At the dinner table, it’s the classic battle of the veggies — broccoli is on the plate.
Your child clamps their mouth firmly shut and looks you in the eyes with a determined squint that lets you know—it’s on. Those little trees aren’t going down without a fight.
On the list of foods kids hate, broccoli may be #1. Adults are not immune to distaste for broccoli either, sometimes feeling a strong aversion to what others consider a benign bit of healthy greenery. Presidents are no exception. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush stated emphatically:
I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid. And my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States. And I’m not gonna eat any more broccoli!
In response to his distaste of broccoli, the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association pledged to send a number of truckloads of broccoli to the White House. Wearing a broccoli corsage, the President of the association gave First Lady Barbara Bush (who was emphatically #TeamBroccoli) a bouquet of broccoli and an additional ten tons of the vegetable to donate to local food banks. The press ate it up. And in the tradition of the adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity, broccoli sales headed up.1
Over the years, broccoli has been celebrated and loved for the amazing, healthy vegetable it is.
Broccoli is packed full of minerals, fiber, nutrients and vitamins. Research has shown that eating broccoli three to five times per week can lower the risk of many types of cancers, including breast, colon and prostate cancer. It may also protect against the development of liver disease and cancer.2
But in spite of its great benefits and diversity, there are still those who claim it will never touch their lips. A new study published recently in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry reports that for some, there seems to be a link between the microorganisms in the mouth and how certain people react to the sulfurous compounds in broccoli. People who react to these compounds may recoil from the smell and taste describing it as rotten and putrid. Yet there are still many of us who find its taste heavenly and healing. And, oh the recipes!
Interestingly, broccoli got a big boost in 1986 on Saturday Night Live when comedian Dana Carvey heralded the popular vegetable by singing its praises, literally. Fans of the show may remember the iconic piece known as Chopping Broccoli or The Woman I Know. Dana hilariously used broccoli as the vehicle to underscore how easy it is to make anything into a swooning rock song. Seriously, what is better than chopping broccoli?
The Great American Seed Up is happy to continue the legacy of broccoli by offering a popular heirloom variety called Green Sprouting Calabrese.
This old variety was introduced in the late 1800’s in Italy. Green Sprouting Calabrese Broccoli is popular with home gardeners and small farms because of the many off-shoots, maturing at different times, resulting in an extended harvest time.3
Broccoli is a cool-season crop that has its origins in the Mediterranean. It was developed by the Etruscans of what’s now central Italy. Heirloom Italian Green Sprouting Calabrese broccoli is not grown on a commercial scale and is most often spotted at local farmers markets or in home gardens, which makes it that much more desirable and unique.
The Great American Seed Up invites you to scoop up a sizable amount to keep the heirloom tradition going and to celebrate this marvelous, controversial and delicious (to most) vegetable.
How does broccoli feel about being stalked by a bad reputation? Be-leaf me, it’s steamed.
1 Ferraro, T. (1990, March 27). Broccoli Wars — The final chapter? UPI. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/03/27/Broccoli-Wars-The-final-chapter/2328638514000/
3Italian Di Ciccio Broccoli. (n.d.). Specialty Produce. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Italian_Di_Ciccio_Broccoli_5002.php
Curious about the seed varieties that will be at the Phoenix Seed Up? Download the list here. Use it to plan your shopping experience and to create a shopping list for the event.
If you still need tickets, we have a few time slots left. Secure yours here.
If you can make it to the in person Seed Up, shop online for similar varieties. And join us on Facebook for the Phoenix Seed Up livestream on October 1-2.
Dill is one of those aromatic herbs that people tend to either love or hate. The fronds (which are called Dill weed) have a distinctive bittersweet lemony smell that is easily recognizable. The seeds smell similar to the fronds, but the odor is stronger.
I am personally a fan. The aroma and flavor of dill calls to mind delicious pickled cucumbers that my grandfather grew and flavored with home grown dill weed and dill seed.
Conveniently for people who like pickles, dill is a wonderful companion plant for cucumbers because it attracts beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, lacewings and parasitic wasps. Its aroma also has a repellant effect on moths, worms and caterpillars that love to munch on brassicas. Plant cucumbers with asparagus and brassicas, such as broccoli, kale and Swiss chard.
