WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT: LOCAL SEEDS GROWN FOR LOCAL CONDITIONS  If you’re gardening in Colorado, and you list seed hoarding among your favorite hobbies, then you have certainly asked at one point, “What grows at a high altitude?” And it’s an important question, right up there with “Where can I hide my new seed stash so my spouse doesn’t find it?” You may be lured to the shiny stands of Big Box Store seed packets, but keep in mind that…

You are a high-altitude, short-season grower if you have less than 110 days frost free and are above 4,600 ft in elevation. You are in a short-season climate if you have less than 110 frost-free days and are growing at a mile high or higher. Your climate may have high winds, 20-30 degree temperature swings from day to night, intense sun, alkaline soils, intense sun, and varied soil conditions.If this sounds familiar, don’t fret! Wide temperature swings and cool nights…

Many times this season and every farming season, I find myself returning to the Buddhist saying my father told me as a child, “the ox is slow but the earth is patient.” It is with this reality in mind that we come to the work of seed saving. Seed saving and working with nature is a lifelong commitment that takes patience, faith, and a long view. For instance, many crops take two seasons before they will produce seed. Adaptations to our…