Seed Exchange

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." Aristotle

Later today the kids and I are going to go out and start prepping the garden for its winter slumber. There are still some Brussels sprouts, carrots and peas to harvest and garlic to plant. We will also be adding green compost to the garden as well to feed the soil.

For those of us who are passionate about our gardens this is not necessarily the end of things, in fact some may say it only the beginning. I am already trying to figure out what we will grow in the gardens next year and where it should sit amongst the tranquil backdrop of herbs, flowers, vegetables and fruit. I have already started looking through the outdated seed catalogs in an attempt to find something new that I may have missed. I have even started glancing at my old blog post searching for a veggie that may be worth bringing back next year.

In my search for new seed I found welcoming group of fellow seed savers on the Internet, facebook to be precise. The group is called the Heirloom and Organic Seed Exchange. This has turned out to be a wonderful source of seed and it is all based on the barter system which is a beautiful thing. One heirloom gardener simply sends some of their seeds to another in exchange for a variety that they do not have in their collection. It has become a great source of information as well.

This is one of the true benefits of heirloom seeds. There is a real movement of land stewards who are eager to pass along the benefits of their hard work to help preserve specific lines of veggies and in the end put food on the table of their neighbors regardless of how far away they may live.

So as you are getting ready to settle in for the fall and very long winter. As you are storing your seeds and canning your produce. While you are daydreaming of digging in the dirt again consider looking for a seed exchange and sharing your gardens success!

Tobias Whitaker blogs for Mother Earth News and Grit Magazine. Click on the Mother Earth News logo at the bottom of the page for all of his post. You can also find him on Facebook at Seed To Harvest: Bossy Hen Homestead  https://www.facebook.com/seedtoharvestbossyhenhomestead/ which is a central location for his homesteading blogs and his homeschooling blog, A Mile In Her Shoes: Tales Of A Stay-At Home Dad found here https://amileinhershoestalesofastayathomedad.wordpress.com/