Dill weed tends to live up to the name weed as it is hardy and reseeds readily. Wild dill grows in many places as a field weed that readily naturalizes, and it will do so in your garden, as well. Dill generally needs little care once it’s started. In many climates, gardeners can create a permanent patch of dill letting some of your plants flower and go to seed— plenty of early dill will sprout up the next season.
GASU will have dill available at the Phoenix Seed Up on October 1-2, 2021. Dill is also included in a few of our seed bundles that can be purchased online here. A particularly hardy variety in stock is Dill Bouquet. It is a favorite due to its large fronds that tend to produce copious amounts of seed.
The GASU team is always expanding our seed knowledge, and we love to learn from other growers. Belle Starr came across an article that we found interesting about the history and uses of dill. See below:
Dill weed naturally brings to mind pickles. No wonder since Americans consume more than 2.5 billion pounds of them each year, with kosher dills being the favored variety. In Europe and Asia, dill has long been a staple herb, strongly associated with seafood in the Nordic countries. Eastern European immigrants to the New World brought many traditional recipes incorporating dill.
The thin, feathery green leaves become the aromatic herb called dill weed (or dillweed), and the oval flat seeds the more pungent spice referred to as dill seed. Dill is easy to grow at home in the garden or in containers. (If you grow your own, be aware that the mature seeds are toxic to birds.) Once the edible white or yellow flowers appear, the plant stops producing the leafy fronds. But you can add the flowers to pickle jars for a visual surprise or use them to garnish a salad. And if you want to harvest dill seed, you need to encourage the flower growth.
Origin of Dill Weed
Botanically known as Anethum graveolens, dill belongs to the same family as parsley and celery, though it is the sole species of its genus. It is native to the eastern Mediterranean region and western Asia. The word dill comes from the old Norse word dylla, meaning to soothe or lull. It dates back in writing to about 3000 B.C. when it earned a mention in Egyptian medical texts.
In the 1st century Rome, dill weed was considered a good luck symbol. Ancient Egyptians used it to ward off witches and as an aphrodisiac. To the Greeks, dill signified wealth. Many cultures cultivated it for medicinal qualities, particularly its ability to soothe an ailing stomach. It’s even mentioned in the Bible. Puritans and Quakers gave their children dill seeds to chew on while at church as an appetite suppressant. Modern wisdom gives dill seed credit as a breath freshener and anti-bacterial, plus it’s believed to stimulate milk production in breastfeeding women and alleviate colic.
Uses of Dill Weed
The flavor of dill weed resembles the licorice-like flavor mild caraway or fennel. The plant is, in fact, often mistaken for fennel fronds. Add fresh dill weed at the end of cooking to preserve its flavor and color. Dill seeds can be crushed or ground or incorporated whole at an earlier stage as heat actually brings out the flavor. The flavor of fresh dill weed does not carry over to the dried herb, though it is available in supermarket spice sections.
Beyond its use as a pickling spice, dill weed has a natural affinity for zucchini and summer squash, asparagus, and spinach. It complements cold-water fish such as herring and salmon and makes a notable appearance in recipes for borscht. It adds an unmistakable taste to herb salad blends, and often shows up in tzatziki, among other classic Greek dishes.
Nightshades are a botanical family of plants, more technically called Solanaceae. There are more than two thousand plant species in the nightshade family, the vast majority of which are inedible and highly poisonous (like deadly nightshade and jimsomweed [sacred datura].
On the other hand, many are staple foods that are rich in nutrients. Potatoes, peppers, tomatillos and eggplants are all common nightshades. These are often favorite plants for seed savers. They are self-pollinating, so they don’t cross pollinate easily.
On September 21st at 5pm Pacific time, Bill McDorman will join Greg Peterson for their monthly Seed Chat, a live online Q&A session. This month, they will be discussing and answering questions about Nightshades. Learn more here.
A Little Tomato History
Perhaps the most popular of the nightshades for gardeners is the beloved tomato.
