Hit the Dirt; Non-Profit Seeds

Hello. And welcome to another hit the dirt. Well the weather is turning cold and that means the seed catalogs will begin appearing in our mailboxes soon. So if you have come across any new interesting seed companies this past year now's a good time to get on their mailing list. If you haven't done so already. Last winter I aired a couple of hit the dirt shows during the month of January. Briefly describing some of my favorite mail order seed companies. And while I hope that it was helpful to at least some of you out there I do realize that many gardeners prefer to cozy up with their favorite catalogs and dream about the upcoming growing season. During the long nights of December and January there also are advantages to ordering seats early as availability and service are often much better before the spring seat ordering rush begins in February. So this year I'm getting my act together and giving you shows on C company's November giving ample time to order a catalog before the snow flies. This year like to focus on a few special seed companies that you might want to check out what makes them special is that they are run by nonprofit organizations. For me there are two main attractions to doing

business with these nonprofits. One is that the organizations use the net income they get from the seed sales to provide important human services and solve critical environmental problems. So I feel good about my purchases. Knowing my dollars are serving my basic needs and are helping to address the world social ecological needs at the same time. The second attraction is that their catalogs are among the most interesting for the purposes of the organizations permeate the catalogs giving them a substance and flavor not often found among the slew of seed catalogs that land in my mailbox. They are filled with seeds books and gardening supplies not commonly available from other commercial seed companies. Even if these organizations weren't focused on doing the good work that they do their unique offerings make them worth looking into. Abundant Life Seed Foundation based in Port Townsend Washington is one of the organizations I recommend getting acquainted with founded about 15 years ago by force Shomer abundant life is devoted to the issues

of seed and plant preservation and the maintenance of our agricultural heritage. Concerned about the rapidly eroding base of genetic diversity in crops as well as the bureaucratic and corporate centralization which threatens that diversity. The seed foundation offers numerous educational programs to provide a skills to help build a broad community interested in producing food saving seeds and protecting and advancing natural landscapes abundant life. Also offer services that assists others working in the realm of food and freedom from hunger expanding planting cultural diversity and restoring the land to productivities and beauty. One such service is the world seed fund which puts good C in the hands of those who most need and can least afford them. They have distributed seed to domestic and international charitable groups such as refugee and hunger relief programs as well as community youth. Senior and handicapped garden programs. Their catalog offers a good range of flowers and vegetables including the number of varieties. I've not seen available elsewhere. They also have a nice selection of

greens crops as well as an extensive listing of herbs and wild flowers and for those adventurous seed starters. They even sell the seed of over 60 different trees and shrubs all the seed they sell is open pollinated So the gardeners can save their own and none of the seed they sell is treated with fungicides or other chemical substances which have no place in their vision of a sustainable agriculture. Much of the seed the Careys obtained locally by the foundation through its membership staff and network of organic growers. The goal is to have homegrown seed for all the varieties they offer. Personally I really like the idea of a company that is supplied by a network of small scale growers. For those of you who like to grow and save your own seed they offer seed processing supplies like stainless steel seed cleaning screens cloth bags seed envelopes and a hand operated see through. Their catalog is rounded out by an extensive book list with offerings ranging from inspirational and spiritual to

permaculture in practical gardening to health and healing to food preparation and processing. All in all the Abundant Life Foundation catalog is enticing and thought provoking. You can order it from the abundant life seed foundation P.O. Box 7 7 2 Port Townsend Washington 9 8 3 6 8. The address again is abundant life seed foundation. P.O. Box 7 7 2 Port Townsend Washington 9 8 3 6 8. Well that is all I have time for this week. Please join me again next Thursday morning when I will take a look at Native Seed Search another nonprofit seed distributor. Until then. Happy growing and you may your life be filled with abundance.