The foundation of every farm and garden begins with a seed. On this week’s episode, we dive into the world of seed production, why it matters, and how you can be more informed about purchasing seed and producing your own. Don Tipping is a farmer, permaculturalist, seedsman, and owner of Siskiyou Seeds, in the Siskiyou mountains of southwest Oregon. As stated on their website, “Siskiyou Seeds is dedicated to providing growers of all scales with organic, open-pollinated seeds of exceptional vigor, quality, and integrity.  We are unique in the seed world in that we actually grow most of the seed that we sell here at our home farm.” Today, Don walks us through why it matters that Siskiyou Seeds actually *grows* their own seeds at their home farm, or by partnering with nearby farms, and how bio-regionally adapted seeds are the gateway to the heirlooms of tomorrow.  Corinne and Don discuss— Origin story of Siskiyou SeedsThe work of adapting seed “with your hands on the dial” How the industry at large moved away from open-pollinated seed selection, to exclusively hybrids How to make open-pollinated seeds even better than hybrids using classical seed selection techniquesHow large scale commercial seed production is geared to a very specific market based on economies of scale Wild Garden SeedHow John Navazio shaped Don’s education of learning how to breed for disease resistance, nutrition etcGregor Mendel and the birth of geneticsThe overlapping of art and farming in seed production and flower farming Why bioregional adaptation matters for producing the seed crops of tomorrowHow to separate the wheat from the chaff in open-pollinated seed productionTurtle Tree SeedsAdding a face to a seed packet Creating a “Terroir” seed collectionRowen White of Sierra SeedsDon Tipping’s Seed Academy Nikolai Vavilov Kristyn Leach of Namu Farm and Second Generation SeedsThe journey of the cucurbita maxima to the United StatesUsing genomics to unpack the “real” story of seedsHow the home gardener can look at seed saving The importance of curiosity The need to backstop, or guarantee, bioregional seed companiesFind Don and his products at siskiyouseeds.com, as well as on Instagram @siskiyouseeds If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend or leave a review—it helps this work grow. Subscribe to The Soft Focus Podcast And if you’re craving food that aligns with your values, don’t forget to order from the ranch. It’s nourishment that supports your body and the soil. Connect with us: [email protected] IG@latebloomerranch Thanks for being here. – Corinne

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