Resources

Baker Creek’s mission is to provide the seeds of a sustainable food supply for everyone and keep heirloom varieties alive for future generations.  They believe that farmers, gardeners and communities have the right to save their own seed, and in so doing preserve seed diversity and food security in an age of corporate agriculture and patented, hybridized or genetically modified seeds. All the seeds they sell can be saved, shared and traded, and we encourage people to save their own seed.  Charitable giving is a foundation of their business. They work with non-profit organizations, a significant portion of our annual profits goes toward providing food, emergency aid, sustainable development and education to people in the U.S. and abroad. They also provide free seeds to hundreds of community and educational groups each year, because we believe that everyone should have access to nutrient-dense, delicious food, season after season.  Founder Jere Gettle started Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. in 1998 as a hobby, and though it has since grown into North America’s largest heirloom seed company, they’ve never lost their passion for growing and sharing heirloom varieties.

At Botanical Interests, their goal is to inspire and educate the gardener in you. That is why, since 1995 they have been supplying garden centers and home gardeners with high quality seed in beautiful and informative seed packets on the market. Curtis and Judy started Botanical Interests because they believed that gardeners were not getting the information they needed on seed packets. Their desire to provide more information led them to create a unique seed packet that includes art, garden history, landscape ideas, organic gardening know-how, recipes, fun facts, and of course, high-quality seed.

In the heart of the Finger Lakes of western New York, Fruition shares organic, regionally adapted seeds as well as the tools, inspiration & insight for us all to thrive.  All their seeds are open-pollinated heirlooms for you to save and share, except for two F1 tomatoes, Bradywise and Summer Sweetheart.  They grow about sixty percent of our seed on our farm, sourcing the balance from organic growers, mostly in the Northeast, who share our vision for regional adaptation.

High Mowing Organic Seeds began in 1996 with just 28 varieties.  Since then, their company has grown exponentially, and what started as a one-man operation is now a thriving business making available to home gardeners and commercial growers over 600 heirloom, open-pollinated and hybrid varieties of vegetable, fruit, herb and flower seed. True to their roots, High Mowing Organic Seeds continues to source many of the varieties we sell directly from independent, passionate organic seed farmers, including from the 40 acre working farm owned and operated by Tom Stearns in northern Vermont.  They believe in a deeper understanding of how re-built food systems can support health on all levels – healthy environments, healthy economies, healthy communities and healthy bodies. They also believe in a hopeful and inspired view of the future based on better stewardship for our planet. Every day that they are in business, they are growing; working to provide an essential component in the re-building of our healthy food systems: the seeds.

Seed Savers Exchange stewards Americaʼs culturally diverse and endangered garden and food crop legacy for present and future generations. They educate and connect people through collecting, regenerating, and sharing heirloom seeds, plants, and stories.  Since 1975, SSA has been working hard to keep heirloom varieties where they belong—in our gardens, on our tables, and in our hearts. Connect thousands of home gardeners, farmers, and others through the world’s largest seed exchange, open to all. Collect, store, and regenerate the seeds of thousands of rare, heirloom, and open-pollinated varieties at our Heritage Farm headquarters—as well as back up our collection at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault—in essence saving seeds of these varieties so that they do not disappear.  Distribute select varieties from the collection through our catalog and website, and the Seed Exchange, so that gardeners everywhere may grow and enjoy these rare treasures.  Educate gardeners on best practices for gardening and the time-honored, critical—though nearly forgotten—practice of seed saving.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is located in the rolling hills of central Virginia, between Richmond and Charlottesville, not far from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Their 72-acre farm has goats, chickens, hayfields, an herb garden, and extensive vegetable gardens for seed production, trialing, and eating.  Southern Exposure Seed Exchange offers about 800 varieties of vegetable, flower, herb, grain and cover crop seeds. They emphasize varieties that perform well in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, although gardeners and farmers over the country grow their seeds. As of 2017, over 60% of the varieties we offer are Certified Organic, and over 60% are grown by small farmers they know and contract with directly. They are a worker-run cooperative where every worker has a voice in the decisions of the company and where workers receive equal compensation regardless of the economic value traditionally placed on the jobs done. We strive to provide a flexible and enriching work environment where each person is inspired to take on multiple roles and to think creatively about how they can continue to improve their work. They have a commitment to quality in all aspects of their service to their customers.

* Note that the best time to get your soil tested is in the fall so that you have a buffer of time to apply recommendations and amend soils prior to the primary growing season.

The Cornell Nutrient Analysis Laboratory (CNAL) provides a wide-range of research quality analyses for environmental and biological samples using state-of-the-art analytical equipment and techniques.

Their clientele includes researchers, Extension educators, state and federal agencies, crop consultants, farmers, home gardeners, and others throughout New York, across the nation, and around the world.

Throughout the year, CNAL shares their work with stakeholders at commodity meetings, national conferences, and through our website. They also offer educational opportunities for students, and host numerous tours of the facilities.

CNAL is committed to the ongoing development of innovative analytical tools and methodologies. CNAL partners with the public and private sectors to research and develop new tests.  They have the capacity to analyze diverse types of environmental and biological samples, and provide analytical services to the food and beverage industry, biotechnology firms, and aquaculture companies. You can contact them at [email protected] to learn more!

