we're turning our attention to your customers. The people who actually buy your seeds. Whether you sell seed packs through your online store, seed racks in retail shops, or bulk seed on contract to other companies, this is the perfect time to connect, listen, and learn.   This minisode is part 4 of the 2025 Season Review Challenge, where I want to make sure you take the time to learn fro...