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2008 SSE Yearbook

It just arrived today! This is old news to most of you because Meg at Future House posted about their copy which arrived a few days ago. I posted last year about the 2007 yearbook, as well as making a post about the yearbook in 2006.

It’s my third year getting the yearbook, and when it arrives my head is always full of thoughts about what I might order as well as the SSE themselves and what kind of organization they are. Really a lot has changed in the world in the last few years, and the SSE has changed a lot too.

Together with sending the yearbook, the SSE sent me an email notifying me it was on it’s way. It’s worth mentioning something else that was in this email. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway opened it’s doors for the first deposits a few days ago, and the SSE sent it’s first deposit of 485 vegetable varieties. The SSE plans to send about 2000 more varieties per year over the next few years, making it one of the worlds largest depositors.

You may remember in my previous posts on the SSE yearbook I mentioned the declining numbers of ‘listed members’. Listed members are those that offer seeds or other plant material to other members. In 2006 there were 756 (down from 801 in 2005), in 2007 there were 726 and in 2008 there are 716. Their peak was in 1995 when they had 1031 listed members. Obviously this is very important, because these listed members are the core of how and why the SSE was established, and are by many measures the most important reason it is so special and why people join.

In the past I’ve made several posts attributing the reason for the decline in listed members to older members being no longer able to participate and not enough younger members stepping forward to take their place. It’s clear not everything is quite so simple anymore.

What is clear is the number of younger people starting to save their own seeds is soaring, and membership in seed saving organizations all over the world has been increasing. Even the SSE has seen this increase, now having over 8000 members in total.

Biodiversity treaties enacted in the early 1990s, clearing the way for the Svalbard Global Seed Vault required participants to either be a botanical garden/educational institution or a private seed company.

In the case of seed collections from botanical gardens and education institutions, these would be funded by corporate interests and exist for their purposes. This would mean for example if Monsanto needed to develop a new GM soybean, they could use a variety from one of these collections, genetically modify it, then patent it. These collections are now closed to the public.

Collections belonging to private seed companies would remain property of those companies.

It appears recent changes in the last decade at the SSE were made at least in part to accommodate these new treaties, and in order for the SSE to become a private seed company with it’s own collection that it could protect and make sure their members and members of the public continued to have access to it. This is the good news, and there is every indication that they are succeeding in their goals in this respect.

At the same time, in the midst of their commercial successes, they seem to be losing touch with their members.

Towards the end of 2007 the SSE board of directors fired the CEO of the SSE, co-founder Kent Whealy. He is the former husband of the now acting CEO Diane Ott Whealy. A series of letters from different people stating their positions on the matter went out to SSE members or were published on the Internet.

I don’t have an opinion, or indeed enough information to offer much of an opinion, other than to say I am a little disappointed a better way could not have been found and a way that allowed Kent Whealy to stay at the SSE.

This entire event seems to be an indication of larger splits within the SSE, and could be connected with the declining numbers of listed members.

I plan to continue as a listed SSE member and I urge others to do the same. I also urge everyone including non-members to continue to purchase seeds and other plant materials from the SSE website and catalog.

At the same time, I think we should realize that the day may come where the SSE can no longer function as a seed exchange organization, and we should look towards making sure good alternatives exist, like other local or national seed exchange organizations. I would encourage everyone to support these alternatives as well.

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Seed Trays

Seed Tray

For those of you new to starting seeds indoors, or those who have never used a seed tray, I would really suggest giving one a try. Almost every seed I start indoors begins in a seed tray.

The main reason is when starting seeds you almost always sow a number of seeds, which don’t all germinate, then you choose one or more from what’s left. A seed tray works a lot better, because instead of putting a few seeds in a number of different pots, you start with all the seeds in one place.

For example, if you want three of the same tomato plants, you might plant 10 seeds in a tray. Out of these 10 seeds, a few probably won’t germinate and one or two others won’t be healthy for some obvious reason. You can then choose the five best seedlings, and transplant them into their own containers. Out of these five seedlings, you can plant the best three and give the others away or discard them. In this way, you end up with the three best plants available from the 10 seeds you started with.

If you have six or eight different kinds of plants you want to grow at the same time, you can just make little rows in the same tray, and use plastic markers so you know what is what (like in the picture). Since trays take up a lot less space than pots, you will need fewer lights and less room to start so many different plants.

