Tomato seedlings, mostly 3rd-generation-saved Couer de Boi, are germinating here in several different locations.

Even some outdoor cloched ones have come up due to the few recent 25 deg C afternoons, but they wont be liking the current 7.6 C ambient.

The pictured ones (indeed this whole post) are here bcs they've been indoors for nights, and are currently under my high-brightness desk magnifier right by my elbow, at just under 20 C, the threshold for decent growth. Can't really ignore them!

I've not even been outside in the cold heavy cloud drizzle this morning!

The substrate, all home-brew, includes sieved wildfire wood-ash, hence the fragments of shale and black look. It's a superb growth promoter.

The seed was "easy-saved" by simply pressing the sieved material from making passata on kitchen paper towel - including high-speed blending! The towel was quick-sun-dried and stored, then torn into strips to germinate, as shown. The whole process taking not much longer than this post!

#growYourOwn #tomatoes #seedSaving #climateDiary

Are you interested in learning how to save your own vegetable seeds?

This is, by far, the best book I've seen on how to do it!

Seed to Seed, by Suzanne Ashworth

#SeedSaving
#GrowFood
#FoodSovereignty

And it wouldn't hurt to buy it from BookShop.org instead of Amazon. 😀

https://bookshop.org/p/books/seed-to-seed-seed-saving-and-growing-techniques-for-vegetable-gardeners-2nd-edition-suzanne-ashworth/b388fe7b13ee0c43?ean=9781882424580&next=t

#PortlandME - #MOFGA Gardener to Gardener Conference
February 8 @ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

$125 - $200 (see sliding scale below)

Registration is still open! Walk-ins also welcome.

"MOFGA is pleased to present Gardener to Gardener: our inaugural one-day conference for gardeners!

Connect with and learn from prominent university faculty, agricultural scientists, service providers, farmers, and fellow gardeners — through speaker sessions, activities, and shared meals. Gardeners of all levels of experience, in Maine or in the broader northeast region, will find content suited to their needs, gardening goals, and experiences.

Tickets include:

Access to all Gardener to Gardener sessions
Access to lunchtime keynote speaker, Assawaga Farm
Access to exhibitor booths featuring local service providers, suppliers, and more
A catered lunch and coffee/snack break, featuring products from local organic farms and food producers
Complimentary Gardener to Gardener mementos, to use in your gardening life and remember the conference by

View the Schedule

Conference speaker and activity sessions include:
Planning & Mapping Your Garden | Ivonne Vazquez, Bas Rouge Farm & Forge
Soil Health 101 | Rebecca Long, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
YardScaping: Soak up the Rain | Ali Clift, Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District
Seed Saving Ethics & Practical Tips for Veggie and Native Plant Seed Savers | Emily Baisden, Wild Seed Project & Heron Breen, Fruits of Our Labors
Grow Your Own Apothecary Garden: An Introduction | Emily Springer, Meeting House Farm
Unusual Backyard Fruit Trees | Dr. Becky Sideman, University of New Hampshire
Raising Chickens for Fun and Food | Patty Duffy, Agricultural Banker & Veterinary Technician (Retired)
Gardening for Pollinators Across the Landscape: From Garden to Forest | Erin Cocca, The Xerces Society
Make Your Own Garden Tools | Jack Kertesz, Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association
Livestock First-Aid | Jacki Martinez-Perkins, Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association
Garden Art | Jaime Wing, Winged Prints
Ergonomic & Accessible Gardening | Caragh Fitzpatrick, Maine AgrAbility
Farm in the Spotlight: Assawaga Farm

Gardener to Gardener runs alongside MOFGA’s annual Farmer to Farmer Conference. The dual conferences will share in lunch and the presentation from Assawaga Farm. If you’re a farmer who’s interested in attending Farmer to Farmer, learn more here.

Registration details:

In addition to accessing the concurrent sessions listed above, tickets include a catered coffee/snack break and lunch, featuring products from local organic farms and food producers. Tickets do not include lodging at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. If you would like to secure lodging at the hotel, please do so through their booking website here.

Gardener to Gardener tickets are priced on a sliding scale in order to keep the event as accessible as possible while covering MOFGA’s costs. The recommended price for MOFGA members is $150. The recommended price for non-members is $175. Learn more about membership here.

A portion of proceeds from our “Bounty” ticket sales will go toward supporting “Scholarship” tickets (free/by donation tickets) for those for whom the full price of registration is a barrier to attending. To utilize a scholarship ticket, simply click on the “Scholarship” option at checkout. Scholarship tickets are first-come, first-served; and more tickets will be made available, dependent on “Bounty” ticket sales and sponsorships from community partners. To inquire about this option, email [email protected].

Registrants will receive email updates with the conference schedule, a list of ways to enjoy your time in Portland outside of the event, and other pertinent details about what to expect when attending Gardener to Gardener.

The Holiday Inn by the Bay’s conference space is ADA accessible. If you have any needs or questions related to accessibility, including interpretation or translation services, please email [email protected] and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Reach out to [email protected] with any general questions about the event."

To register:
https://www.mofga.org/event-calendar/gardener-to-gardener-2026/

#SolarPunkSunday #MaineGardeners #MaineGrowers #SeedSaving #DIY #GardeningForPollinators #GardeningWorkshops

Seed Protocol - from the #NashvillePublicLibrary !

"We ask that, when you bring seed to the Nashville Public Library Seed Exchange, you follow certain protocol. We want people who take seeds to get what is on the label, and we want to protect against passing on disease.

Basic Protocol

Adapted from the Seed Protocol from the West County Community Seed Exchange, Sonoma Co., California.

- Save seeds from healthy plants. Even if a disease does not get passed on through the seed, we do like to have some selection for disease resistance by only saving from healthy, strong plants.
- Save seeds from multiple plants so that the seed has some genetic diversity in it. The quantity of plants that is optimum depends on the type of plant. For self-pollinating plants a minimum of 6 plants is necessary. For cross-pollinating plants, you’ll want to save from a much larger population.
- If the plant cross-pollinates, you’ll want to make sure to keep it isolated so it stays 'true to type.' Check with a seed saving chart or book to get proper isolation distances.
- When you give seeds to the Seed Exchange, please label with as much information as you can.
- Many people like to save seeds from a favorite plant that might not be harvested from multiple plants or from a plant that isn’t super healthy. Some people like to save seeds from interesting crosses. You are welcome to bring those seeds. Just make sure you write that down on the label so others know they are participating in your experiment.

Guidelines for Returning Seeds

- Dry: Make sure seeds are dry.
- Clean: Return reasonably clean seeds by removing as much of the chaff as possible.
- Properly saved: Only return seeds from plants that you know how to save properly.
~ Some seeds can be fairly reliably saved without cross-pollination (and unintentional hybridization). These include tomatoes, beans, peas, and lettuce.
~ Only return seeds from the brassica (ex. broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, cabbage) or cucurbit (ex. cucumbers, squash, melons) families if you have taken appropriate steps to prevent cross-pollination, such as hand-pollinating.
- Label! Label! Label! Give us as much information as possible (variety, location, year saved, helpful hints, etc.). Remember that people only have as much information about a seed as what you have written on the package in order to decide if it is a plant that they would like to grow. More information is better.
- Share the abundance: If you have lots of seeds, consider donating lots! We share with Seed Exchange locations across Davidson County.

Thank you for saving seeds!"

Source:
https://library.nashville.gov/about/policies/seed-protocol

#SolarPunkSunday #SeedSaving #SeedSwaps #LibrariesRule #GrowYourOwn #Gardening