Seed Time at Blackberry Farm

It seems like only yesterday that we were sowing the first seeds of this year’s farming season. Now here we are, in mid August, with the first dried pods of field peas, beans, and butterbeans hanging full on the vines and ready for harvest. One important process we use for sustaining our wide variety of agricultural products is known as seed preservation.

Seed preservation is a yearly practice that is a very important process we are striving to enhance here at Blackberry Farm. From now until the end of the fall, we will be harvesting, shelling, and drying seeds vigorously to be saved for the following year’s planting. We will also be using these processes for long-term storage in our seed bank.

All of the crops that we raise here on the Farm are open-pollinated heritage varieties, from which the seed can be preserved over the years. Preserving seeds for harvest is one of the cornerstones of sustainable agriculture, and here at Blackberry Farm we strive and expect to grow and save as many of our old varieties as possible.

John Coykendall, Master Gardener