(Pioneer PBS intro music) - The pandemic got many more people out gardening, and that is great.

However, some of us are having a hard time, getting some of our favorite vegetable seed varieties.

In fact, last year, I happened to get one of the last package of green beans at the store, before they ran out.

Some of us wish we would've saved more seed.

Several years ago, we did a show on saving plants over winter, and today, we are going to visit with someone, who saved seed for a living.

Come along and learn.

- [Narrator] Funding for Prairie Yard and Garden is provided by Heartland Motor Company, providing service to Minnesota and the Dakotas for over 30 years.

In the heart of truck country, Heartland Motor Company, we have your best interest at heart.

Farmer's Mutual Telephone Company and Federated Telephone Cooperative, proud to be powering Acira, pioneers in bringing state-of-the art technology to our rural communities.

Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen, in honor of Shalom Hill Farm, a nonprofit rural education retreat center, and a beautiful prairie setting, near Windom, Minnesota.

And by Friends of Prairie Yard and Garden, a community of supporters like you, who engage in the long term growth of the series.

To become a Friend of Prairie Yard and Garden, visit pioneer.org/pyg.

(joyful instrumental music) - [Mary] My mom was a seed saver.

It was pretty common to have a newspaper, covered with some vegetable seeds on the counter, each fall.

If we had a melon or a squash that grew bigger, or had especially good flavor, mom would always save those seeds, in the hopes of growing more, next year.

Just like that good one we had this year.

Today, we are going to learn about seeds saving in a big way from Zachary Paige of North Circle Seeds.

Welcome, Zachary.

- Welcome.

- Tell us about yourself, and your background.

- So I originally grew up in Long Island, New York, and I studied music composition, in college.

And as I was going to school, I was teaching music, and I was working on farms in the summer.

And I was getting more and more interested in farming, sustainable farming.

And wanting to do the fullness of what sustainable means, and learned more about seed saving.

So, I actually came out to White Earth, Minnesota, to learn a Native American perspective on seed saving, and the agricultural roots.

As well as, just the techniques on how to do it, and why some sustainable and organic farms don't seed save and learn those reasons.

Just became more interested and more curious about saving different varieties of seed.

- What is North Circle Seeds?

- North circle seeds is a certified organic vegetable seed company, based right here in Vergas, Minnesota.

We have growers throughout the state of Minnesota, and we regionally adapt our seed to the north and the Minnesota climate.

We officially started in the February of 2020.

So, starting right when COVID hit, there's so much demand for seed at that time, and just starting right off the bat there.

Really got a lot of people interested in what we're up to.

- How many people are part of company?

- So, it's a company, it's a business, and it's also a collective of farmers and growers.

So, we have about 10 growers that are growing anything from our corn or cross pollinated varieties.

Because if I grew to varieties like corn, right next to each other, they cross Polly and they would hybridize, and become something else.

So, we need growers to grow those kinds of varieties out.

Some people grow things that I can't grow.

So, if I'm growing a pumpkin, which is a species Cucurbita pepo, I can't grow another Cucurbita pepo species within quarter mile.

And I don't have that much land.

So, if I want to grow another variety, that's within that species, within that same year, then I'll need somebody else to grow that one.

- Do some of the other growers have CSAs, or do they just grow seed like you do?

- Oh yeah.

Every other grower is doing something different that what that they're doing.

So, everybody's got their own enterprises and things that they're up to.

And they're, it's kind of like a side gig.

It is a legitimate enterprise.

We've got contracts and you'll make some profit from doing the seed production.

And we're hopefully expanding that in Minnesota.

And I like that North Circle Seeds is like, we're about, I'd say 95% here in Minnesota.

And it's really nice because we could gather at the end of the year, and have these seed harvest sessions, all together.

And be able to see each other.

'Cause a lot of seed companies, they'll have growers throughout the country, actually.

And I think it's important, not only to regionally adapt the seed and keep the seeds around this area, but I feel like it's a service to this area.

