Teacher Has Huge Seed Collection

Teacher Has Huge Seed Collection Glenn Drowns doesn’t just save seeds of a few favorite varieties—he maintains a collection of nearly 3,000 varieties of seeds and crops. The collection has its own home: an old farmhouse where he and his wife once lived. Every room is lined with shelves full of jars of seed. In the basement, eight freezers are packed with seed. One-third of the basement holds shelves of totes containing his 250 varieties of sweet potatoes, along with cannas and fennel bulbs. His garlic went into the ground last fall. This is in addition to the 219 varieties of heritage poultry he maintains (Vol. 41, No. 6). “Tracking them all is a challenge,” admits Drowns. “I have an extensive record system on my computer with every variety listed by the type of vegetable, except for beans, which I have to break down by snap or shell.” Drowns notes that he can’t grow out every variety every year. He says his hands and knees can’t take it, even if he had the time. However, he does grow a sample of each variety of squash and melon each year. They’re all hand-pollinated. Not only does Drowns maintain his collections—refreshing older seeds and experimenting with new ones—but he also teaches school three-quarters time. On the side, he sells seed. This year, his website lists more than 50 vegetables, 29 herbs and 38 grains, as well as zinnias, sunflowers, cotton and other flowers. Last fall, he sold out of the 13 varieties of garlic he had listed. In addition, he offers collections of seed grown by various Native American tribes. By mid-January, all his seed has been processed, cleaned, germination tested, and stored in jars. Throughout the fall and winter, he updates his seeds for sale. Unlike most seed companies, Drowns, his wife and a helper handle every step, from planning to planting to shipping out orders. Drowns is an advocate of people saving seed. He’s been a member of Seed Savers Exchange for more than 45 years and has donated more than 600 varieties to their permanent collection. This year, he offered 81 varieties on the Exchange. “Pick a crop or something that means something to you,” says Drowns. “Beans are a simple crop to start with. There are lots of resources available on how to save seeds.” He notes that saving seed is important work. It ensures that genetic diversity is maintained. “We don’t know what genetic trait might be needed at some point in the future,” he says. He adds that finding that special variety that has meaning is also interesting. “I got some watermelon seeds from a family,” he recalls. “They’d been growing it since the Civil War.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Heirloom Seeds & Poultry, 1878 230th St., Calamus, Iowa 52729 (ph 563-246-2299; sandhill@fbcom.net; www.sandhillpreservation.com).

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