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Giving Ground Seeds has joined the Open Source Seed Initiative as a seed company partner.  This means we are growing and offering some OSSI pledged varieties and are committed to promoting the ideals of the Open Source Seed Initiative.  We love this organization and we'll be growing and offering even more OSSI pledged varieties in the future.  The mission is simple- keep seeds and their genetics free from patents.  Pledged OSSI varieties are free to be used by anyone for any purpose- growing, seed saving, breeding, sharing, trialing, publishing information about, and selling.  Plant can breeders pledge varieties or plant...

This week Homero Gomez, a leading activist for monarch butterflies in Mexico, was found dead in a well in Michoacan.  Homero was an outspoken advocate for the monarch and fought for the protection of their vital overwintering habitat in Michoacan state, where millions of butterflies journey each year from Canada seeking the shelter and warmth of old-growth trees.  Though cause of death is still not known, Gomez disappearance one week prior to his death led to speculation of his being a target of illegal logging operations in the area.   Michoacan state is home to Mexico's largest butterfly reserve, El Rosario...

'Thelma Sanders' Acorn Squash- Cucurbita pepo What an impressive little heirloom. These girls totally got the shaft in my garden this year, but they never seemed to notice. They were planted in the partial shade of a mugo pine, near the grassy perimeter of the garden, and more densely than I would have liked. Still they performed great! They got an average of 6 hours of full sun each day. I planted four 18” diameter mounds, thinning to 2-3 plants per mound. The mounds were 3' apart. The vines were vigorous and all stayed healthy, no squash bugs or the...

10 Steps to Great GarlicFall is the time to plant garlic and shallots!Growing great garlic is a relatively simple, follow these few steps will have you turning out beautiful heads next summer!1.  Plant individual cloves with the root side down 2-3 inches deep and 12" apart September through November, depending on your climate.  Wait until after your first frost, but before the ground freezes.  It's a pretty forgiving time frame compared to other crops, but garlic that has had a little time to get roots growing will be more frost tolerant when it comes time for deep freezes.  Cloves planted...

Some people want to grow a garden, but only have shade in their yards.  Shade is a blessing in almost every other way-  it often means trees are present, it keeps the soil from drying out, and keeps the house cool in the heat of the summer.  But for growing a vegetable garden, shade is tricky.  Most vegetables require 7-10 hours of full sun to thrive, flower, and set fruit.  However, if you only have shade and still want to grow at least some of your own food, you can!  As a general rule, many crops that we only eat...