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by Emily Skelton
 
Every April Seeds of Change hosts a Seed Give-away. We invite local home gardeners who are interested to come to our seed cleaning facility and pick seed from our seed seconds. These "seconds" are a result of the rigorous seed cleaning process performed on every seed lot we sell. All Seeds of Change seed goes through this seed cleaning process to remove any excess chaff, rocks, dirt or other seed species (such as noxious weeds) from the lot before we send it out to a certified seed lab to be tested for germination and purity before sale. The seed seconds are usually comprised of lightweight, immature seed or seed that is broken or cracked and also inert material such as mentioned above. Since we give the seconds away free, home gardeners are happy to receive them and don't mind if the germination rate is lower than that of our number one seed for sale. We have many gardeners tell us that they planted heavily in their gardens thinking that not many seeds would germinate and they have had an abundance of very healthy seedlings to thin.
We ask everyone to bring their own small bags and pens with which to label their seed. The seed is placed out on tables organised into flowers, herbs and vegetables and then grouped alphabetically. The seed is in large bulk bags from which people can scoop out the amount of seed they think they will use and place it in their bags. Some cover crop seed is available in 20 to 40 pound bags. I also encourage people to take extra seed and send it to relatives and friends who cannot make it here because they live outside of New Mexico.
This year we also had an informal potluck dinner after the seed give-away where many participants shared special dishes they had brought from home. We swapped gardening advice and stories about planting in New Mexico and its unique challenges. It was a successful event and I believe the 75 or so participants went home excited to start planting their gardens. After the event, Adam Mackie from the Dixon Seed Exchange happily filled his pick-up truck with the unclaimed seed and took it up to Dixon. See below the description of Dixon's yearly event.
Dixon Community Seed Exchange is now in its fourth year. The first year. we
offered exclusively home grown seed and plant material, and five seed-savers
brought their collections, with many more contributing a variety or two.
Shortly before the second event, Adam, the organiser, ran into Emily Skelton
and Erica Renaud, and we talked about distributing Seeds of Change surplus
and #2 grade seed. Since then, each year Adam has taken a truckload of
seeds to Dixon, and the Exchange is pleased to offer them to all
participants, 300 in 2007! The Exchange is delighted to
be able to encourage so many in Northern New Mexico to grow a little more,
and to try new varieties and crops. As the Seeds of Change seeds act as
a crowd draw, they help us attract dyed-in-the-wool seed-savers to an event
that has now become a small festival.
The seed-savers arrive one by one, some with organised index boxes of
labelled envelopes, others with cartons of screwtop jars jumbled together,
one with a huge gourd brim-full of smaller dry gourds, another with a
tiny handful of four-o'clock seed. Someone else arrives embracing a dozen
houseplants. Another a bucket of Jerusalem artichokes. A tray of immaculately
cleaned garlic chive plants. Another asks if it is OK to offer a basket of
Fava beans that have been grown for generations in Truchas, New Mexico. Is this OK? You bet it
is OK.
The Community Center buzzes with activity. The seed is arranged in four
areas: herbs, food crop, floral, native, specialty and home-grown.
Each area has a table guardian or two, to provide help and a degree of
order. Adam Mackie staffs the seed check-in and specialty table, and pretty soon there
is a tight clutch of folk addressing the serious matters of short season
tomatoes and corn, and the difficulty of raising storage onions at altitude.
A grower from Espanola is looking for the San Juan melon he used to grow. I
have ten seeds, and give him five. He promises to save seed and bring it
next year.
Over the years, we have seen some spectacular varieties, unavailable from
any commercial source. The Basque Espelette pepper, white, yellow and blue
meal corns from Acoma, Greeley onions, Taos pueblo red beans, local chile,
Penasco short season corn, Truchas Fava, Medanales bolitos, sea-kale, the
San Juan melon.
Outside, the Dixon Elementary Cheerleaders are selling frito pies (made with
local chile) and cup cakes as fast as they can. A musician plays, and
instead of accepting tips, offers to share his Ojo Sarco posole corn.
We never know what will show each year, but the surprises are always
pleasant. The Seed Exchange is very grateful to Seeds of Change for
donating its seed each year, and pleased to help the company extend
its outreach to the community.
The Seed Exchange Numbers
6000 little bags and envelopes, 350 or so varieties, 300 participants, 10 volunteers, 4 years, and free.
Advance Notice
The 5th Annual Dixon Community Seed Exchange is (tentatively) scheduled for
April 13th, 2008.
Emily Skelton
Head Seed Cleaner
Photo captions:
(1)A flurry of activity at the Dixon Community Seed Swap
(2 & 3)The seed cleaning room at the Seeds of Change Research Farm is transformed for the Annual Seed Give-Away.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Dear Organic Gardeners
The gardening season is getting into full swing...
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Farmer Interview with Nash Huber, the second in a series...
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Seed Give-away Every April Seeds of Change hosts a Seed Give-away...
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Healthy Fundraising New programs at Seeds of Change...
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Disease Corner A new feature focusing this issue on "damping off"...
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Farm Report: May'07 Planting update, new interns, and chickens on the farm...
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News & Views
Study Links Industrial Chemicals to Obesity...
Massive Honey Bee Die-Off Has Serious Agricultural Implications... Nationwide Ban on Roundup Ready Alfalfa Upheld... Organic Seed Alliance to host On-Farm Variety Trials...
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