Going to seed - and Seed Saving Workshop

It's Sept 2nd and the garden really seems to have taken a few dramatic paces closer toward fall...  Although tomatoes, zucchini and beans are still going strong, the first winter squash is ripe, basil is nearly done, and all variety of plants are going to seed.  In our city garden we are able to save seeds of all manner of herbs, but cross pollination of plants like tomatoes, squash, or even beans, is too common so we can't be guarunteed to get the true variety.  That's one of the down-sides of limited space.  Some city gardeners remedy this by using various backyards to grow their different crops, keeping them separated (e.g. SPIN farming).

Speaking of seed saving, our annual Seed Saving Workshop is coming up here at Little City Farm on September 11.  We are so pleased to have Bob Wildfong, President of Seeds of Diversity, here for the fourth time!  He gives an excellent workshop, packed with information about how to save, store and maintain all varieties of seeds.  In particular, Seeds of Diversity works to preserve and share heritage varieties through it's nationwide member network. The American counterpart is Seed Savers Exchange.  Bob, and Seeds of Diversity, have also been instrumental in setting up the Seeds Alive!, and educational seed saving garden project at Everdale Learning Centre, where they have grown and saved more than 150 varieties of seeds, with special focus on a "great canadian garlic collection", and a special heirloom tomato project.