America’s favorite vegetable originated in the northern highlands of South America. The first wild tomatoes brought into cultivation bore tiny, watery, acidic tasting fruits that barely resemble today’s delicious giants. Over the centuries the tomato made its way north to the Aztecs of central Mexico who are thought to have done much of the original breeding work. In fact, our name for the plant comes from the Aztec name tomatl.
Spanish conquistadors brought tomato seeds back to Europe. Spain became the first European country to really produce tomatoes. Italy adopted the Pomo d’oro, or “golden apple,” as an integral part of its national cuisine. The rest of Europe had a bit more trouble adopting this new garden friend from the New World because tomatoes are in the nightshade family. Their leaves closely resemble a number of deadly plants including belladonna. The English were the last to be convinced, and many of the first American colonists from England still carried this bias against tomatoes.
One of the first places we find evidence of Americans eating tomatoes is in the writings of Thomas Jefferson. Beginning in 1809, Jefferson wrote of growing them for consumption in his garden journals. Amazing stories come from the early days of the United States when most Americans still believed tomatoes to be poisonous.
Col. Robert Johnson, a world traveler and adventurer, against the advice of his physician and in the presence of the local undertaker, ate much of a bushel of tomatoes in front of a terrified crowd on the steps of the courthouse in Salem, New Jersey in 1820.
Some say the Creoles in New Orleans were really the first in the United States to seriously use tomatoes, bringing them into commercial production in 1860.
Tomatoes became immensely popular in the late 19th century. Hundreds of new varieties were created as gardeners and farmers saved seeds from their own stock and selected for different characteristics. This trend continued until after WWII when hybridization and commercialization became the driving forces in tomato production.
The results of this industrial revolution in tomato growing have been nothing short of amazing. Tomatoes are now mechanically picked, tossed into trucks, driven thousands of miles, and stored on produce market shelves for weeks at a time!
Modern commercialization of the tomato has not been without negative effects. Bland and mealy supermarket tomatoes bred for uniformity have compelled a record number of taste-conscious Americans to grow tomatoes at home or seek them at farmer’s markets.
The number of good-tasting, open-pollinated tomato varieties, so prevalent before WWII, is now growing again. By learning to save your own seeds from the varieties that do best in your garden, you can contribute to this expanding diversity. At the same time, you’ll be enjoying the historically celebrated flavor of this remarkable plant and helping to create a more resilient and delicious agriculture system for us all.
Save Your Own Tomato Seeds
Tomatoes are among the easiest plants from which to save seeds. Because they produce self-pollinating flowers, home gardeners can grow two or more different varieties without needing to be overly concerned about separating them to avoid cross pollination. In addition, you can sometimes save a hundred tomato seeds from a single large tomato. This will yield more seeds than you will need for your home garden for the rest of your life. One thing we love about saving tomato seeds is you can still eat the tomato.
The Great American Seed Up (GASU) features a diverse assortment of tomato varieties for you to plant, eat and save. Grow your own for great taste and adaptation to your own backyard conditions. Below are just a few of the beautiful heirloom tomatoes that we offer.
This Amish heirloom dates from the 1880’s. Contains a mix of Brandywine color varieties. An indeterminate variety, it is sometimes referred to as a climbing tomato and staked runners can climb to 9 feet. Brandywine has large (up to 1 ½ lb.) semi-flattened fruit on large vines. Moderate to heavy producer of excellent flavored fruit.
A great tomato for container gardens as well as in ground beds is Ace 55.
It is a determinate heirloom variety with large, deep red fruit with low acid content. It’s thick, beefy walls are resistant to cracking. This tried-and-true variety is disease resistant. This favored variety is great for farmers market growers.
For gardeners in hot climates, Floradade Tomato is a delicious, bright red variety that has a great ability to withstand heat and produce high yields.
Floradade produces smooth, 5-7 ounces sized tomatoes with slightly deep globes. The Floradade tomato is a disease-resistant variety developed by the University of Florida at their Homestead facility in the 1970’s.
