Overview

The comprehensive grower's guide to seed production The Seed Farmer is required reading for any grower who cares about being part of a truly sustainable local food system. Whether you're interested in growing your own seeds for on-farm use, or scaling up for retail or commercial sales, this comprehensive manual will help you ensure reliable access to quality seed stock adapted to your own climate and bioregion. Coverage includes: The journey to self-sufficiency-how to extricate yourself from the modern seed distribution industry and develop varieties adapted to your location and climate When to worry about cross-pollination, crop timing, and poor seed genetics and when to ignore these issues on your small farm or market garden Detailed profiles and practical, hands-on growing and harvesting techniques for dozens of vegetable and flower crops The economics of seed production, and the business case for scaling up and selling seeds into local, retail, or wholesale channels Farm planning, sowing schedules, projected crop yields, and other considerations. With everything you need to help integrate seed production into your small-scale farm or market garden simply, profitably, and successfully, this unique and exciting guide proves that going to seed is easier than you think!

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9780865719965

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Reviews

I've known Dan Brisebois for many years, and he is truly a master at what he does—passionate, highly informed, and rigorous in his approach. This book is an absolute must-read for anyone who is committed to making a real difference in the world. As you embark on your seed-saving journey, Dan's guidance will empower you to reclaim and preserve the biodiversity that our planet so desperately needs. —JM Fortier, organic farmer and teacher, Market Gardener Institute and author, The Market Gardener I love this book! If you are considering producing seeds on your vegetable or flower farm, or even starting your own seed company, Dan walks you gently and honestly through the weeds with a reminder to take small steps until you find your footing on your seed journey.Thank you Dan! —Owen Taylor, Truelove Seeds In this practical, down-to-earth book, Dan Brisbois draws from decades of experience to document every step of the seed-saving process, from planning and growing to cleaning and sharing the harvest. The Seed Farmer is a fantastic resource for small-scale growers looking to add value to their existing farm business. —Erin Benzakein, owner, Floret Farm and author, Floret Farm's A Year in Flowers This is the book that seed growers have been waiting for! Written in an engaging style that reads like a series of lessons from a mentor, The Seed Farmer is full of advice and valuable insights that both novice and experienced seed farmers will find valuable. Crop planning, rough yield data, marketing strategies, and photos of harvest and post-harvest processing are some of the details that earn this book a spot in every seed grower's collection. —Sarah Kleeger, founder, Adaptive Seeds Dan Brisbois provides accessible, approachable, and valuable advice for demystifying the art and science of seed growing. His voice rings with authenticity, drawing from his years in the field and hours of long conversations with fellow seed growers. —Micaela Colley, Research and Education Co-Director, Organic Seed Alliance Having worked in the seed industry, I can say this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to get started saving their own seeds. Whether you want to grow seeds on your market farm or for your own garden, for your own use or for sale, start here. There are steps that need to be taken for seeds to germinate well and grow true-to type, and Dan Brisebois covers all of them in his down-to-earth writing style with plenty of examples from his own experience. —Andrew Mefferd, editor, Growing for Market magazine The Seed Farmer is the definitive guide to seed saving for market growers. I'm already putting ideas from it into practice on our micro farm. It's my favorite kind of farming book—practical, inspirational, accessible. Saving seeds is essential work—we can't lose this knowledge. I recommend this book to anyone who grows food. —Ben Hartman, author, The Lean Micro Farm A welcome Rosetta Stone for seed saving that should find a home on both aspiring and experienced seed savers library shelves. —Don Tipping, Siskiyou Seeds and Seven Seeds Farm Dan Brisebois unlocks something that I don't think most growers even realize is locked: that seed production is possible, even for a busy farmer. Moreover, he presents the ""how-to"" gently in a way that not only appreciates how complicated seed saving can feel, and how daunting, but gives you an invitation to just enjoy the process. I think that the word ""invitation"" is perfect for this book. For me, I felt I didn't really know enough about seed saving to confidently fit it into my production systems. But after reading The Seed Farmer, I can see it now. I feel permitted to play. I feel invited to the party––directions and all. —Jesse Frost, author, The Living Soil Handbook This book is a revelation. It'll take hobby growers to the next level and, even more impressively, I suspect that it will reignite the sense of wonder that many of us flower and veggie farmers have lost over the years. Dan might just make seed farmers out of all of us! —Lennie Larkin, author, Flower Farming For Profit

Author Information

Dan Brisebois is a founding member of Tourne-Sol co-operative farm, which supplies weekly farm baskets for 500 families and operates a thriving retail and wholesale seed business. He earned a B.Sc in Agricultural Engineering from McGill University and has over two decades of experience as both a market farmer and a seed producer. Dan is a founding member of the Eastern Canadian Organic Seed Growers network, former board member of SeedChange, and past president of Canadian Organic Growers. As well as writing and teaching extensively, he mentors farmers in the art of effective planning, systems design, and time management at the Farmer Spreadsheet Academy, and hosts the popular Seed Growers podcast. Dan is co-author of the COG Practical Skills Handbook Crop Planning for Organic Vegetable Growers. He lives and farms in Les Cdres, Quebec.

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