Another possibility is you have some old seeds, and you don’t know if they will germinate anymore. For example, I grow celeriac (celery root) each year, and the seeds come in packets containing hundreds of tiny seeds. If you take suspect seed like this and simply broadcast it over an entire seed tray, as thickly as you think is appropriate, and even just a small percentage of it germinates, you can just transplant out the seedlings that do emerge. Even if you get a much higher rate of germination than you expect, it’s not difficult to deal with a lot of seedlings in a tray as long as you don’t wait too long and let them become too established.

Some plants, most notably tomatoes, become stronger if they are transplanted. Tomatoes have naturally weak root systems, and also have the ability to form roots on any part of the plant that becomes buried. What I do is transplant them from the seed tray, as deeply as possible into a plastic pot. Only the top few leaves should remain above the soil. Then when I transplant again out into the garden, I again bury the plant all the way up to the top few leaves. In this way, the plant is ‘shocked’ into developing stronger roots.

Mostly I have very close to a 100% transplant success rate with seedlings from trays, only a few kinds of plants will not tolerate being transplanted out of a tray into a pot.

While you can use a number of things as a homemade tray, I suggest buying a proper tray from a garden center. It will have the proper drainage holes on the bottom, and be the proper depth for working. Trays come in many different sizes and they all work equally well. My trays are about 15x20cm. If you use a heating pad when starting seeds indoors, think about buying trays that will fit nicely on it.

A heating pad can be very useful. Some plants, like peppers will not germinate unless you keep them above 22C/70F day and night, and since many people’s homes are not that warm at night a heating pad is the perfect solution. Keep in mind a heating pad will cause your plants to dry out more quickly, so be sure to water it often. Once your seeds have germinated, the heating pad is no longer useful and should be turned off.

It can help seeds germinate if you cover the tray with a piece of kitchen plastic with a few holes poked in it with a fork for air. This helps keep the moisture in. Be sure to remove this plastic after 24-48 hours or mold can form. I use a purchased ‘propagator’, which is a heated tray with a plastic lid that works in a similar way.

Normally you want to transplant the seedlings out of the tray as soon as the first set of ‘real’ leaves form, this is the set of leaves that come after the initial cotelydons. To transplant, just loosen the planting medium with a table knife or something similar and pluck the seedlings out gently with your fingers. This will be easier if the seed tray is not too crowded. Except for tomatoes which can be planted much deeper, most seedlings should be transplanted to about the same depth they were in the tray. If you have trouble at this stage with the seedlings breaking or being too delicate, it’s sign they didn’t get enough light.

Before starting any indoor planting project, especially if you are reusing containers from the previous year, higiene is very important to avoid plant diseases. I suggest first cleaning everything with a little soap and water, then sterilizing it by soaking for a few minutes in water with a little bleach added.

You can make your own seed starting mix from homemade compost, but it has to be sterilized by cooking it in a warm oven for about 30 minutes. Otherwise, commercial seed starting mix can be purchased. When making your own seed starting mixes, be sure everything is sterilized first, and remember seedlings are very delicate and even the most gentle or natural of fertilizers can be too strong and kill them. It’s commonly suggested that you let the seed starting mix sit around for a month or two after adding your own fertilizer to it in order to let it ‘cool off’.

One of the best overall planting guides I’ve seen, as well as charts for determining when to start different plants indoors, can be found here.

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Seed Swaps

Emma of The Fluffius Muppetus blog and The Alternative Kitchen Garden podcast just reminded me it’s the season for seed swaps.  Check out her latest podcast.

For those of you in the UK within traveling distance of Brighton, you may want to visit Seedy Sunday on 3 February.  Everyone else will have to search around themselves.  I’m sure there are Seedy Saturdays and Sundays going on across Canada this year, and the links on the front of this blog may help you find more information about these.

For those of you who don’t have any seeds to share, these events almost always have free seeds or seeds available for purchase.

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How Long Are Seeds Good For?

This is a question that comes up frequently, and was recently asked by farmgirl_dk in a discussion on Future House. I thought rather than write a very long comment I would make a post about it here.

When you buy a packet of seeds it almost always comes printed with a message saying the seeds are intended for planting in the current gardening year. The question is, can you keep the seeds longer?

