Free Seeds Can Free Us!
We all start as seeds. Maybe you're a carrot and I'm broccoli but we all share this garden called life. So let's grow together because someday we'll all be compost anyway!
Seeds inspire me. They gracefully wait for the perfect time to rise.
A single lettuce seed, will sprout, grow, flower and produce 10,000 more seeds in one generation. The abundance and magic never ceases to amaze me!
To save seed however, it's crucial that we understand the importance of heirloom varieties. Hybrid or GMO seed will not produce reliable seed and many of these seeds are patented which means it's actually illegal to save it.
It's a wild world we're living in where corporations are trying to patent and own life as we know it.
Enter Heirloom Seeds. These are varieties that our grandparents and their parents grew. You could consider them open source seeds. Their flavor, beauty and resilience are some of their many desirable qualities.
Saving seed from even a small garden can start the beginnings of quite the seed collection. Within a few seasons, you'll probably have far more than you need and it could be a great time to set up a local seed swap/potluck.
Here's a guide on setting up a seed swap
Imagine the network of decentralized heirloom seedbanks we can start together!
If we're willing to listen and learn from the natural world, we may be inspired to dream up win-win solutions that build a better world for all.
Let's settle for nothing less than a world where the needs of all are met. I believe it's probable with future open source solutions. The best is yet to come!
Our thoughts and visions, followed by our words and actions, are the seeds that will sprout a prosperous future.
Let's plant them now! Share your visions and dreams in the comments below. Say them aloud because the act of turning a thought frequency into a vibration in the physical world is a powerful thing.
Make it a great day!
Onward and upward,
John
Start a front yard community garden: http://foodisfreeproject.org
Awesome analogy....I love the way that you wrote this to speak to each of us as individuals who can and should share this wonderful experience together. Just marvelous...hats off!
Thank you! Great to connect with you. Make it an awesome day!
Way to go #foodisfree, decentralized seed exchange is definitely our future!! xoxoxo Thank you for holding so tenaciously to your vision, year after year. Let's make it so!
It's all happening! I'm so excited to see all of the amazing co-creations and open source innovations that are unfolding. Decentralize all the things! :)
This is a beautiful vision @foodisfree
I am wanting to take advantage of a small area of soil at my mum's house. She's always grown green beans every year but unfortunately dementia is now slowly taking her away. So I want to take this opportunity and try to grow these beans for her. I may also try a few potatoes that I got seeds from last year. I doubt both veggies are heirloom (excuse my naivety), Scarlet Emperor beans and I'm unsure about potatoes apart from they are a red variety that grew out of the composter last year when the lid wasn't on properly and rain got in lol.
I love that you want to keep that garden growing in her honor. That's a really awesome gesture. If you're interested in exploring some really unique heirloom varieties, check out www.rareseeds.com. Here's to a bountiful harvest!
Thank you very much for your kinds words, I will check out the link.
Much appreciated :)
Robster.
Goodnight @foodisfree. Greetings from Venezuela. When translating I understand that you call for the sowing of fruits through natural and non-artificial seeds or better said, those prepared by the industry. And I agree with making the call to the creation of seed orchards at home to get fresher products, with good taste and really natural texture. This is ideal from the point of view where from generation to generation you teach your family to look for the true and best flavors of life through the natural planting of grains and vegetables. In addition, having an orchard at home first improves the production of oxygen and economically the liabilities will be lower in purchases of seeds and food. Very good post and very nice call to the conservation of natural processes through encouraging projects for our generations.
Thank you so much for your reply. It's great to connect with others around the world who share a common vision. Wishing you abundant harvests, peace and joy!
Amen. Same to you. Let your projects create many seeds of prosperity and common welfare @foodisfree.
When we first moved to our homestead just outside of a little fishing village. No one was growing a garden. Slowly over the last 9 years, people are beginning to grow small patches. It started with folks coming to get flowers from my gardens for the day of the dead. Then I started giving excess fruits and veggies to the neighbours. I have always saved seeds. Then I started to offer a few seeds to be grown in pots. So now they are growing some foods on their own but like to cometo me for seeds. We are a work in progress...
That is amazing to hear about the ripples happening in your community. Keep us posted on how things grow and evolve. Next time you're sharing food or seeds, post a photo and tag it with #foodisfree so we can be inspired!
Okay. Will do.
i am headed to my first ever seed swap this weekend and i am so excited! i will be bringing flower seeds - marigold, columbine & poppy to share.
Awesome! Take photos and make a post about the experience. I think it would inspire many! Enjoy!
if i'm not too nervous and forget, i totally will!
new social situations can be awkward sometimes.
my uncle is a farmer and sows tomatoes and grains, I always like the crop, how bad it is that in his country the seeds are patented.
It is not a bad idea to grow crops in our home, as he says
the saying of what you sow from there you will eat.
Love it. Homegrown tomatoes can be life changing. They made me question the "tomatoes" I had eaten from the grocery store along with everything else in life! Haha. Here's to a bountiful harvest.
I started mine like a month ago! First time growing fruit from seeds! I'm so excited. I got some heirloom tomato seeds (Blackwine Tomatoes). They grow very fast! I'm recording progress and will post updates soon.
There must be some heirloom seeds somewhere. People have taken care of these seeds for generations. These companies, however, do like to buy the seeds to take control of the market.
Very inspiring post. A decentralized Seed bank is a great idea! Please check out my new Garden Blog. I'm looking for suggestions on what i should plant.
Glad you resonate with the idea! I know it seems kinda obvious but I recommend planting some of your favorite things to eat. Starting off with greens like spinach and lettuce as well as herbs can be a great start. Starting small and expanding your efforts a bit each season. Are you also going to be planting an outdoor garden after the winter?
God Bless You and keep on saving those seeds and I hope in the future to set my own seed saving program!
Awesome. Go for it! Seed swaps are really fun events to connect with others of like mind and heart and you find some really unique varieties that you can't even buy. :)
I am still learning on collecting seeds. Ive collected my seeds from peppers, tomatoes and something else i cant remember at the moment from last years try. Not everything I grew turned out as I was late for growing from moving. This year will be a better turn out and will have more to collect... maybe it was tomatoes.. hmm
That's so exciting to hear! Keep up the awesome work. It's all about going for it, experimenting and learning along the way. There are some great videos out there on seed saving. Saving seeds from some plants is easier than others. Lettuces and greens are some of the easiest to save. Just leave one plant unharvested and it will eventually bolt up about 4ft, flower and then the dried flowers will hold the seeds. You can put the plant into a paper bag after it's dried out and shake it to help remove the seeds. Rock it out and happy growing!
Oh thats cool, thank you for the great tips. My son enjoyed collecting lettuce last summer for a meal, and the beans and tomatoes. Told me he never wants to eat grocery store veggies anymore and hes only 6. It amazes me that at his age he can tell the difference, especially for an ever growing, always hungry child lol. So ya, I will definitely leave one plant grow fully to get the seeds. Thank you again ^_^