As mentioned, tomato seeds are easy to save and the benefits of saving them cannot be underestimated. Resilience, flavor, and hardiness are just a few of the important characteristics you can capture simply by paying attention.
Buy your seeds from GASU, and learn from our on-line learning platforms to save tomato seeds and to expand your palette and your ability to continue the seed saving tradition from one generation to another both in your plants and your families!
And don’t forget to attend Seed Chat on September 21st at 5pm Pacific. This month’s topic is Nifty Nightshades. Sign up here.
This article is adapted from “Death by Tomatoes” by Bill McDorman, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance (RMSA), a non-profit organization created to assure a diverse and abundant supply of seeds for the Rocky Mountain West. He has been teaching classes in wild, edible and medicinal plants and seed saving for more than 30 years.
Beans are perfect crops for home gardeners who want homegrown food and greater self-reliance.
They are one of those undemanding garden plants that grow prolifically in diverse climates across North American. Beans are rich in protein, fiber and minerals. Beans are easy to stock up, storing well frozen, dried or canned. They add flavor, texture and nutrition to a variety of recipes, including soups, casseroles, salads, or simply served all by themselves. For those reducing their meat consumption, beans are excellent alternatives.
While there are a few bean varieties that thrive in cool weather — fava, for example — most beans grow best when temperatures are warm. In many climates, it may be too late to plant them now (this blog was written in September.) However, fall is a great time to stock up on seeds. Throughout 2020 and 2021, many growers faced shortages of popular staple crops. It may seem early to plan for 2022, but procuring seed now will give you a jump on the high season for purchasing seeds. This occurs in January and February when many gardeners are preparing for their spring gardens and demand for seed tends to spike.
Stock up on beans now and mark your calendar to plant them in the spring when the time is right for your region.
For gardens in much of Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest, the majority of beans will germinate when the soil has warmed to 50-60 degrees.
In the South, plant your beans in late spring and again in mid-summer for two harvests…or plant several seeds every few weeks for continuous beans through the entire season.
In the Midwest and Eastern territories, same rules apply. Remember that most beans love the heat but are frost sensitive, so you will need to time your second crop carefully so they can mature before any chance of a freeze.
In the Southwest , even during the (scorching!) hot season, there are bean varieties that will thrive. These include cowpeas, fava, scarlet runner, Anasazi, and the O’odham tepary.
We have a variety of seeds in stock at the Great American Seed Up.
Check out all the drought-tolerant, non-GMO beans we have to offer at bulk prices and sent straight to your door! The full catalog is located here.
If you live in the Phoenix area, several bean varieties will be available to scoop at the live Phoenix Seed Up on October 1-2, 2021. Tickets can be purchased at GreatAmericanSeedUp.org/phoenixseedup/.
For the first time, the Phoenix Great American Seed Up will present a Facebook LIVE event feed hosted by Terra Rose Ganem of Brilliant Planet. Get a taste of the excitement, see what everyone is talking about, get ideas for your own gardens and garner wisdom from some of the most knowledgeable experts growing today.
Join Terra as she gives you a virtual tour of the event, chats with our experts, and shares what it is like to be a participant in the well anticipated Great American Seed Up.
Terra is a great friend to the GASU team and we are delighted to collaborate with her.
If you haven’t met Terra Rose Ganem, she is a national speaker, bio-energetic practitioner and visionary entrepreneur. She utilizes high frequency energy, activated nutrition and earth reconnection through gardening to support clients worldwide in activating and living their true potential.
Through her private practice, immersion retreats, an eco-destination and presentations, she connects the relationships between our internal and external environments to elevate and optimize living through consciousness & embodiment of inner power – resulting in living the best life ever!
Terra began her holistic nutrition practice alongside seven naturopathic doctors, where she provided complete nutrition protocols, recipes and guidance for them while they participated in other healing treatments. She later went on to co-found a lifestyle medicine company with three naturopathic doctors before branching out on her own to merge ancient wisdom and modern technology to allow people to quickly, with ease and grace, break through the old and create the future they want. Today, she is known as the “one you must go see,” by many of her clients.