To be able to seeds that are growing in organic conditions without chemical fertilizer aids, and they're not genetically modified, and they're open pollinated.

North Circle Seeds is USDA certified organic, through OCIA, that's a national certifier.

And we have inspectors that come out every year, and they inspect that we don't have chemical fertilizers.

We don't have genetically modified seed.

We don't spray pesticides.

- [Mary] And then you mentioned regional seed.

Why is that important?

- [Zachary] So, I think regional seed and regional seed storage, and systems is really important to the over role vitality of our sustainable farming system.

So, if we have seeds, that's adapted regionally, it's better than relying on seed.

That's coming from another part of the country, or another part of the world.

Then, we're kind of having our own control, I'd say as better word, but we have our own system here in Minnesota, and we are aligned more on ourselves on storing those varieties within the communities, rather than relying on bigger seed companies or bigger storage facilities.

- Does everybody bring their seeds here to your location?

- Yeah.

So, at the end of the season, I'll reach out to the many growers, and we'll coordinate everybody's up to something different.

And a lot of different varieties are different times.

So, some might be in later and some might be earlier.

But generally, around October, November, either things are mailed or I'll go and collect seed.

And then everything has to be handled here, and processed and cleaned because the certification for organic, our equipment's certified to handle and package to get it out certified organic.

- I like to learn more about the varieties that you grow, and how you grow the am.

- Well, I'd love to share with you.

(calm instrumental music) - [Mary] Is there any activity that defines Halloween better than pumpkin carving?

- One of my favorite things to do on Halloween is carving pumpkins with my brothers 'cause I get to pick up my own designs.

- [Mary] It's a fun fall activity for families, and we are so lucky to have so many available in your local market or from a nearby pumpkin patch.

If you buy your pumpkin locally, you can be sure it was picked recently, which means more days and nights of enjoying your Halloween creation.

And don't forget to harvest those delicious seeds inside the pumpkin.

Just wash them in a strainer, and spread them on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle the seeds with a little salt and a little olive oil, and slide them into the oven at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Personally, I like to use a little nutmeg and cinnamon to give my pumpkin seeds sharper taste.

Of course the best thing about pumpkins is the chance to make funny and ghoulish characters to entertain your neighbors at Halloween.

This annual tradition is something, children love.

- I like sports, so I'm doing a football on my pumpkin.

- Well this year I did a buck 'cause I really like hunting, and it turned out really awesome.

- Here's a few tips for making your next pumpkin carving a success.

Number one, before carving, keep your pumpkin out of extreme temperatures.

If it is a hot day, place the pumpkin in the fridge.

And if it's cold, bring the pumpkin inside.

If pumpkins freeze and thaw, they'll rot faster.

Number two, keep your pumpkin out of direct sunlight, bring it inside or find a shady place on your porch.

And number three, wait as long as possible to carve your pumpkin.

They start breaking down after you carve them.

So, save your masterpiece for one to two weeks before Halloween.

For more information about pumpkins, and to find your local pumpkin patch, go to minnesotagrown.com.

- [Zachary] So, Mary, this is our larger seed production field.

It's about an acre and a half.

We grow many varieties up here.

We've got more space to do that.

And some of the varieties that are up here this year are, pie pumpkin, or Ukrainian squash, or North Circle butternut.

I've got African eggplant.

One of the really popular beans is called Fortex bean, it's a pole bean.

So, that was fun.

Trellising the pole bean this year, I haven't done that before.

And we also have peppers in cages.

So, they're in isolation cages.

So, the bees won't cross pollinate their pollen, and each variety will be pure, within the isolation cages.

- So, the varieties that you grow, are they considered open pollinated or are they heirlooms?

- Yeah.

So, that's a really great question.

So, heirloom doesn't mean anything scientific.

In terms of genetics, heirlooms, a really great word for story.

So, if you've got an heirloom necklace per se, it has a meaning to you.

It has a story about your importance to that seed.

But in terms of more scientific term, open pollinated is a good term.

