May Going to Seed Newsletter

Resource Hub Newsletters
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We talk in the zoom meeting that it would be nice to have a post about the monthlyish newsletter, so here it is.

The Mayish newsletter. Without link, I will include later, have to run.

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Going to Seed

While many of us are entranced with the enticements of spring, the joy of warm, longer days, the green leafing out of the trees, and the awe of saving seeds of a new crop of fava beans, a lot is happening at Going to Seed. I want to share with you exciting upcoming events and updates on some of our programs.

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An Update on the Community Seed Projects

Going to Seed’s Community Seed Projects are evolving! Last year, the projects were piloted by Julia Dakin and Anna Mieritz. They worked with three communities in Northern California by connecting them with local seeds and creating community events. However, despite the initial enthusiasm, seed returns were low. To address this, Julia and Anna spent considerable time figuring out why and how to improve the program. This year, we’re excited about a new model that increases engagement and helps guide participants throughout the season. Read more about the projects and the communities we are working with here.

We want your input!

Join us on Saturday, May 11 at 4 pm EST for a community meeting with the advisors and volunteers of Going to Seed. This is your opportunity to hear about our projects and programs firsthand, give feedback, ask questions, and get involved. Your involvement can truly help us drive meaningful change. Register here to receive the Zoom link.

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Webinar with Joseph Lofthouse

Joseph will share with us the details of his life, from graduating college as a chemist and working in the industry to create weapons of mass destruction to mental breakdowns and nightmares that eventually led him to vow never to kill anything ever again. This exclusive webinar will give us the full story of how Joseph transformed from his destructive antithesis to the joyful gardening guru he is now. To hear Joseph’s untold story, join us on Sunday, May 19th, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM PDT. More information and tickets here.

Muskmelon Growouts

Are you interested in growing muskmelons for the Seed Share Program? We are getting some rare seeds from the US Department of Agriculture seedbank, unavailable in any catalog! We hope to grow as many of these as possible this summer, increase the amount of seed, and include any successful seed lines in next year’s mixes. Interested? Fill out this brief form and we’ll get back to you.

Upcoming Podcast

The podcast team is hosting William DeMille on the 25th of May at 12:00 PM MST. The topic will be on keeping ahead of the weeds using landrace methods and no-till gardening. You may remember William from a previous podcast call on Going to Seed where he showed us his Walipini greenhouse. William has a diverse background featuring education in agriculture and agronomy and certificates in aquaponic engineering and production. He is currently the Director of Georgic Development for Monticello College, Utah, a farm consultant, and runs a school teaching a range of alternative agricultural methods, such as permaculture and silvopasture. William has much to share with us. There will be time after the call for questions. Add the event to your calendar or check out our calendar.

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We still have lots of seeds

If you need seeds for your garden, we still have lots of seeds available. Sweet and grain corn, promiscuous tomatoes, muskmelons, potatoes, quinoa, and moschata, pepo, and maxima squash are all available in abundant quantities—link to the catalog here.

Seed Savers Exchange Conference

The Seed Savers Exchange is hosting its 44th annual conference this year virtually. The conference sessions will be spread out over 4 days, once per month, from May through August. This year’s theme is “Growing Together: Sharing Seeds, Stories, and Skills.” The inspiring, interactive, and informative conference will have speakers talking about community, foodways, plant breeding, and climate. Julia Dakin will speak in July about unlocking the secrets of nutrient-dense gardening through seeds and soil. More information on speakers and the event can be found here and tickets here.

In the midst of spring,

Lowell + Going to Seed

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Interesting. I didn’t get that newsletter. Does it appear in full (with embedded links) somewhere on the forum?

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I didn’t get the Newsletter, I would’ve loved to grow some of these musk melons. Also why aren’t these available in any catalog? Does that mean they’re bad seeds or just undomesticated?

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Halfway down the page is the Mailing List sign up field to enter your email.

That being said, I dont think I got it either and I thought I was on the list. :thinking:

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It doesn’t, but I just added them. :blush:

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@anna Do you still have availability if people want to join the musk melon grow out? It sounds like some interested folks didn’t get the newsletter.

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It’s pretty much impossible to ensure that everyone receives any sort of mass email – but we are doing our best! I’ve made some changes so hopefully more of them will be delivered in the future. I encourage you all to add info@goingtoseed.org to your contacts/address book to improve your odds.

We’ve started posting the newsletters on the website here and can post an announcement in the form as well. @jens maybe you can let me know the best place to categorize that?

As far as the melon grow out: they are not “bad seeds” or undomesticated. They are just not commercially available in the US. They come to us via the USDA GRIN seedbank, from locations around the world. I have distributed what I received, but if others are interested in participating, there are some very interesting melon seeds available in seed savers exchange and some smaller catalogs which I’d love to increase for the seed share program. Message me if you’re interested!

I plan to do more grow outs like this in the future, for different crops. If you have a particular interest in a certain crop, let me know. I’d like to start planning early for next spring, or possibly some fall planted crops.

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I think the Resource Hub would be a good one. It has the Zoom calls, etc in there.

As someone who used to send out newsletters for work, I totally get it. Email providers work against us to try to avoid spam, but sometimes they also avoid the things we want to see! I appreciate all the work you’re doing behind (and in front of!) the scenes, Anna. :heavy_heart_exclamation: