Sourcing Seeds for an Abundant Harvest

When it comes to planning a garden, sourcing seeds is one of my favorite parts. Early January, as seed catalogs start arriving in our mailbox, it’s just the boost of excitement I need to get through the grey months of late winter; colorful varieties on every page paint a picture of what’s to come and the best part is, there’s no weeding to be done for a few more months! That being said, along with excitement it can also feel completely overwhelming, especially if you’re new to gardening. Over the years, we’ve honed our list of sources to fill each niche in our homestead gardens - from perennial fruit trees, to flowers and herbs, and hope our favorite sources can help you plant your dream garden.

Sourcing Seeds

Seed Exchanges & Libraries

Our first recommendation for sourcing seeds is to look local! We’re extremely fortunate to have a seed library built right into our public library catalog, called the Common Soil Seed Library, where we can check out up to 15 seed packets per month! It’s an incredible resource and a fun way to try new things without having to buy anything. And while it’s not required, at the end of the season you can “return” seeds from the plants you grow to continue supporting the longevity of the library.

This time of year, we’re also fortunate to have seed swaps hosted city-wide by several organizations in Omaha. If there aren’t any seed swaps where you live yet, it’s a pretty simple and fun thing to organize - just invite your fellow gardening friends, bring the abundance of seeds you have from seasons past (here’s a helpful guide about how to store seeds and how long they’ll last) and share! Old envelopes and a pen are about all the materials you’ll need in case you want to divide up seed packets. Here’s a great guide for hosting your own swap!

If you’re looking to buy seeds or plant starts, let the following list be a starting point based on our 10+ years of farming and gardening. Of course, there are many more seed companies out there and we encourage you to do your own research when choosing a company to invest in.

The primary factors we consider when choosing a seed company include:

• Does the mission and growing practices align with my values?

  • What does the company stand for and how transparent are they?

  • How do they support and honor Indigenous seed keepers and public seed saving initiatives?

  • Are they growing these seeds in a way that protects the environment or are they simply seeking profit?

  • If they don’t align with my values, is there somewhere else I can source these seeds from?

• Price is obviously an important factor, but often, low priced seeds are cutting costs somewhere else; perhaps quality, or ethically - remember that your money is an investment! We choose to reduce our seed costs from year to year by saving seeds when we can.

Our Favorite Seed Companies
(in alphabetical order)

Dixondale Farms is our go-to for onion and shallot starts! Be sure to order the correct “day length” for your growing zone for the best harvest. Don’t have room for a full bundle? Go in on an order with your fellow gardening friends! You can also start onions and alliums from seed, but we’ve found the best success over the years from starting with plant starts.

Fedco Seeds is a cooperatively run seed company, sourcing from a variety of seed producers. We source a lot of our seeds from Fedco and appreciate their transparency of sourcing, competitive pricing and large selection of open-pollinated and heirloom varieties! We have also source many affordable bare root fruit trees and perennial crops from Fedco over the years.

Grand Prismatic provides high quality, open pollinated seeds organically grown at the confluence of the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains in Utah. They have a fun selection of natural dye plants too!

High Mowing Organic Seeds are 100% organic, non-gmo seeds grown in Vermont. Super high quality seeds! With a low minimum for free shipping, this is our go-to for last minute orders!

Hudson Valley Seed Co has a pretty wide selection of seeds and plants, and works with artists to design beautiful seed packets. This would be a fun place to source seeds that you’re giving as a gift!

Johnny’s Seed Company based in Maine is a go-to source for market gardeners and farmers, with great bulk pricing available and tons of varieties available. We source a majority of our seeds from Johnny’s! Plus, they have a great selection of high-quality garden tools and materials. They also have really valuable growing guides for how to grow your crops.

Kitazawa Seed Company specializes in non-gmo Asian seed varieties and has a lot of unique offerings not found elsewhere. We love to grow different radish varieties and the Hinona Kabu turnips are a favorite of ours.

MIgardener is a seed coop (reader submitted!) Non-gmo seeds, broad selection and good prices!

Native Seeds is a nonprofit seed conservation organization based in Tucson, Arizona, who’s mission is to conserve and promote the arid-adapted crop diversity of the Southwest in support of sustainable farming and food security, focusing on Indigenous varieties.

Row 7 Seeds was started in partnership with chef Dan Barber as an effort to develop a collection of vegetables and herbs specifically for restaurants. What you get is super flavorful, unique varieties like the Lodi squash which is a perfect “single serving” and super flavorful squash. Best part? They offer cooking instructions to make the most of your harvests!

Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit heirloom seed company based in Decorah, Iowa. I’ve had the joy of visiting their main farm campus and have been a proud supporter of their efforts each season! Since 1975, they have grown, saved, and shared heirloom seeds and led a movement to protect biodiversity and preserve heirloom varieties. Plus, they have a lot of unique seed varieties and helpful guidance on saving seeds from your crops.

Sprout Mountain Farms is our go to for seed potatoes and sweet potato starts - great quality, prices and availability!

Strictly Medicinals offers a huge selection of medicinal herbs, dye plants, and more - a great resource if you’re looking for something very specific! Plus, they have a great selection of tools for processing herbs, etc.

Stock Seed Farm is based in Nebraska and specializes in prairie seeds and cover crop seeds.

We’d love to hear what other seed companies you love to support and why. There are so many amazing seed companies and we’d love to add a running list of your favorites!

*Please note: we have intentionally omitted Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds because of various company-level decisions they’ve made, including the taking of and marketing of indigenous seed varieties without permission and racist comments in the past.

