I have been buying seeds like a maniac lately and now have far too many to be able to plant all of them this year. I admit I did get sucked in to the 2012 doomsday hype a little, and felt I should be at least somewhat prepared for a societal collapse or other disaster. I have also been searching hard for Ojibwe heirloom crops for work and for the community I live in, for my husband's tribe. I have been thinking quite a bit about seed saving, and preserving crops for war-torn countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, as well as traditional indigenous crops that are becoming rare. For some reason the word "rare" seems to be a cue for me to click on "add to cart." I guess that's not a bad thing. I will take care of the seeds, propagate them, and distribute them to other seed savers, so they are certainly in good hands. Inexperienced hands with good intentions, anyway. Actually, I have been advised by more experienced seed savers to buy what I can of the rare seeds because they will not always be available. I joined Seed Savers Exchange, which comes with the added benefit of access to the Seed Savers Yearbook, an enormous catalog of seed savers across the world (but mostly in the USA) offering thousands of rare varieties. Unfortunately I haven't been able to use my 10% membership discount with Seed Savers Exchange much because I have found that I'm more interested in the seeds offered by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and I have purchased the majority of my seeds from them. I have also found some gems sold by Turtle Tree Biodynamic Seeds, Trade Winds Fruit, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Native Seeds/SEARCH, the Museum of the Fur Trade, and Renee's Garden. I feel like the $35 membership fee is worth it just for the access to the Seed Savers Yearbook, though. In browsing the yearbook I'm drawn to anything with Ohio in the name (Ohio Pole Beans, Ohio Cutshort Beans, Ohio Calico Corn, Ohio Pink Tomato, Ohio Blue Clarage Corn...) probably because I'm homesick. I am also drawn to purple or blue vegetables, pretty dry beans, varieties from the northern Native American tribes, endangered varieties, and novelties. It can get expensive fast, though, especially for "unlisted" members who don't have any seeds listed for sale. For example, one packet of corn, with around 50 seeds, costs $5 for unlisted members.
Since I have encountered a dearth of Ojibwe heirloom varieties, I have been seeking out seeds of the crops grown by their neighbors, like the Mandans, Arikaras, Hidatsas, Lakotas, Menominees, Oneidas, and Ho'Chunk, and their relatives the Potawatomis, Odawas, Lenape (Delaware), and Algonquians. Also, since climate change research suggests that Minnesota summers are becoming hotter and dryer, I want to trial some dry farming techniques from the southwestern tribes. The Hopi techniques are particularly unusual to me. They entail very deep planting of many corn seeds in one 12-inch hole. I want to plant the seeds of plants who have grown this way successfully, so I want to use Hopi corn for this experiment. I think I already expressed my excitement for the success I had with Hidatsa Red beans in the 2012 growing season. They are amazingly drought tolerant, prolific, and low-maintenance, and they matured faster than any other beans I grew. I'm hoping the beans from the Hidatsas' allies, the Arikaras and Mandans, are just as rugged.
I started saving seeds last year but I meant to save a lot more. I learned quite a bit about seed saving, though, so I certainly feel more prepared. I bought corn condoms so I can grow several varieties and hand pollinate them. I will also be twistie tying Curcurbit blossoms to hand pollinate those. I can't wait...
Since I have encountered a dearth of Ojibwe heirloom varieties, I have been seeking out seeds of the crops grown by their neighbors, like the Mandans, Arikaras, Hidatsas, Lakotas, Menominees, Oneidas, and Ho'Chunk, and their relatives the Potawatomis, Odawas, Lenape (Delaware), and Algonquians. Also, since climate change research suggests that Minnesota summers are becoming hotter and dryer, I want to trial some dry farming techniques from the southwestern tribes. The Hopi techniques are particularly unusual to me. They entail very deep planting of many corn seeds in one 12-inch hole. I want to plant the seeds of plants who have grown this way successfully, so I want to use Hopi corn for this experiment. I think I already expressed my excitement for the success I had with Hidatsa Red beans in the 2012 growing season. They are amazingly drought tolerant, prolific, and low-maintenance, and they matured faster than any other beans I grew. I'm hoping the beans from the Hidatsas' allies, the Arikaras and Mandans, are just as rugged.
I started saving seeds last year but I meant to save a lot more. I learned quite a bit about seed saving, though, so I certainly feel more prepared. I bought corn condoms so I can grow several varieties and hand pollinate them. I will also be twistie tying Curcurbit blossoms to hand pollinate those. I can't wait...
