Join us for a tour and tasting to learn about the incredible work of regional seed stewards!

Fertile Ground Farm is partnering with EFAO and the Bauta Initiative to be the host site for the Vegetable Seed Demonstration Gardens again this year. The goal of these demonstration gardens is to serve as a hub to showcase and evaluate varieties of interest for ecological farmers and growers that can contribute to a regional seed system. These gardens are sites for exploring and showcasing different vegetable varieties best suited for regional seed production, growing crop varieties for conservation in partnership with Seeds of Diversity, and trialing okra, heat tolerant lettuce varieties, and carrot varieties in collaboration with farmers across the province and Canada.

The farm is showcasing over 40 vegetable varieties that have been bred, regionally adapted, and stewarded by local farmers and seed producers or open-pollinated varieties that can be adapted to our region. Local seed is the basis for truly local food, and farmers and growers in our region have been saving, selecting, and breeding interesting, resilient, and storied seeds for generations. Join us for this garden tour and tasting to learn about these varieties, who grows them, and what makes them so special and how you can incorporate them into your gardens so that we can all enjoy the diversity on our plates!

Come be a part of a plant breeding project! At the garden, we have both the okra varieties being researched as well as a mixed population called the Ultra Cross. Come join okra farmer-researchers and help us talk about what pod colour, pod shape, and plant height is desirable for growers and customers. We’ll save the seeds from those to grow out next year!

The farm tour begins at 10:30am. Participants are invited to bring a bagged lunch which can be eaten alongside some catered snacks that showcase the varieties grown in the gardens. There will also be variety tastings, where you can help us pick which varieties in the trials taste the best!

After touring the Demonstration Gardens, those who would like to stay on and have a tour of the Fertile Ground Farm are invited to do so. Angie (of Fertile Ground Farm) is also participating in a Farmer-Led Research Trial on easy-picking green beans as well as working on a pepper breeding project, which we can go see! Half Moon Herbals is also located on site and Nikola may be available to take folks on a tour as well.

For more information about the Seed Demonstration Gardens visit our Seed program page. The Seed Demonstration Gardens are funded in part by the Government of Canada through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program (CASPP).