Besides running a thriving practice, she also serves as the Executive Director of a nonprofit she founded, Brilliant Planet which is located in Mesa, AZ. The organization has an ecosystem-mission which includes being part of the end to food insecurity in Arizona, while also re-infusing magic and wonder for living and nature into the hearts and minds of families. They do this through hosting homeschool events, family volunteer days and classes within their lifestyle, plant-based cooking and gardening schools.
In addition, Terra will moderate a virtual Q&A following the Phoenix Seed Up with a live panel of experts.
Make sure you are following us on Facebook for live event announcements!
…there is so much going on in the world of gardening that we need to tell you about! We have been really ramping up for this season to bring back the original, in-person, Great American Seed Up!
The Seed Up transitioned to online ordering in 2020 and that is continuing, but we want to stay true to both our roots and our local gardeners! So once again we are hosting our one-of-a-kind, in-person, local, BULK seed shopping event onFriday, October 1st from 4 to 8 pm and Saturday, October 2nd from 10 am to 3 pm. And in order to help us navigate crowds and reduce wait times, registrations this year are scheduled on half hour time slots.
This unique and popular “pop up” seed bazaar offers well-known garden varieties in a bulk seed format where customers can scoop up as many seeds as they want from popcorn buckets.
Seed sold at the Seed Up is landrace and heirloom vegetables, herbs, beans, greens, grains, and flowers. These “true to type” varieties are known for adaptability to different regions and climates
We’ve used our buying power to secure bulk amounts of seed so that we can pass the savings along to you with non-GMO and open pollinated seed varieties! Plus, because this is who we are – we share loads of information and education.
Tickets are $7.50 and include access to the Seed Up event and a large array of educational webinars, podcasts and Seed Up Saturday recordings. Limited tickets will be sold for specific time slots, so plan on registering early to secure your slot. Once you reserve your ticket, we will add your name to our list. No need for any additional paperwork!
We will be at the same location as our previous events: The North Phoenix Baptist Church at 5757 N Central Ave, Building B, Phoenix, 85012. Parking available in the south lot.
About that education… We are doing it online so everyone has the same access to it. We are timing our next Seed Up Saturday to happen a couple Saturdays later on November 13th, starting at 1pm with new presentations and topics. Click HERE for full details and a line-up of speakers.
AND, if you really cannot make the in-person event this year, we’ve still got our generously portioned Seed Up In a Box bundles which can be purchased at GreatAmericanSeedUp.org.
During the actual Great American Seed Up we will have a Facebook LIVE event feed hosted by Terra Rose Ganem of Brilliant Planet. Get a taste of the excitement, see what everyone is talking about, get ideas for your own gardens. Join Terra as she gives you a virtual tour of the event, chat with our experts, and shares what it is like to be a participant in a Great American Seed Up.
Follow us on Facebook for live event announcements.
Did you know that squash varieties are the most common type of plant grown for human consumption?
This family includes Melons, Pumpkins, Cucumbers, Zucchini, and Gourd. And this is a great time to get your gardens started with some squash, where ever you are!
Cucurbirta pepo. Early Prolific Straightneck Squash is a picture-perfect yellow summer squash with gracefully arched stems. Produces abundantly. Harvest early as baby squash or wait until 5-6″ long for slicing. Developed by the old Ferry-Morse Seed Company of Detroit, Michigan, ‘Early Prolific Straightneck’ was stabilized as a distinct cultivar from a selection of ‘Summer Crookneck’. Introduced in 1938, it was an “All-America Selection®” winner that same year. It remains an ever-popular heirloom variety that growers love for its delicious flavor and abundant fruit.
CULTURE: Plant seeds directly in the garden after soil reaches 70° F. In extremely cold areas, use black plastic mulch to raise soil temperature.
SOIL: Best yields come from well-composted, well-drained soil.
INSECTS AND DISEASES: Control pests with rotenone and pyrethrum.
SOIL: To best prevent blossom end rot, water at base of plant and provide slightly alkaline soil, rich in calcium.
COMPANION PLANTS INCLUDE: corn, nasturtiums.
SUGGESTED Individual Portion: 1/2 Tablespoon.
