Local farmers saving local seeds – farm tour

Comox Valley Growers and Seed Savers Garden Tour- Sunday, September 21 – Local Farmers Saving Local Seeds

The Comox Valley Growers and Seed Savers (CVGSS) are hosting their 2014 Garden Tour on Sunday, September 21. Meet at 1821 Anderton Road, Comox (by the Natural Pastures sign); the tour begins at 10:00 am. Our theme this year is ‘developing local open pollinated seeds for local growing conditions’.

In a time of rising transportation costs, a changing climate, genetically modified seeds, seed patenting and drought in the regions that supply much of our food, developing crops adapted to local growing conditions is critical to our long term food security.

This year we are excited to feature three Comox Valley farmers that are growing and saving seeds for resale and future crop production. According to Dianna Talbot of CVGSS, “As multinational corporations increasingly use genetic modification and patents to claim ownership and control of the very DNA of our food supply, these Comox Valley farmers are hard at work breeding and sharing open pollinated seeds for today and all future generations.” This is an opportunity to learn how and why these farmers grow, harvest, process and store seeds for our future.

The Birds and the Beans are four young farmers focusing on the staple or ‘calorie’ crops including beans, corn and peas. They are also growing wheat, barley and oats in an effort to develop grain varieties adapted for our coastal climate. These crops form the core of our diet and are critical to a sustainable local food supply.

Good Earth Farm has been saving over 65 varieties of their own seed for 15 years. Husband and wife team, Simon and Heather, have focused their operation on selling quality locally adapted seeds to home gardeners. Unlike large commercial seed producers who focus on seed characteristics that effect seed handling like planting, harvesting and storage, Good Earth Farms breeds greens, peas, beans, tomatoes, and herbs for outstanding flavour and texture.

Arzeena Hamir and her family at Amara Farm are founding members of Merville Organics Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box program. Part of the ‘Farmnifesto’ at Merville Organics includes, “to grow fresh, tasty and nutritious organic produce” and “to build a more sustainable food system, one veggie box at a time!” For Arzeena, growing and saving locally adapted seeds ensures adequate supply for the next growing season and reduces costs. She will be demonstrating seed cleaning using the CVGSS winnower.

All three farms will have produce and seeds available for sale and Amara Farm will have locally grown barley straw for sale at $8.00 per bale, just in time to mulch your gardens before winter. Tour participants are also invited to bring their own seeds along for cleaning.

Participants must provide their own transportation; carpooling is encouraged. This is an outdoor event, so please dress for the weather. This event is free for CVGSS members and 10.00 for non-members. Everyone is welcome and refreshments are provided.

For more information contact Dianna Talbot at 250-339-3972 or go to www.CVGSS.org.