Penn State Extension is a modern educational organization dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses, and communities. They provide access to face-to-face and online education to their customers—when they want it, where they want it, and how they want it—to help them address problems and take advantage of opportunities for improvement and innovation. Partnering with and funded by federal, state, and county governments, they have a long tradition of bringing unbiased support and education to the citizens of Pennsylvania. They aim to make a difference locally through focused engagement, and more widely to customers connecting in the digital landscape.

Aka Joe Lamp’l is the Creator, Host and Executive Producer of the Emmy-award-winning national PBS series, Growing a Greener World®, Founder of joegardener.com, and creator of the new joe gardener Online Gardening Academy™. He is also the previous host of Fresh from the Garden on DIY Network, as well as on-air contributor to Today, Good Morning America and The Weather Channel. Past awards include The American Horticultural Society’s B.Y. Morrison Communication Award, which recognizes effective and inspirational communication—through print, radio, television, podcasts and other online media.

Since 1982 Charles Dowding has been practising no dig in his market gardens, on areas ranging from a quarter to seven acres. He has written seven books on gardening organically and without digging, and gives regular talks and courses on the subject. His methods centre on using compost as a mulch, rather than unrotted organic matter which tends to accumulate slugs in the damp, British climate. He encourages gardeners to be adaptable in their approach, according to local soil, conditions and crops grown. His own speciality is salad leaves for sale to local outlets and the plants grow well in undisturbed soil.

Lee Reich, PhD is an avid farmdener (more than a gardener, less than a farmer) with graduate degrees in soil science and horticulture. After working in plant and soil research with the USDA and Cornell University, he shifted gears and turned to writing, lecturing, and consulting.  His books include  A Northeast Gardener’s Year, The Pruning Book, Weedless Gardening, Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden, Landscaping With Fruit, and Grow Fruit Naturally. He writes regularly for a number of gardening magazines and his syndicated gardening column for Associated Press appears biweekly from coast to coast.  His farmden has been featured in such publications as the New York Times and Martha Stewart Living, has won awards from National Gardening and Organic Gardening Magazines, and has been included in “Open Days” tours of the Garden Conservancy.

Margaret Roach – A Way to Garden, has been writing about gardening for about 30 years. In my previous lives, I was garden editor at “Newsday” newspaper (one of the country’s largest dailies) and then for Martha Stewart, where I was the first garden editor of “Living” magazine and later EVP/Editorial Director of her magazines, books and internet.

Niki Jabbour is the award-winning author of three books – The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener (2012 American Horticultural Society Book Award), Groundbreaking Food Gardens, and Niki Jabbour’s Veggie Garden Remix (Winner of the 2019 American Horticultural Society Book Award, Winner of the Gold Award from GardenComm, and short-listed for a 2019 Taste Canada Award). She also writes for magazines like Fine Gardening, Horticulture, and Birds & Blooms. Niki is an in-demand speaker, offering seminars and keynotes at events, shows, societies, and greenhouses across North America such as the Northwest Flower & Garden Show, The Dow Gardens, The Philadelphia Flower Show, The Boston Flower Show, and Canada Blooms. For the past 12 years Niki has hosted and executive produced her popular radio show, The Weekend Gardener which airs on News 95.7 FM in Halifax as well as online. For her broadcasting work, Niki won the 2015 Gold Award from GardenComm as ‘Best On-Air Talent’. Niki is very active on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and you can find her gardening videos on Youtube. When she’s not writing, speaking, or broadcasting about food gardening she’s in her twenty raised bed vegetable garden in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Petra Page-Mann was raised in the Finger Lakes of New York, Petra spent over a decade traveling the world studying agriculture before returning to her hometown to start her own farm, Fruition Seeds, in 2012.  She has worked for one of the smallest seed companies in the world & also one of the largest.  She passionately grows, breeds, saves, shares & eats the seeds of certified organic, regionally adapted vegetables, flowers & herbs.  If she’s not farming she is singing, on her bike, hunting mushrooms or sharing a feast with a friend.

Tanya Anderson – The Lovely Greens, is an organic gardener, soap maker, beekeeper, and green living enthusiast on the Isle of Man.  Lovely Greens is about sharing with you what I’ve learned.  How to grow herbs, vegetables, and fruit, and how to use them to make soap and natural beauty products.  At the heart of Lovely Greens is the philosophy that gardening and traditional crafts bring us back to our roots as people.  We were made to make!

The Joe Gardener Show

This podcast is devoted to all things gardening. National gardening television host, Joe Lamp’l, guides you through each episode with practical tips and information to help you become a better, smarter gardener, no matter where you are on your journey. This series has a strong emphasis on organic gardening and growing food, but covers a diverse range of topics from one of the country’s most informed and leading gardening personalities today.

A WAY TO GARDEN is the horticultural incarnation of Margaret Roach

Encyclopedia Botanica

A weekly podcast about edible gardening.

Epic Gardening

The Epic Gardening podcast is a daily gardening tips and advice show brought to you by Kevin Espiritu, an urban gardener, hydroponics enthusiast, and all-around plant lover. Every day, a gardening question from YOU will be answered in a fun and informative way in under 10 minutes!