Some of the resources provided below were produced in collaboration with Florida farmers and community organizations (see acknowledgements below) as part of a Southern SARE funded grant in 2023-2025:
Publications
Each of these documents are available as a free download and provide detailed information for Florida farmers looking to incorporate seed saving into their farm practices.
General Seed Saving Guides for Florida Growers
- A Beginner’s Guide to Producing and Saving Open-Pollinated Seeds for North Florida Farmers and Gardeners – A primer for growers of any scale interested in learning the basics of saving seeds in Florida.
- 8 Easy Seeds to Save in Florida – This beginner-friendly and beautiful guide describes 8 easy crops that anyone growing in Florida can start with right now! This makes a great handout and learning resource for any gardener. This version allows printing of a 5.5 x 8.5″ booklet.
- North Florida Seed Saving Guide – A more detailed and illustrated guide for Florida growers.
Crop Specific Seed Saving Guides
These guides were developed for small farms balancing seed saving with the demands and priorities of market production, based on work with growers in the Gainesville area of North Central Florida. They have been reviewed by other growers for accuracy and clarity.
- Saving Winter Squash Seeds – A detailed guide with just about everything you need to know to save winter squash seeds like Seminole Pumpkins, Butternuts, and other tropical squash. Should you ferment your seeds or not? What about cross-pollination and storage conditions? Get all your questions answered and more – with detailed descriptions, photos, and farmer insights in this complete manual for Florida growers.
- Saving Pepper Seeds – A detailed guide with just about everything you need to know to save pepper seeds! Will sweet peppers cross with hot peppers? What seed yields are expected? Can I make my own new varieties? Get all your questions answered and more – with detailed descriptions, photos, and farmer insights in this complete manual for Florida growers.
- Saving Tomato Seeds – A detailed guide with just about everything you need to know to save tomato seeds. These profitable crops are a win for farmers, and many varieties contain a lot of seeds, making it an easy, abundant, and rewarding crop. Cross-pollinations are rare, making it perfect for diversified farms growing many varieties at once. This complete manual for Florida growers includes detailed descriptions, photos, and farmer insights.
Seed Drying and Storage
- Seed Drying and Storage in Hot and Humid Climates – Getting seeds dry and properly stored is essential to seed longevity and seed health. Even if you’re only saving seeds for a short period of time, their quality will be maintained with good practices. Cost effective and simple solutions are detailed, as well as more advanced options to meet growers at any scale they’re at.
Farm & Garden Field Trip Activity Guide
- Field Trips to Farms and Gardens: Activity Guide – Having young people visit farms and gardens is a rewarding experience for everyone. We’ve gathered some of our favorite activities that keep the young and young at heart engaged and learning in this setting. Supplies, thoughtful prompts, activity instructions, and worksheets are provided. These activities are easy to adapt for therapeutic horticulture programs.
Videos
Meet Siembra Farm
In this video, we meet two of Siembra’s farmers, Hannah Brock and Cody Galligan who share with us their reasons for saving seeds.
Meet Nicoya Farm
In this video, we meet the owners and farmers of Nicoya Farm, Daniel Robleto and Aviva Asher, who share with us their reasons for saving seeds.
Saving Winter Squash Seeds
This video was produced by The Utopian Seed Project and features growers throughout the Southeast, including our own Joe Durando of Possum Hollow Fram in Alachua, Florida!
Saving Southern Pea Seeds
This video was produced by The Utopian Seed Project featuring growers throughout the Southeast.
Saving Okra Seeds
This video was produced by The Utopian Seed Project and features growers throughout the Southeast.
Saving Corn Seeds
This video was produced by The Utopian Seed Project featuring growers throughout the Southeast.
Dry Seed Cleaning Part 1: Hand and Machine Winnowing
See how dry seeds like Ethiopian Kale are taken from in the pod, to nearly cleaned up with simple hand winnowing equipment using screens and a vacuum aspirator. This simple piece of equipment is easy to build and use, and many small scale seed savers have one. Click the button below to access these open-source building plans.
Dry Seed Processing Part 2: The Winnow Wizard
A more advanced seed cleaning technique using a Winnow Wizard. This third and final step comes after simple hand winnowing, and takes seeds from nearly clean to sparkling and super high quality. These machines are all hand built by Mark Luterra and can be ordered and shipped to your farm! Click the button below to learn more.
Grown from Local Seeds Market Signs
Help share your efforts to grow and save local seeds at your farmers market booth with these signs. They are available in different formats to suit your display needs. Laminate them to protect from rain and wet veggies, and to write on with dry erase markers.
More Seed Resources
While these other resources are not Florida specific, they have a special place on our physical and virtual bookshelves!
Acknowlegements
We are deeply grateful to the three farms that helped integrate seed production into their market farm operations, helping us collectively learn to grow more locally adapted seeds: Siembra, Nicoya, and Hammock Hollow.
Special thanks to our Advisory Group for their insights, edits, and seed contributions: Abigail Perret-Gentil (GRACE Grows), Meg Boria-Meyer (Gainesville Giving Garden), Terry Zinn (Florida Wildflower Cooperative), Noah Long and Kelli Brew (UF Field and Fork), Dr. Dina Liebowitz and Dr. Hector Perez (UF), and Otis Garrison (Porters Quarters Urban Farm).
Thank you to the farmers, seed growers, and community organizers who reviewed our publications and offered invaluable input: Joe Durando (Possum Hollow Farm), Mehmet Öztan (Two Seeds in a Pod), Edmund Frost (Common Wealth Seed Growers), Alexa Heilman (GROW HUB), and Leah Deihl (UF).
A special thanks to Dr. Danielle Treadwell and her student Noah Allen (UF) for their contributions across many parts of the project, including video production.
This work would not be possible without the support and collaboration of our community—thank you all!