If you have grown this squash, leave a review and tell us about your experience here.
At the Great American Seed Up, we have several varieties of squash that are non-GMO, drought-tolerant, and non-hybrid so when you plant these seeds, success is around the corner.
Early Prolific Straightneck Squash is included in select SIB bundles and will be available at the 2021 Phoenix Seed Up. Register for the Phoenix Seed Up at GreatAmericanSeedUp.org/phoenixseedup.
And if you need a little guidance on how to save seeds and grow food, attend for our free monthly online educational event Seed Up Saturday! Sign up here: SeedUpSaturday.com.
They say that necessity is the mother of invention. The adage rings true with the founders of The Great American Seed Up (GASU).
GASU originated as an annual live event in Phoenix, Arizona where customers could scoop up bulk seed from buckets and participate in educational presentations all day. When the Covid-19 crisis rendered their current business model unworkable, they put their heads together to come up with a solution and took the program online to GreatAmericanSeedUp.org. Thus, Seed Up in a Box (SIB), a project of the Great American Seed Up, was born. The innovation has been an unexpected boon for the company and for its customers.
According to the founders, the Great American Seed Up has always been one big, grand experiment. Imagine walking into a room bustling with gardeners and filled with more than 100 varieties of seeds ready to be literally scooped up and taken home for planting or saving. This is exactly what the Great American Seed-Up is all about. “The idea is to give valley residents an opportunity to learn about seed saving, and then to harvest as many ounces or pounds of seed as they want to begin their seed saving adventure,” says Greg Peterson, Urban Farm Founder and local seed saver.
The Seed Up, not replicated or found anywhere else, was a novel way to get quality seed into the hands of farmers and gardeners, minus the packaging and distribution costs that drive up the price of seeds for the consumer. “These seeds were the best varieties we could find in bulk to help people save seeds,” says Seed-Up co-organizer Bill McDorman.
On May 16, 2015, GASU opened its doors for the first live Seed Up. Interest was so strong that the organizers needed to manage the number of tickets sold to make certain there was enough seed in stock to go around. The Great American Seed Up sold out.
The event was lively and attendees were undeterred by long waits to scoop seeds. Educational presentations filled up to standing room only. Customers were patient and supportive as staff and volunteers scrambled to keep buckets filled and to tally up purchases. Despite the usual glitches of an inaugural event, energy was high, seeds were scooped and growers rubbed shoulders.
Due to high demand, a second Seed Up was held in the fall of 2015, and then annually through 2019. Numbers of attendees increased at each event, and so did the need to adapt procedures to improve the flow and efficiency. Janis Norton, creator of Two Peace in a Pod orchard and garden, was instrumental in creating and streamlining systems for seed distribution and education.
With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, resulting in shortages of basic commodities, seed companies saw a sharp and sudden increase in demand. Gardeners, especially those who were new to growing food, were dismayed to discover that the seeds they needed were in short supply. Unexpectedly high demand pushed fulfillment operations past capacity. As a result, sales had to be suspended by most suppliers as they strove to catch up.
Despite these challenges, the mission of the Great American Seed Up remained the same – to get seeds into the hands of gardeners.
The company had access to plenty of seed to meet the needs of its customers. But hosting a large festival was not feasible for the foreseeable future. “I was very disappointed that we couldn’t host a live event,” says Kari Spencer, co-organizer and author of City Farming. “The energy and camaraderie when you get a bunch of seed people together doubles the thrill of getting our hands in buckets of seeds. We had seeds, but couldn’t distribute them.”
Faced with an uncertain future, founders began to brainstorm ways to get bulk seeds to their customers without raising prices or losing the sense of community, despite social distancing challenges.
The solution: Seed Up in a Box (SIB).
GASU moved all sales online, making seeds available in SIB bundles that contained enough bulk seed to form 10 oversized portions of multiple varieties. This was new and uncharted territory from an operational standpoint. Why package enough seed for 10 people? The reasons are three-fold:
Scan to go directly to GreatAmericanSeedUp.org
First, packaging in bulk keeps costs down for customers. Prior to the Covid crisis, seeds were distributed in-person at a discount from other retailers. Now SIB cuts the prices even more — as much as 50% less than the in-person cost.