And all of our seeds are open pollinated versus hybrid.

So, hybrid seed, that's the seed that you'll find in a lot of seed catalogs that farmers will get because of uniform, uniform look to them.

They'll yield nice.

But open pollinated, you could actually save the seed, whereas hybrid there's a mix of genetics 'cause there's a two parent plants, and they're different genetics.

So, if you save those seeds, the second year, you don't know what you're gonna get.

It's gonna be a completely mixed bag.

It's not gonna be reliable.

So, that's why all the seeds we grow and sell are open pollinated.

So, you can save the seeds, and anybody that buys the seeds, can also save the seeds.

- [Mary] Where did you originally get the seeds you started with.

- All over the world?

So, there is a USDA germ plasm bank for plant at breeders.

I went to school for plant breeding at Iowa State University, and I went for corn breeding.

And we were, our project was for a high nutrient orange corn, which has high end Beta Carotene, so vitamin A.

So, a lot of the seed that we were able to find was on the USDA, it's called GRIN, G-R-I-N, publicly available for breeders and research.

And this seed does not have any patents to it.

So, it's unrestricted seed.

So, that's one source we could use.

The problem with that is that seed's not certified organic.

We have to tell the story of what we're doing here in North Circle Seeds, we're breeding things.

We're having fun.

We're throwing a bunch of different varieties and genetics, into a mix.

Sometimes, to create our own varieties, which is a lot of fun.

But the problem with that is, a lot of seed out there already has a patent, and already has a restriction.

So, we can't use specific seeds for specific reasons, but there are open poll sources out there, as well as asking breeders, asking organic breeders, and just doing that background check.

- [Mary] What culturally important varieties do you grow?

- So, I would say the culturally important varieties are culturally important because of the people that, perhaps, have donated that seed, or grew that seed and the relationship that I have with that individual person.

So, Simeon from Fargo-Moorhead area has donated African eggplant.

These red ones here, zebra plant eggplant, and a white one.

And those are culturally important to him.

And he's been generous enough to share them with me.

And then our deal is that, I grow out some plants for him every year, as plant starts.

I think that's great.

That's part of our mission is to grow food that is diverse, culturally important to not just the Norwegian or, I'm Jewish, Jewish culture, or Somali or Latinx community, but all the communities that live in Minnesota.

So, we want to grow for food.

And to have those seeds regionally adapted is important.

Because if they were from, let's say Puerto Rico or Africa, then, it takes a number of years to get them adapted to the colder climate that we live in though.

And then it's also fun to share those with those seeds, with people that haven't grown them before.

I have friends in the Sustainable Farming Association that came up to me and said, "Those zebra eggplants are some of the best eggplants I've ever had."

So, it's a new experience for a lot of people that grow different kinds of seeds.

- [Mary] Well, and your even to trying to grow a blue corn.

Aren't you?

- That's right.

Yeah.

So, our blue corn variety is a kind of mixed bag.

Some of those seeds were from, actually, Mexico, and some of them were from around this region, open pollinated varieties.

And this is a fun part of, I think is a fun part of plant breeding is, you kinda get to use all your senses.

You get to taste, you get to look at, which are the ones that you wanna select from.

If you're growing a bunch of varieties, within a cross pollinated population, everything's gonna mix.

So, you're gonna get a lot of different things.

But it is a population, and it is open pollinated.

So, you're gonna get a reliable corn, but through the years of breeding and selecting, you're breeding and selecting something, that's gonna work nice cob and nice yield that is disease resistant, lodging resistant.

So, there's a lot of things to think about on the breeding side, but to be able to create something new, and to be able to create something that is culturally meaningful to people making tortillas.

and using that blue corn in fun and different ways, and corn chips and blue corn bread muffins.

And there's a lot of different things that you could use that for on the garden, or small scale side.

- Where do you keep the things that you have to dry?

- I keep most of it in room next to my garage.

We've got screens, and we have a dehydrator that blows up winds.