In North America seed companies are generally required by law to germination test seeds before they sell them, and the test results are only valid for a few months (about 6 I think). If seeds do not have a minimum germination rate, the seed companies are not allowed to sell them. Once the period of validity for the germination test expires, they either have to be retested or discarded.

What this means is most of the larger seed companies will simply have a large stock of seeds for a particular plant and germination test them each year. Each year if they pass they sell them, otherwise they discard them.

Outside of North America germination testing is not always required. I’ve certainly on more than one occasion purchased a packet of dead seeds here in Amsterdam.

Few seed companies want to admit they are selling very old seeds, so they are generally not labelled with the year they were actually produced. In order to predict how long seeds will last, you really have to have some idea of how old they are.

Since a very important factor in how long seeds last is how well they are stored, and when you buy a packet of seeds you have no idea if it was handled correctly throughout the whole distribution process, it’s very hard to know the condition of seeds when you get them. This is one of the reasons the validity period of the germination test is only a few months, and they are labelled as intended for use within a short period of time.

What I’ve said so far mostly applies to larger seed companies, and seeds purchased through seed catalogs or at garden centers.

If however you purchase seeds directly from a small reputable seed company, like the ones listed on the front page of this blog, they will generally not only label the seeds with the year they were produced but also properly store them up until the time they send them to you. They also don’t usually sell you seeds more than a year or two old. Assuming you store them properly yourself, it is possible to have a good idea of how long these seeds will last. Of course the same thing applies to seeds you have saved yourself.

How Long Are they Good For?

Every plant is a little different, but assuming proper storage, here are some times for common vegetables:

Tomatoes: 5-10 years

Peppers: 3 years

Sweet Corn: 3 years

Other Corn: 5-10 years

Parsnips: 1 year

Cole Plants: 5 years

Carrots: 3 years

Beets and Chard: 6 years

Lettuce: 3 years

Spinach: 5 years

What Happens When They Go Bad?

When seeds get too old their rate of germination decreases, and the chances of them developing into a plant is less.

In general, the only thing that matters for a healthy plant is the DNA contained within the seed. If you have old seed, you manage to get it to germinate and it grows into a plant, there is no reason why that plant should be any less healthy than one grown from a fresh seed.

Your Own Germination Test

If you have some seeds and you want to know if they are still good, one of the best ways to find out is to do your own germination test. To do this, take a few seeds and set them between a few layers of wet paper towel for several days to a week, then count the number of seeds that germinated and compute them as a percentage of the total number of seeds. A germination rate above 50% usually means the seeds are suitable for planting. Less than 50% means you will probably really struggle to get them to grow, and you should get fresh seeds if possible. A germination rate between 50-80% means you should probably sow the seeds closer together in your garden then thin them after they germinate.

Proper Storage

I’ve made a number of posts in the past on the proper way to store seeds, for example here.

In general, proper storage means in a dry place at a steady temperature, in paper or plastic envelopes or bags. The actual temperature in not too critical, but it’s better if it’s on the cool side. You should always protect your seeds from direct sunlight. The bottom of a closet is a good choice.

For longer term storage there are a number of options, like refrigerating or freezing the seeds. For this to be done properly the seeds must be completely dry and stored in a container such as a glass jar with a rubber seal. These storage options always involve some risk, and shouldn’t be used for short term storage. These storage options are rarely useful for purchased seeds with an unknown production date.

Properly freezing seeds will generally extend their shelf life 10 times over unfrozen seeds, so for example tomato seeds up to 100 years, pepper seeds up to 30 years and so on.

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Real Seed Catalogue Order

Seed Order

I recently placed an order of seeds and tubers with the Real Seed Catalogue in the UK, and I was really impressed.

On the left side of the picture you can see my order receipt. Printed on this receipt (double sided to save paper) are both personalized seed saving and cooking instructions for each item I purchased.

Inserted into each plastic seed bag are very detailed planting instructions, together with common mistakes, problems and general advice. Far more than the usual planting date range, spacing and depth information you usually get.

Literally, every bit of useful information they could have sent me they did.  When is the last time you bought a packet of seeds and got cooking instructions?

Not to be missed was also the following on their receipt:

“This is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, so there are no shares, and therefore no shareholders to siphon off funds – instead, all spare income is invested back into our vegetable seed research and breeding work.”

So, while we all refer to them as a seed company, we need to keep in mind they are a little more than that.  I think Europe is very lucky to have a seed company like them.