Here’s what we do. I know it’s not the only way to test each crop. But with these mediums we’re able to get reliable and consistent results. So there are 3 mediums we use. For this post I decided to focus on veg crops rather than flowers and herbs because they were the easiest to … More What medium should you use for your germ tests?
I used to get so frustrated with my Nigella seed when it was germination test time. We would test 100 seeds but barely any of them would sprout. But I knew that if I were to sow these seeds in the field, they would all germinate. One year we tested Nigella germination at 15C instead … More The Best Temperature To Run A Germ Test
A nice stand of spinach = deep satisfaction Especially at Tourne-Sol where we struggled with spinach for years. What did we do to get this great stand of spinach? I think we pre-soaked it before seeding it with the Jang. But I actually don’t really know how we did it. This is partly because I’m … More The deep satisfaction of good spinach germination
Managing Germination Tests is a key part of the Seed Inventory Management spreadsheets for a presentation I’m giving with Reiley (from Snake River Seed Coop) during next week”s Organic Seed Alliance seed conference. And MAXIFS is a key part in knowing when the last time you germ tested a specific seed lot. So this #farmspreadsheettip … More FSA Tip #51 Get your last germination date with MAXIFS
Another way to store seed is in a squash 3 important considerations 1?? I’m obviously not saying to put seed in a squash for better storage. The insides of fresh squash are pretty moist environments and generally horrible as seed storage containers. But if you haven’t extracted your squash seed yet, no big problem. It … More Another way to store seed is in a squash
And then there’s those seeds that seem to store forever. I’m thinking specifically of those that we stored in rubbermaids in a closet in our apartment before we moved the seed office to the farm. We didn’t have much sophistication in our temperature control systems – blinds on the windows and a couple of fans. … More Those Seeds That Seem To Store Forever
Counting seed germination tests. Right side of the tray - a petri dish with moist sand. 100 melon seeds were seeded into this dish and then sat in our germination chamber for a few days. Now they’ve sprouted. (Notice the masking tape on the dish with the product code for our seed store (SQ004), the … More Germination Tests In Action
“Let me out of here!” said the radish seed in the germ chamber. These were started Thursday and then ignored until Tuesday. This seed lot looks fine.
This post is the second of three posts about my visit to Fruition Seeds. Last post we walked Fruition’s fields, this post we tour their warehouse. Let’s see how seed travels through the warehouse. From The Field Seed lots comes in from the field and then travel through a series of Bins. Bin A is … More Visiting the Warehouse at Fruition Seeds
At the end of October, on our way back from the Organic Seed Symposium in Moncton, New Brunswick, Greta Kryger and I stopped at Hope Seeds to visit Andrea Berry. In 2004 Andrea Berry became the owner of Hope Seeds, which had been in operation since 1993. Currently situated in Knowlesville, New Brunswick, Andrea is … More Hope Seeds