Seed

A seed is not just the source of life.  It is the very foundation of our being. - Vandana Shiva

Since moving onto this land one year ago, much of our focus has been on seeds.  Many hours of many days have been filled with reading seed catalogues, ordering seeds, making crop plans, planting seeds, and saving seeds.  We are talking literal seeds, like the annual vegetables, herbs and flowers that we started in late winter, which grew into an incredibly abundant, colourful and delicious harvest in the first season on this land.  Also seeds of perennial plants, that may take a little longer but will root deeply and stay with us for many seasons, producing bounty year after year and growing more familiar and beautiful to us as time goes on.  The potential encapsulated in one small seed never ceases to amaze me.

We are also talking about metaphorical seeds, planting seeds of community.  We believe that strong vibrant community, just like healthy food, is necessary for our sustenance and well-being.  Equal to planting seeds in the garden, important work of our small farm is to grow community.  This year we worked at planting the seeds of community, hoping this will take root and flourish, leading to deeper and more meaningful relationships of mutual support where we can trust and lean on each other.  This is what community supported agriculture means for us, growing both good food and strong community. 

Seeding community included connecting with new neighbours, sharing meals, trading hands-on work, offering our vegetables and herbs, volunteering, visiting other small local farms, building relationships with customers at market week after week, offering hands-on learning opportunities here.  To create a sense of place we must also understand it’s history and so we have been learning the stories of this land: the waterways, the wildlife, the birds, the native plants, the trees, the soil, the weather.  We are also acknowledging the indigenous peoples who have long had history here, asking ourselves how can we respectfully tend this land now and what is our place.  A good starting place is gratitude.

We hope this small farm can be a catalyst to “seed” positive change.  We are excited to be part of a larger network of small ecological farms in Manitoba and across Canada who are each working to enhance their communities by providing ecologically grown food, working at land restoration, wildlife diversity, protecting watersheds, offering educational opportunities, and finding other ways to create strong resilient communities where they live. 

We welcome you to be part of our farm’s journey as we keep on seeding.

Choose Ecological Seed Companies
It’s time to start looking at seed catalogues and ordering seeds for the 2024 garden! 

NEW!  WE HAVE 6 HEIRLOOM BEAN SEED VARIETIES AVAILABLE FROM SWALLOWTAIL FARMSTEAD

Support local & small - If possible, support small seed companies that are local as they will have seeds that are better adapted to your climate and growing conditions.  Regionally adapted varieties add resilience to your local food system.

Save your own - If you can, save some seeds yourself.  Seeds of Diversity is a wonderful Canadian non-profit organization that offers helpful instructions about how to properly save all types of seeds!

Participate in a seed swap - What a great way to connect with other growers, find unique varieties, and share what you have saved.  Join a local seed swap group, or participate on a national scale through the Seeds of Diversity seed exchange program.

Some favourite seed companies - Here is a list of some of our favourite small seed companies, specializing in organic/ecologically grown, non-GMO, open-pollinated and/or heirloom seeds.  There are many other great seed companies, this is just a start…

LOCAL/MANITOBA/PRAIRIES SEED COMPANIES
Heritage Harvest
Tiny Monster Garden
T & T Seeds
Wildrose Heritage Seed Co
Prairie Garden Seeds
Prairie Originals

CANADIAN SEED COMPANIES
Incredible Seeds
Annapolis Seeds
Hawthorn Farm
BC Eco Seed Co-op
Hope Seeds
Northern Seeds
Aimers Seeds
Vesey’s
West Coast Seeds

HERB SEEDS
Richter’s Seeds
Ravensong Seeds

A FEW OTHER FAVOURITES
High Mowing
Fruition Seeds
Johnny’s Select Seeds