Secondly, they knew we didn’t want to become a seed packaging company. “As a seed company owner for 28 years, I was looking for a different model to reduce costs and workload for us! Also, putting seeds in buckets and having our customers scoop up their own provided a connection to the seeds themselves that we feel is invaluable,” stated Bill McDorman.
And thirdly, GASU encourages customers to shop as communities, churches, friendship circles, or groups created via social media. Bundles are sized to provide enough seed for community gardens or neighborhood co-ops. Included with each bundle is a guide for creating seed swaps to distribute the seeds with Covid-19 safety in mind.
In addition to selling seeds in bulk bundles, GASU has moved access to seed education to an online Student Portal. Fortunately, co-owner Greg Peterson already had the infrastructure in place via Urban Farm U to facilitate the move. Customers are given access to seed classes that they can watch or listen to at any time. Additionally, GASU partners with Urban Farm U and Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance to produce monthly Seed Chats, a seed education event held live on Zoom that anyone can join. And quarterly, GASU hosts Seed Up Saturday, a three-hour education forum with live Q&A and a chat feature.
The team upped its social media and press releases, expanding GASU’s reach to the entire U.S. and Canada. “We were able to serve growers across the continent since the seed varieties in our program are adaptable and resilient – not zone-dependent. These are the seeds you will find in any of your favorite catalog companies. If you can grow a pepper where you are, then you can grow our varieties,” explained co-owner Belle Starr.
Bill McDorman a prolific seed saver and educator with GASU and Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance added; “The more seed diversity we have growing in our neighborhood gardens and backyard plots, the more resilient we’ll be as a community.”
To shore up systems for wide expansion, the team clarified roles for each owner and employee to better draw upon the strengths of each member. Additionally, procedures were better systemized to improve efficiency. With a plan in place, GASU secured a seed warehouse and hired part-time help to package the bundles, eventually moving to a larger space to accommodate the volume of seed that was needed to maintain a consistent stock. By expanding carefully, GASU did not need to furlough any employees or require PPP funding to stay afloat.
The good news for GASU is that there is a steady rise in the trend toward landscaping, farming and home gardening reported across North America. More than 20 million Americans planted a vegetable garden for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Bonnie Plants. GlobalData estimates that the green-thumb boom shows no sign of abating this year, with spending estimated to rise by 7%. By 2024, Statista.com reports and estimated increase in the global market for garden supplies to rise as much as 28%.1
The Great American Seed Up team members are thrilled that people are discovering gardening and are working creatively to enable gardeners’ success and ability to save seeds. The silver lining to changing their business model certainly has been all of the new people that they have met in their online events. While local customers are excited that the in-person festival can resume, the team plans on maintaining their online presence so that GASU continues to serve a wide audience.
The live Great American Seed Up returns on October 1st and 2nd to North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona and the online option, Seed Up in a Box will continue with new seeds added often. Visit GreatAmericanSeedUp.org for more information.
During the actual Great American Seed Up we will have a Facebook LIVE event feed hosted by Terra Rose Ganem of Brilliant Planet. Get a taste of the excitement, see what everyone is talking about, get ideas for your own gardens. Join Terra as she gives you a virtual tour of the event, chat with our experts, and shares what it is like to be a participant in a Great American Seed Up.
Follow us on Facebook for live event announcements.
1Statista, & Kevin Van Gelder. (2021, March 15). Gardening sales value forecast 2015–2024. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220222/global-gardening-sales-value/#statisticContainer
In response to his distaste of broccoli, the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association pledged to send a number of truckloads of broccoli to the White House. Wearing a broccoli corsage, the President of the association gave First Lady Barbara Bush (who was emphatically #TeamBroccoli) a bouquet of broccoli and an additional ten tons of the vegetable to donate to local food banks. The press ate it up. And in the tradition of the adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity, broccoli sales headed up.1
The Great American Seed Up is happy to continue the legacy of broccoli by offering a popular heirloom variety called Green Sprouting Calabrese. 
