Are there any seed libraries or seed exchanges in the Seattle area?
Yes, there is the King County Seed Library which currently has several locations:
At the Northeast Seattle Tool Library 2415 NE 80th St Seattle, WA 98115
At the Phinney Neighborhood Center Tool Library 6532 Phinney Ave NE Seattle, WA 98103
Seattle Farm Co-Op 1817 S Jackson Place Seattle, WA 98144
Pickering Garden 1730 10th Avenue NW Issaquah, WA 98027
Hillman City Collaboratory 5623 Rainier Avenue S. Seattle, WA 98118
You might also look out for local celebrations of National Seed Swap Day, which happens on the last Saturday of every January.
The best-known national organization devoted to seed-saving and distribution is the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. Another example is the Hudson Valley Seed Library in New York State. Both of these organizations sell heirloom and unusual seed varieties.
You might see if your local public library (the kind which lends books and other materials) is interested in following the example of Tucson, Arizona’s Pima County Public Library, which maintains a seed exchange.
Some local horticultural organizations have organized seed exchanges among their members, such as the Hardy Plant Society of Washington and the Northwest Perennial Alliance, but these are primarily seeds of ornamental plants. You can also start your own informal exchange by learning about seed-saving and passing along that knowledge (and its fruits–that is, seeds!) to your friends. The Miller Library has many excellent books on saving seeds. You can search the online catalog, using keywords such as ‘seed saving.’You can also check the calendar of plant sales and gardening events that the library maintains, as sometimes there are seed-sharing opportunities posted.
I am interested in planting fruit trees on our treeless property. Can you recommend any sources of bare-root heirloom fruit varieties grafted onto modern rootstocks? Or do people who grow heirloom fruits usually use the old rootstocks, too?
I am also interested in finding a descriptive list of how different heirlooms taste, how difficult their pests are to control, and how they do in our region (Puget Sound).
Below are some suggestions:
1. WSU’s fruit research station in Mt. Vernon is the best place to learn about history, grafting rootstocks, varieties, etc. Here is an article from the spring 2013 issue of WSU’s Washington State Magazine on heirloom apples.
2. There is an event in early October at Cloud Mountain Farm in Everson, Washington. They have a fruit festival where you can taste the fruits and talk with experts.
3. An outstanding book you will probably want to buy (or come to the library to review it first) is Fruit, Berry and Nut Inventory, 4th edition, An Inventory of Nursery Catalogs Listing All Fruit, Berry and Nut Varieties Available by Mail Order in the United States. Edited by Ken Whealy, 2009.
We also have many other excellent reference sources about growing tree fruit.
4. You might consider joining the Western Cascade Fruit Society or the Seattle Tree Fruit Society. They offer courses and events, and are very knowledgeable.
5. The staff at Raintree Nursery near Morton, WA offer a wealth of information about what grows well in the Pacific Northwest, best rootstocks, etc.
The book “Heirloom Vegetable Gardening” was a classic almost from the moment it was first published in 1997. The author, William Woys Weaver, is a rare scholar of the kitchen garden with a PhD in food ethnography, or the study of cultural eating habits.
Weaver easily could have written a pompous tome. Fortunately, he is a skilled writer and hands-on gardener (and cook, too) who combines dry wit with both practical and historical information. I am not an extensive vegetable gardener, but his stories are compelling and I happily read the encyclopedia of recommend varieties from cover-to-cover.
If you do grow your own veg and enjoy experimenting, this book is an investment that will pay in long-term dividends. Now there is a new (2018) edition. While much of the descriptive material and selection of the varieties is the same as the original, there are minor updates and additions. Both editions are available from the Miller Library.
The author is especially interested in how certain foods have connected different cultures. For example, I learned that lima beans are well named, originating in Peru possibly 7,000 years ago and named in English after that country’s capital city. The Spanish occupiers observed that the indigenous people reserved the crop for the elite of their society.
Is that why the Spanish disseminated these delicious beans to the rest of the world? Perhaps. However, when Weaver was asked to cook a dinner of American foods by friends in Germany, he had trouble finding a source for lima beans. Northern Europeans have not embraced this food like Americans because they are a warm weather crop and don’t thrive north of the Alps.
Weaver references many historical writings and includes a gigantic bibliography of cited sources in his appendices. Many are quite old (dating back to 1591) but still very useful for gardening tips, such as putting out whiskey to discourage crows from corn. “I would use the brand of corn whiskey called Rebel Yell. It seems to fit the remedy and evoke some of the sounds I now associate with the birds at the height of their raucous inebriation. Incidentally, it works.”
Published in Garden Notes: Northwest Horticultural Society, Winter 2019
Edible Heirlooms is a great little book! Little only in dimensions and number of pages, as the author carefully defines his purpose and limits his scope, but within those parameters shows you how to grow an outstanding vegetable garden in the maritime Pacific Northwest.
Most important, he sees this endeavor as part of a larger picture. “The challenge for me is to somehow integrate my vegetable-growing practices into a diverse ecosystem and, if possible, enhance biodiversity.” The key for this is to use heirloom varieties that can be regrown from collected seeds. Besides the mouth-watering descriptions, you will also get an excellent history lesson.
Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization that saves and shares heirloom seeds and our garden heritage. Members can exchange seeds with each other and the public may purchase seeds directly.
Seeds of Diversity is Canada’s Heritage Seed Program for gardeners.
The Seed Savers Exchange was founded in 1975 to preserve rare heirloom fruit and vegetable varieties. Today thousands of members work together to keep old time cultivars from disappearing forever. Members pay $35.00 a year to support the non-profit organization and receive three publications a year, one of which is the 120-page yearbook/catalog. Membership is not required to purchase seeds and tomato transplants from the online catalog, www.seedsavers.org. Seed Savers Exchange, 3094 North Winn Road, Decorah, IA 52101; (Phone) 563-382-5990.
A new magazine is available dedicated to antique treasures from the garden. The Heirloom Gardener is published four times per year for a mere $12.00. Articles in the winter 2004 issue range from a history of the Brandywine tomato, renovating neglected pome trees (apples and pears) to a profile on an heirloom vegetable farmer. Color photos and illustrations contribute to the thoughtful, informative articles. To subscribe call 1-866-OLD-SEED, or send a check to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, 2278 Baker Creek Rd, Mansfield, MO 65704, or subscribe online at www.rareseeds.com