A Seed Saver's Garden

[heirloomgal]

An interesting article for seed savers. Food for thought indeed. And if you look into what RAFI is about all the more reason for great concern about any claim they make. The map in the article has become the most oft quoted 'stat' in the seed saving world, but in the meantime nobody has looked into it's veracity.

I don't share much common thinking with this org, but the facts they present in the article are certainly interesting.

Anti-GMO myth busted—We’re not losing plant genetic diversity after all

Anti-GMO activists and even some science publications claim GMOs are accelerating the trend toward a drastic loss in biodiversity. They don't know the science or the history of crops.

geneticliteracyproject.org

 

[ducks4you]

..."which was never published and never went through peer review."
I an posted an article on apple varieties which I posted last year. A few varieties didn't taste very good and had specific uses, which I believe is reason enough to keep them going, as they Were heirloom and Somebody bred them in the long ago past.
I think the genetic diversity should really focus of animals that we raise for meat. Heirloom cattle, for instance, have breeds that are not prolific but edible and the meat tastes good, so why not keep them going at our historic sites?
Same with chickens. When you consider the loss of egg layers last year, and how, IMHO (no real proof, just conjecture,) creates more chicken animal abuse, layers living their lives out in cages, and in large numbers in buildings, which are just Bigger cages. "Cage Free" is a big umbrella.
Again, no real proof, but white feathered chickens don't show missed plucked feathers, hence the largest numbers bred for eggs, where they lay for 6 months-1 year, then they are slaughtered.
The slaughtering after a year doesn't bother me. Their lack of access to fresh air and dirt, Does sadden me.
Nobody seems to be able to even Find pigs raised where they can walk in and consume grass, and shortages mean we rely on abusive behavior.
I learned recently that the Spanish explorers on the East Coast would let loose pigs to live and breed on islands, and, when they sailed back, they had an ample supply of meat without having to work at it.
My last flock was massacred by a weasel. All 12 killed, bitten on the neck. None eaten. No animal but a weasel could have gotten access through the chain link fencing and typical of their killing behavior.
Somebody now has a "shanty town" farm 1/4 mile south of us and their chickens are much more accessible to the weasel dens, so I am ready to try again.
I enjoyed dumping tomato skins, and vegetable pieces and stale bread as treats to my chickens.
It takes 6 months from chick to layer.
There is also the same psychology that antibiotics, which saves chickens from many ailments usually picked up by infected fowl, or, unfortunately, bad hygiene. Here is one example:

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=708FEB40-A880-402A-ACAB-35AF5A46A51C

My chicken's coop was very clean. I had a routine when I cleaned it out. When Eldest DD and I assembled it, we put a piece of vinyl flooring over the wooden floor, so that I could thoroughly disinfect it periodically, and otherwise clean it up really well in between.
It was a LOT less work than cleaning out a horse stall--usually only one wheelbarrow full--and I used pine pellets as a base, then medium shavings (bc their poo would stick to it), and, in the winter, straw for extra warmth.
I would often crawl inside, so I'm glad that I didn't have to do that this last winter!
Next winter, I will be in much better physical shape!
ANYway, we have kept many heritage breeds going, which can keep us diversified, in case of another emergency.

 

[heirloomgal]

March 19th, 2025. The snow is FINALLY starting to recede noticeably. Went out for a little yard walk to check out the reveal. I will give kale credit, some of it is still in edible form despite being completely covered by snow for months AND we had a night where it dipped to -45C/-49F. I'm amazed that they aren't puddles of goo right now considering that, and just the super cold temps for months. The purple variety seems to have stronger genes though. The green plants are looking pretty rough, not edible from what I can see so far. And then there is THE SMELL. Not my favorite thing about cruciferous veggies. I plan to go in with a knife and cut them all down and drag to the compost asap. Was a marvel to look upon this true purple plant color today though.

The two parsley varieties I had last year, flat & curly leaf, which were in pots that I plunked in this garden bed before snow fell. Seem to have survived this brutal winter also to my surprise. I've tried many years to overwinter them but never succeeded. I'm still not sure they made it, but they look still green at this point. I wouldn't normally bother with seed for these but considering the winter they seem to have gotten through I might revere those genetics enough to try and get some.

This really gives me a chuckle. I planted a periwinkle plant over a decade ago behind a cedar tree, and it never grew. It remained alive, that's it, because the spot was just too dry and shady. Stayed nearly the same size from day one. So when I got rid of that perennial garden I put the one little plant in a different spot. Didn't expect much. And now this. lol I didn't even know it could become a carpet. Turns out I like those little blueish purple flowers quite a lot. They can stay.

It's a good start to the year I think. Saw a beaver at the swimming creek today, he came right up and out of the water onto the far bank. Given the 5 inch thick plates of ice piled up on the surface it amazed me that he could deal with that cold. Lots of water was running, and the banks are way overflowing but it seemed a bit premature that he's out on business already. Then again I'm not exactly familiar with the habits of beavers.