Farm Financials

A Breakdown of my Seed Order

At this point, nearly all of the seeds I ordered for 2010 have arrived, and I’ve sorted and grouped them all into big ziplock bags so they are easy to find during the season.  In this posting, I’m taking a look bag at the order and teasing out some info for you:

1) Cost - My seed costs are pretty high for a couple of reasons.  For one, I’m trialing a lot of new varieties.  This means that instead of getting a bulk price for a larger quantity of one type of, say, mainseason carrots, I am buying 3 or 4 types at a higher per-seed price.  Even when I do cut down on the amount of new varieties I’m trialing, my per-acre seed cost will remain high simply because  I grow relatively small patches of many different crops.  I’ll never be getting the largest quantity discounts.  Below are my 2010 costs for the 6.5 acres of annuals I plant over the course of the season:

Vegetable Seed: $3,186

Flower Seed: $341

Seed Potato: $1,208 - 550 lbs, 11 varieties, shipping included

Strawberry Plants: $780 - 8750 plants, 6 varieties, shipping included.  I really only needed 4500 plants, but I’m trialing new varieties.  I was able to sell many of the extras.

2) Organic Seed - I purchase certified organic seed whenever its an option for the varieties I choose to grow.  Because I rely on the income from my farm, it is more important for me to choose a variety that I know will perform as needed, even if the seed is not organic, than to choose a variety simply because its certified OG.  I do make an effort to try new OG varieties each year, but as it stands, just 66 of the 165 veggie varieties I’m growing this year are organic seed.  10 of the 11 potato varieties are OG, but only 1 of the 6 strawberry varieties was available as OG.

3) F1 Hybrid Seed - The situation is similar when it comes to Open-Pollinated (OP) varieties vs. Hybrid (F1) varieties.  I am always seeking OP varieties that perform well, but I do plant F1 varieties when they show a noticeable advantage over similar OP strains.  This year, 83 of the 165 veggie varieties are OP, and 37 of the 38 flower varieties are OP.  Because seed producers can make more money from F1 seeds, it seems that the breeders are less focused on OP strains.  I do not grow any GM seeds.

4) New Varieties - There are a number of crops where I feel like I haven’t yet found the best possible varieties for my climate, soils, or time of year.  To try and remedy this, I trial a number of new varieties each year.  Of the 220 annual plant varieties I’m growing this year, 73 are new to me.

5) Seed Saving - I am not currently saving any of my own seed.  While I recognize the potential for improving the adaptation of varieties to my farm, I am not ready to commit the time and space required.  Perhaps when I’ve identified more of the OP varieties that do well for me, I will begin to save some of my own seed.

6) Sources - I purchased seed and planting stock from 11 different companies this year.  What I’m looking for is: a) The varieties I want, b) The availability of organic seed, c) Good bulk pricing, and d) A reputation for high-quality & reliability.  This year I purchased from Johnny’s, Osborne, High Mowing, Territorial, Snow, Stokes, Peaceful Valley, Turtle Tree, Uprising, Ronnigers Potaoes, & Lassen Canyon Nursery.

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