Preaching the Seed Gospel

The Winter months are when I give the majority of my seed-related talks. Over the years, I have given talks in numerous towns, states and cities. Over time, the talks have varied depending on the location and history of the region that I am visiting.

The core of my talks, however, always remain the same, and that is searching for heritage seed varieties, collecting them, growing them out for seed saving, and getting the variety or varieties into the hands of other growers who will continue to ensure the varieties’ survival and being passed on to other dedicated farmers, gardeners or anyone who will be dedicated to preserving heirloom seed varieties.

For me personally, one of the most rewarding aspects of seed saving is knowing that an endangered variety has been saved and will be passed on to future generations.

I love the experience of standing before a large crowd who are attending my talk, and each person that I see, I see a potential seed saver who will help to maintain our agricultural history and heritage. When I address an audience concerning the conservation of heritage seeds, I inform the audience that I will be “preaching the seed gospel.”

– John Coykendall, Blackberry Farm Master Gardener