This year I’m taking things up a notch by participating in 2 different Seed Saver’s Exchange (SSE) Citizen Science Corps programs. They have a program called ADAPT where gardeners can test out 3 different varieties of a crop and then provide feedback to help SSE determine what to offer in their catalog next year. I’ve signed up for kale, lettuce and beans.
The other program is called RENEW which is going to put my seed saving skills to the test! I signed up to grow a Roma style tomato and then return a minimum of 700 seeds from at least 12 individual plants. They have to be isolated from all of my other tomatoes by at least 100 feet to ensure they don’t get cross pollinated by all those busy bees out there. It’s yet another form of social distancing! My saved seeds will go into the SSE seed vault in Decorah, Iowa and some may also be shared with the international seed vault in Svalbard, Norway. I’m very excited by the fact that I am helping to preserve this seed variety for future generations!