So, when we harvest our garlic per se, we want to cure that garlic for almost two or three weeks.

We're running air through that screen continuously.

And that cures the garlic, that'll make it last all year round, until next spring to eat.

(joyful instrumental music) - I have a question.

My tree company said I had to cut down my Magnolia tree because of black sooty stuff all over the leaves.

Is this true?

Do I really have to cut it down?

- You do not necessarily need to cut down your Magnolia.

In fact, it kind of troubles me that so many homeowners are being told that they are about to lose their Magnolias.

What you have is something called Magnolia scale, most likely.

If you see kind of black fungal growth, almost, on the leaf, that's something called sooty mold.

And it grows on something called honeydew, which is a sugary water that is excreted by certain kinds of insects.

So, the insect that we're looking at is Magnolia scale.

It is a piercing sucking insect that sucks the SAP out of your tree.

And it excretes that sugar water, that honeydew, onto the leaves where the city mold grows.

Now, you don't wanna just let the Magnolia scale go because if they suck out enough of that plant SAP, then yeah, you're gonna start losing some plant branches, but there are some options to deal with Magnolia scale.

You can ask your tree care company if they can come back, and do what is called a dormant oil spray.

What that means is they come back, as the leaves are about to fall in autumn, that's when the crawler stage of the scale insect comes out.

It's their young, they're newly hatched eggs.

They're very, very tiny, smaller than dust specs.

And they're crawling all along the branches.

That's how they over winter in Minnesota.

Your tree care company can spray your branches down with mineral oil, which is horticultural oil.

It's a pretty safe product, and it coats these crawlers, and it suffocates them, essentially.

So, if they wanna do that in late in the fall, and then early again in the spring, I think you'll see a drastic reduction in your Magnolia scale.

But during the growing season, if you see sooty mold all over, like we do underneath our tree, and we're getting sticky SAP all over our benches, then what you can do, is you can take a sweeper nozzle, and, basically, power wash your tree because that strong jet of water will knock down the adult scales that are under their protective coating.

And that way, you can reduce the amount of SAP loss from your tree.

- [Narrator] Ask the Arboretum experts has been brought to you by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, dedicated to enriching lives through the appreciation and knowledge of plants.

- Zach, how do you actually harvest and clean the seeds?

- So, each species is different.

Kind of on its own timescale.

But generally most seeds are dry seeds.

So, you do it this dry method where, whether it even be a squash, if you open up that squash, collect the seeds, dry them off the dehydrator, and then they're dry enough where you could go through this winnowing process, and winnow off any shaft or any of the other plant parts, so you get clean seeds.

So, that's the same as a dried bean or Arikara sunflower.

And you could see the shaft of the, shaft is a fancy, where maybe not so fancy word, for just other plant parts that'll blow away.

And the gravity will take that seed down, while the wind through this machine that we have called a winnow wizard, will, actually, blow a shaft out.

So, we could run that a few times, and then, not only get the shaft and other plant parts out to get the clean seed, but we could actually run it a few times to get the heavier seed.

So, the heavier seed has more chance to germinate, and has more bigger, typically.

So, we'll also select for heavier seed, and let a lot of that smaller seed go and be safer with a heavier seed.

So, there's other methods, and something like a tomato uses a water winnowing method.

So, we actually, we squished the tomato up with a big masher stick.

We get a five gallon bucket of one variety, and you have to be careful not to use that masher stick in another variety, but you mash up the tomatoes really nice and good, and you could add a little water.

And then, those tomato seeds will actually ferment over a period of time, maybe three, four days.

And then, after that, you're adding water.

And then you're slowly pouring the water out, which has the tomato parts, but not the seed.

The seed actually falls to the bottom of the bucket because it's more dense, it's heavy.

And you'll do this a number of times.

And what that fermentation process did, was it fermented off that gelatinous goop that surrounds that seed with a beneficial bacteria, so that's protecting the seed.

And then you, after you finish water winnowing, you'll throw your seed into a SIV.

