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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...

'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...

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...

We are also so excited to finally be offering Showy Milkweed!Showy milkweed is a Western native wildflower famous for being the host plant of the monarch butterfly. Host plant simply means that monarch mamas lay their eggs on or near milkweed plants so that hatching caterpillars can feed on the milkweed leaves. Milkweed leaves are slightly toxic and impart this toxicity to the feasting caterpillars- giving them their primary defense mechanism. Milkweed flowers are stunningly beautiful and attract a wide variety of pollinators- not just monarchs.  Being a native wildflower it is drought tolerant and appropriate for dry gardens.  Contrary to what...

Tomato Spotlight:  Old Fashioned "Green Shouldered" TomatoesGreen shoulders are typical of some progressively-ripening heirloom tomatoes.  This means there is a bit of green remaining near the stem end of the fruit even when the tomato is completely ripe.  Because chlorophyll is present in the fruit, photosynthesis is happening within the fruit right until its picked-  therefore enhancing flavor and nutrient profile of the ripe tomato. This trait has been bred out of many modern varieties, but the flavor of these outstanding heirlooms with their little green shoulders is unbeatable!Check out:  'Black Brandywine', 'Orange Brandywine', 'Mortgage Lifter', 'Pink Brandywine', 'Red Vernissage', and 'Green...