Monday, December 15, 2014

Like a New Year's Resolution: A Target!


Burgandy Okra Seeds - "On the hoof" 


A year ago I drew up a list of seeds I thought would be the ones to save – I asked around for others to suggest varieties that I might have missed, but there haven't been a lot of responses.

I was explaining to someone the other day that SLOLA has something like 200 varieties of vegetables in our bank and how I would rather have fewer varieties with larger quantities of each. He suggested that I was postulating the same lack of diversity I decry in the world of seed today.

After thinking about it for a couple of days, I think I have an answer to that accusation: It is better to save a fewer varieties of seed and save them well than to have hundreds of different varieties and save them poorly. I would like SLOLA to save all the seeds that will grow here successfully, but that could easily be more seeds than SLOLA can handle at present.

It is more important that we start where we are (we can't really start somewhere else, can we?) and begin to learn how to save seeds of several major varieties and have them on hand. At present, there aren't that many members who are experienced at growing out to seed. Those who can reliably grow plants out to seed need to apply themselves to growing out the difficult seeds and grow enough out to insure a supply on hand for the rest of our members.

Last year, compiling my list of seeds to save, I was heading east on I-70 through Illinois into Indiana ending up at Ft. Wayne to celebrate Christmas. I was in the back of a car with my little Netbook and using a Blackberry to be online. This year, I'm at home and surrounded by seed catalogs, including the two most often cited as 'veggie porn' catalogs (Seed Savers' Exchange and Baker Creek Heirlooms) and was able to use their listings to create the following list of seeds to save.

In compiling this list, I have relied a lot on my own experience with these different varieties and have selected those first. In addition, I have sought diversity of plants (not all early, but some early, some mid-season and some late, where the varieties allowed that). I also looked for performance in many different criteria – including, hardiness, production, flavor, uniqueness as well as historical significance and, in a few cases, we have varieties to save because they are a family heirloom that might be lost if we don't save them.

Some types of plants have many varieties to save and some just a few. Limiting factors could be 1.) lack of varieties; 2.) lack of varieties that do well in Southern Califonia; 3.) I am not familiar with many varieties and so choose to not make a decision (eggplant is an example) and 4.) one or two varieties are considered sufficient to supply the need. For example, in the case of cilantro, there are several (not many) named varieties on the market, but having grown all the cilantros I've found, the differences are negligible and so I simply list cilantro without any varieties. Slo-Bolt bolted faster for me than the cilantro have self seeding in my garden.

Here's the number one reason to share this: we seed savers in SLOLA need to hear from everyone who has suggestions for varieties of veggies to save. The Seed Savers Of Los Angeles need to build a list of seeds to save – a 'target' for us to shoot for. Email us via the blog or bring your list to any SLOLA meeting – I’ll be willing to add your suggestions to my list. Let's see if we can double this in the coming year!

This is a work in progress! OUR work!

Varieties of Vegetable Seeds I Believe We* Should Save

Artichokes




Green Globe
Violetto


Beans (nominally
Phaseolus vulgaris)



Aquadulce (Fava)
Broad Windsor (Fava)
Cannelini Bush Bean (Dry/Bush)
Christmas (Lima/Climbing)
Envy (Soybean)
Golden Wax Bean (Wax/Bush)
Henderson (Lima/Bush)
Hutterite Soup
Pencil Pod (Wax/Bush)
Pineschi Family Bean (Vigna unguiculata)
Royal Burgundy Bean (Purple/Early)
Scarlet Runner (Phaseolus coccineus)
Beets


Bull's Blood
Crosby's Egyptian
Burpee's Golden
Chioggia
Detroit Dark Red
Yellow Cylindrical
Broccoli


DiCicco
Nutribud
Romanesco
Brussels Sprouts


Long Island Improved
Cabbage


Copenhagen Market Cabbage
Early Jersey Wakefield
Glory of Einkhuizan
Mammoth Red Rock
Perfection Drumhead Savoy
Premium Late Flat Dutch
Winningstadt
Carrot


Scarlet Nantes Carrot
Chantenay Red Core
Danvers Half Long
White Belgian
Cauliflower


Early Snowball
Chard


Five Color Silverbeet Chard (AKA Rainbow Chard)
Fordhook Giant
Celery and Celeriac


Giant Prague (Celeriac)
Utah Tall (Celery)
Corn


Black Azte,
Country Gentleman Corn
Golden Bantam Corn
Oaxacan Green Dent
Stowells Evergreen
Corn (Popcorn)


Strawberry
Cucumber


Armenian
Eggplant



Grains (except corn and wheat)


Flax
Quinoa, Shelly 25 Black
Sesame, Light Seeded


Kale
Blue Curled Scotch
Lacinato
Leek
Blue Solaise
Carentan
King Richard
Lettuce




lBack Seeded Simpson
Brune d'Hiver
Cimmaron
Drunken Woman Frizzy Head
Forellenschluss
Merlot
Merveille des Quatre Saison
Parris Island Cos
Red Romaine
Rouge d'Hiver
Rouge Grenobloise
Summertime
Tango
Tom Thumb
Webbs Wonderful
Yugoslavian Red
Melons



Charentais
Green Nutmeg
Hale's Best
Metki White Serpent (cucumber)
Tigger
Okra




Burgundy
Clemson Spineless
Don't Knowcra
Star of David
Onion




Iitoy
Red of Florence
Parsnip




Harris Model
Peas
Alaska
Lincoln
Little Marvel
Tall Telephone
Oregon Sugar Pod
Sugar Snap
Pepper
Anaheim
Corno di Toro
Fish
Italian Pepperoncini
Jalapeno Early
Jimmy Nardello Italian
Red Marconi
Squash – Summer
Lebanese White Bush Marrow
Zucchini – Lungo Bianco
Squash - Winter




Black Futsu
Chersonskaya
Delicata
Marina di Chioggia
Queensland Blue Squash
Sweet Meat
Tomato




Amish Paste
Big Rainbow
Black Cherry
Black From Tula
Black Icicle
Cherokee Purple
Copia
Cream Sausage
Federle
Flammé
Orange Banana
Orange Icicle
Roman Candle
Rutgers
San Marzano
San Remo
Striped Roman
Thessaloniki
Wapsipinicon Peach
Turnip




Purple Top White Globe
Wheat




Federation 126
Perennial Wheat
Sonoran White


david




*“We” being the Seed Library of Los Angeles   

1 comment:

  1. Much Gratitude for all this dedicated work you persist in David! Having the posted 'starting point' could really help get gardeners focused, organized and grow crops out more efficiently is my hope. Logistics of cross pollinators and preventative measures is something I often ponder.

    ReplyDelete