And then you could smack that onto a wax paper, which I just put into a dehydrator.

And when I dehydrate seeds, I never put on the heat mechanism, just the fan, because as seeds are alive, they will die if they're over 90 degrees.

So, you want to keep them always below, around 85 degrees, if possible.

So, when you're drying seeds, constant airflow, one layer of seed don't pile them up, and just keep that air going.

And after a good amount of time of doing it, you could tell when the seeds really get dry.

And that's when you package.

And I use silica gel packets to store the seed that sucks a little bit more moisture out.

And yeah.

And then, they're ready to go into storage.

- Where do you keep the seed over the winter?

- So, I didn't have an ideal situation this past winter, but something that's happening actually right now, as we speak, building a seed storage facility.

So, it's gonna be underground.

Underneath the ground, it's a constant 50 degrees, which is really good for seeds.

And if you think about it, seeds are in the ground.

They that's where they lay dormant, all these different kinds of seeds that are just naturally there sitting.

So, it's mimicking that.

And then also we're using a dehumidifier to suck out further moisture from that room.

So, so it won't be too wet 'cause, typically, a basement room will be about 70% humid.

We're gonna try to suck it down to about 20 or 30%, which will be ideal.

- How do you know how much to produce each year?

- Oh, we usually just produce as much as we possibly can.

We have an idea about how much we sell and how much to grow.

So, just to give an idea, for tomatoes, I'll like to grow at least a hundred plants, if not 200 of one variety.

And that'll give enough seed for more than two years for us.

So, the key to a seed company, is to store your seeds really well.

Because if you could store your seeds really well, then they're germinating high at high percentages, 95 to 99% for longer.

And then you don't have to do grow outs of those varieties, as often.

So, this seed storage facility we're building is super important for a number of reasons, but in terms of profitability and being able to support all of our growers, and everything that we do, it's a vital piece to store the seeds, to have them living for as long as they possibly can.

- [Mary] How do you check for germination?

- So, that's a great question with Minnesota State Seed Law, we have to do a germination that's aha hundred seeds with four repetitions.

So, it's a really good germination test, where we have specific requirements for each species.

So, tomatoes like to germinate around 75, 80 degrees.

Peppers, actually, need a little bit of light to trigger that germination.

We do everything, actually, in a small scale in coolers, or we could heat that cooler exactly to the temperature of that species.

And then, we are required to write that germination percent on the back of each packet, and those seeds will expire in a year.

So, we have to get those seeds out in one year.

And every year, we germinate our seeds, and give a percentage.

- That leads me.

How do you market your seeds?

- So, great question.

We have a Facebook page.

We have a website.

We sell most of our seeds on our website.

We're thinking about doing a catalog soon, but the website's worked so far.

We've got a lot of subscribers.

So, northcircleseeds.com.

If you just go to the website and browser, we've got about 50 varieties last year, we'll have about 20 more this year added.

But if you write your email in the subscribe, you'll get email blast of a lot of our discounts.

We do a pretty big discount campaign in the spring, on specific varieties, and you might see 15% off for a weekend, or something like that.

- This has been so interesting.

Thanks so much for letting us come out, and learn about your operation.

- Yeah.

Thank you for coming out.

This has been a great experience.

- [Narrator] Funding for Prairie Yard and Garden is provided by Heartland Motor Company, providing service to Minnesota and the Dakotas for over 30 years.

In the heart of truck country, Heartland Motor Company, we have your best interest at heart.

Farmer's Mutual Telephone Company and Federated Telephone Cooperative, proud to be powering Acira, pioneers in bringing state-of-the-art technology to our rural communities, Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen, in honor of Shalom Hill Farm, a nonprofit rural education retreat center, and a beautiful prairie setting near Windom, Minnesota.

And by Friends of Prairie Yard and Garden.

A community of supporters like you, who engage in the long term growth of the series.

To become a Friend of Prairie Yard and Garden, visit pioneer.org/pyg.

(joyful instrumental music)