[Community_garden] Seed lists, regional varieties

[Don Boekelheide]

Hi, all,

Thanks, Sharon, for that nice job alphabetizing!

Regionality - even more, matching specific
microecologies - is very important, Brian. Solomon
organizes his list by region. You may have noticed
that many of my choices are from the South or
Southeast.

The best way to get truly locally adapted varieties is
to find old timers near you who save seed. That's what
David Bradshaw has been doing so well at Clemson - he
has varieties dating back to the Civil War. Makes
sense that all of us become seed savers in our own
home and community gardens, too.

That's not to say there isn't a place for seed
companies. I too have had excellent results with some
Italian seeds, testing for Organic Gardening. 

Conversely, you can't just buy a commercial 'heirloom'
and expect wonderful results. For instance, finding an
excellent Brandywine tomato (such as the
Quisenberry/Sudduth strain) takes some doing - and is
worth it. For more detail, check out
www.victoryseeds.com/information/craig_brandywine.html
(did we list Victory Seed?)

Some types of seed are much easier to save than others
- there's an excellent project for a community or
school garden.

Don Boekelheide
Charlotte, NC