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 physical barriers are your farm to grow things even closer

• What crops you can grow in easy to make isolation cages

Of course, it wouldn't be a Seed Farmer episode if we didn't get into how a little bit of crossing is a good thing.

Enjoy the minisode!

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Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

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News links

June 18 webinar: Breeding to Purple: Crossing & Selecting Brassicas

https://farmfolkcityfolk.ca/event/breeding-to-purple-crossing-selecting-brassicas/

Watch the Seed Farmer book promo video

https://youtu.be/liHQmUz227E

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Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter

https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

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 the seeds to gardeners. We talk about the importance of genetic diversity, the difference between straight species and cultivars, and the importance of reciprocity in community stewardship.

In the deep dive, Mélanie and I focus on growing swamp milkweed for seed. We explore how it is a host plant for monarch butterflies, the technical nuances of harvesting and cleaning milkweed's fluffy seeds, and the importance of cold-moist stratification to ensure successful germination.

Enjoy the conversation!

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Support the Seed Farmer Podcast
https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

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Episode links
Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library website
https://wildflowerseedlibrary.ca/

Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library on Instangram
https://www.instagram.com/ottawawildflower/

Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CV6G1cvGY/

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News links

May 16: Seed Library Conference: Sustaining a Seed Library
https://givebutter.com/sustaining-a-seed-library?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Register for the Harvest System Design Course
https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//harvestsystems

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Stay in Touch
Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram
https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter
https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)
https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer
https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

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!

In this episode, we'll get into…

• How to use your photo archives to understand your farm

• Figuring out what pictures you'll wish you had this fall

• Setting up your Picture Plan spreadsheet

• Tips for making sure you actually take the shots you need

Enjoy the minisode!

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Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

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News links

Tourne-Sol's new sweet corn variety

https://www.instagram.com/p/DWlyiE4jlvm/?img_index=1

Register for the Harvest System Design Course

https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//harvestsystems

🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter

https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

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 the steep learning curve of his first year, including winning a venture capital pitch competition and the logistical hurdles of seed contracting. Charlie also reflects on the meaning of his seed company's name, and how seed work is a homecoming for anyone looking to deepen their relationship with the land.

In the deep dive, Charlie and I get into growing eggplant seed, a crop that has frustrated both of us. We cover when to harvest, how to speed up eggplant seed extraction and the mysteries of eggplant germination rates.

Enjoy the conversation!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast
https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com//supportpodcast

Episode links
Homecoming Seeds Website
https://homecomingseeds.com

Homecoming Seeds on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/homecomingseeds/

Charlie's YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@charliewatt22

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram
https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter
https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)
https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer
https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook

❤️ Thanks for listening!

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 seed cold room to hear the sounds of storage. Finally, we head to the pull room to follow the tactile journey of fulfilling a seed order, wrapping up with the unique sounds of our different fulfillment options.

Enjoy the minisode!

And Happy April 1st.

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast
http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram
https://www.instagram.com/danbrisebois.farm/

Get my weekly seed newsletter
https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/seeds

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)
https://fermetournesol.qc.ca/

Get my new book The Seed Farmer
https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!

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 a year while balancing trials, stewardship and producing seeds for the catalog. We discuss OSSI (the Open Source Seed Initiative) as a way to keep seeds in the public domain. And we get into contract seed growing and how Adaptive Seeds tries to incentivize quality and share the risk with their grower network. We also touch on the impacts of wildfires and smoke seasons on both farmers and the seeds themselves.

In the deep dive, Sarah and I get into her favorite crop: Amaranth. We cover why amaranth is such a climate-adaptable grain, how to determine the perfect moment to harvest the seed, and Sarah's threshing machine of choice.

And of course we talk about the cats of Adaptive Seeds.

Enjoy the conversation!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Episode links

Adaptive Seeds Website

Adaptive Seeds on Instagram

OSSI - Open Source Seed Initiative

News Links

Fundraiser to support Saved by Seeds: Embracing Diversity, Adaptation, and Diversity. Chris Smith's upcoming book.

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!

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 Colley and Jared Zystro (Editors: Lee Buttala and Shanyn Siegel)

🥕Advanced Seed Books

• The Organic Seed Grower by John Navazio

🌸Plant Breeding Books

• Breeding Organic Vegetables by Rowan White and Brian Connolly

• Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties by Carol Deppe

✍️One more seed book …

The Seed Farmer by Dan Brisebois (I might be a bit biased on this one, but this is the book I wrote to fill the gaps I found in the others!)

So, those are my 6 favorite seed books (plus one of my own). I hope these resources inspire you to harvest some seed this year.

Enjoy the minisode!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!

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 to a more integrated approach, and simply looking for seed opportunities within his existing market rotations. We discussed the evolution of the Topper Popper pepper, a project that actually began at Tourne-Sol (where I farm) and that Jesse refined on his farm. Jesse gets into how to find the capacity for seed work without sacrificing production and being patient with your farm's evolution. And how all you need is a pocket full of rubber bands to become a plant breeder.

In the deep dive, Jesse and I get into Sweet Potatoes. How to harvest them, how to cure them, and how to propagate them as slips without scurf.

Enjoy the conversation!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Episode links

Rough Draft Farm on instagram

Rough Draft Farm website

No Till Growers on instagram

No-Till Growers website

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!