Saving seeds from season to season

This is one of our favorite ways to source seeds - and one that, while at first may seem overwhelming, is incredibly fruitful and empowering! You will be amazed at how many seeds are often produced by the fruits of our harvest. My best advice is to start with one crop to save seeds, non-hybrid tomatoes are a great starting place, and learn each season by practicing. The best part about saving seeds from tomatoes is that you can harvest them and eat the fruits - no waste!

There are tons of resources available at the library, talking with other gardeners, online and beyond. Be sure to dry your seeds completely before storing, label and date your seeds, and before starting them in the spring you can check their germination rate by sprouting ten seeds on damp paper towel - if they’re not viable, then return to your seed companies and try again next year!

Natural Dyeing: Fresh & Wooden Eggs

Springtime brings a little bit of magic in every day - an awakening from a long winter sleep. The ground swells as the buds do too, flowers bursting up from the thawing earth; colors painting the landscape that has been neutral for months.

Celebrating the return of Spring

The celebration of spring takes many forms. One such celebration is Ostara, the pagan celebration of the vernal equinox that has many parallels to the contemporary Easter traditions that many have come to know. The vernal equinox falls somewhere between March 19th and March 23rd depending on the year, when the Sun is exactly above the Equator and day and night are equal in length. The name Ostara is thought to have been derived from the spring goddess named Ēostre, who brings renewal and rebirth after the cold and harsh winter. Amongst the symbols of fertility and rebirth, it is no wonder that the egg has long been used, as it quite literally brings forth new life in the early spring days. On our homestead, we welcome the sounds of baby birds hatching in nests throughout the treed landscape and on homesteads across the country, homesteaders are eager to welcome new baby chicks to their flocks of chickens, ducks and more. It is thought that the Easter basket was inspired by the bird nests - the perfect pair for spring!

When creating decorations in our home, I often find inspiration from the natural world around us. The materials that surround us, both outside and in our homes are full of textures and colors that are impossible to replicate synthetically. Even better, is when a decoration can be reused or composted when we’re done displaying it; it’s the ultimate love note to our natural world when we can enjoy the beauty of nature and respect it throughout, by creating little or no waste. That’s what I love so much about this simple natural dye project for decorating eggs! This method can be used for both fresh eggs and wooden eggs, though there are a few variations that work better than others for the wooden eggs - which we’ll share in further detail below. All of the scraps from the dyeing process can be composted when complete, and if you’re using wooden eggs, they can be enjoyed for many years to come!

Preparing the eggs

While there is very little that needs to be done to prepare wooden eggs, when using fresh hen eggs there are a few more steps to ensure successful dyeing. You can use either white or brown (or any color, really) eggs, though the base color will affect the final color of your dyed eggs.

• Choose eggs that are at least 1 week “old” as they will be easier to peel in the long run! This is especially relevant if you’re sourcing your eggs locally, as they tend to be much fresher than store-bought eggs.

• For fresh eggs, wash the exterior of the egg with a gentle cloth to remove the natural barrier that exists on the eggshell, which will allow the pigments to better adhere to the eggs.

Clockwise from top left: Red cabbage, yellow onion peel, turmeric, black beans, un-dyed natural egg. All eggs shown have been sealed with our Beeswax Cutting Board Conditioner - available in our shop!

Extracting colors from nature

We can extract a wide range of colors from ingredients that are found in our kitchens! It’s a great way to use up scraps and is especially fun for our youngest helpers. My daughter couldn’t believe her eyes when I pulled a wooden egg from a bath of black bean water and it was purple! Here are some of our favorite colors to use for fresh and wooden hen eggs.

For Fresh Eggs: Place eggs in a small sauce pan and cover with 1 quart of water, 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and 2-4 tablespoons of the respective fruit, vegetable, or spice (to create the color). Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover for 30 minutes. For a deeper color, leave eggs in dye bath and allow to set for 30 minutes or more. Remove and allow to dry - we use our empty egg carton as a perfect drying rack!

For Wooden Eggs: Place 1 quart of water and 2-4 tablespoons of the respective fruit, vegetable, or spice (to create the color) in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and strain liquid into a heat-proof jar, reserving the plant materials. Because wood floats in water, use either the food scraps from making the dye bath to keep the egg submerged or allow the egg to float and simply rotate the egg periodically until the desired color is achieved. After soaking in the dye pigment, allow wooden eggs to dry slowly to avoid cracking; We used our egg carton as a drying rack and put them in a spot out of direct heat or air flow, and they took about 2 days (with periodic rotating) to dry completely. Note: the color will lighten as it dries, but can be made more vivid by using a mineral oil or a cutting-board wax on the wood once it’s dried!

Now for the fun part:

Reds - Red or purple onion skins make a beautiful red dye pigment.

Orange - Yellow onion skins yield a bright golden orange color.

Yellows & Gold - Turmeric! The easiest dye of all for eggs - and a little goes a long ways.

Greens - This is arguably the hardest color we tried to achieve. While many sources suggest parsley or spinach for dyeing green eggs, we didn’t have any success. I would instead recommend a double-dye starting with turmeric and followed by the red cabbage dye bath below (without vinegar).

Blues & Purples - Red cabbage can be used to create a range of blues and purples. Without vinegar, the color is more blueish purple. With vinegar added, a bright fuchsia! For wooden eggs, black beans can be used to create a nice blueish purple too - simply soak a handful of beans in a pint of water over night, then place your wooden egg in the dye bath and allow it to soak for about 30 minutes.

Share the love!

If you’re on social media, be sure to tag your photos with #MyPerennialHomestead - we would love to see what colors you create. Want to learn more about natural egg dyeing? Join us on Saturday, March 13th, 2021 with Lesley Darling Fibers for a virtual workshop on natural egg dyeing! The workshop will also be recorded and shared after - to register, visit: https://lesleydarling.bigcartel.com/easter-egg-dyeing-workshop

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