Saving Seeds: Preserving Our Gardens, Our History, and Our Community

Saving Seeds: Preserving Our Gardens, Our History, and Our Community

Every garden has a story, and sometimes that story begins with a single seed.

Long before seed catalogs and garden centers, families carefully saved seeds from their healthiest plants to ensure another successful harvest the following year. Today, that tradition is making a comeback. Seed saving is more than a way to save money. It's an opportunity to preserve biodiversity, protect locally adapted plants, and pass along treasured varieties for generations to come.

One of the most cherished plants to save seeds from is the heirloom tomato.

Unlike many modern hybrid tomatoes bred for uniform size and shipping, heirloom tomatoes have often been grown and shared by families for decades or even centuries. These unique varieties are known for their incredible flavors, vibrant colors, unusual shapes, and rich history. Many have been passed down through generations, carrying family stories alongside their seeds.

By saving heirloom tomato seeds, gardeners help preserve valuable genetic diversity that strengthens our food system and protects varieties that may otherwise disappear. Every seed saved is a small investment in the future of local agriculture.

Getting Started with Seed Saving

Seed saving doesn't have to be complicated. Start by selecting healthy, open-pollinated plants and allowing the fruits or seed pods to fully mature before harvesting. Once collected, clean the seeds if needed, allow them to dry completely, and store them in a labeled envelope or airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Some of the easiest plants for beginners include:

• Tomatoes (especially heirloom varieties)

• Beans

• Peas

• Lettuce

• Peppers

• Herbs

• Sunflowers

• Zinnias and other annual flowers

Before long, you'll have seeds ready to grow next season or to share with fellow gardeners.

Growing Community Through Seed Sharing

Seed saving isn't just about gardening. It's about community.

Across Davidson County, there are wonderful opportunities to connect with other gardeners, exchange seeds, and learn new skills.

The Thomasville Public Library hosts a quarterly Houseplant Exchange & Seed Swap, where community members can bring indoor plants, seeds, or cuttings to share while meeting fellow plant enthusiasts. Whether you're an experienced collector or just beginning your plant journey, everyone is welcome.

The N.C. Cooperative Extension of Davidson County and the Extension Master Gardener℠ Volunteers also offer a variety of educational opportunities throughout the year. Their free Extension Gardening Classes cover topics such as:

• Vegetable Gardening

• Healthy Lawns

• Home Fruits

• Woody & Herbaceous Ornamentals

• Soils, Fertilizers & Compost

• Pest Management

These research-based classes are designed for gardeners of all experience levels and provide practical knowledge you can use at home.

Learn Seed Saving Hands-On This Month

Looking to dive deeper into seed saving?

The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) is offering a Beginner Seed Saving Workshop at the Elma C. Lomax Research and Education Farm.

Participants will:

• Learn the fundamentals of seed saving

• Tour the research and education farm

• Participate in a hands-on workshop harvesting and cleaning tomato seeds

• Learn about the OSPREY Seed Yield Trial Project

• Hear from Lomax Farm Manager Dylan Alexander

🌱 Beginner Seed Saving Workshop

📅 Tuesday, June 30
🕓 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
📍 Elma C. Lomax Research and Education Farm
💲 Registration: $10

Whether you're a home gardener, market grower, or simply interested in preserving heirloom varieties, this workshop is a great opportunity to build your skills while supporting sustainable agriculture.

Register and learn more:
https://carolinafarmstewards.org/event/beginner-seed-saving/

Every Seed Has a Story

When you save a seed, you're doing more than preparing for next year's garden. You're preserving the flavor of a family-favorite heirloom tomato. You're protecting plant diversity for future generations. You're sharing knowledge with neighbors, supporting local agriculture, and becoming part of a tradition that has connected gardeners for centuries.

Why Local Food Systems Matter in Uncertain Times

Why Local Food Systems Matter in Uncertain Times

Most people don’t think about what happens between a farm field and the grocery shelf—or even a farmers market table. But that “in-between” space is exactly where North Carolina is now making big moves.

Recent state-level studies highlight something food system advocates have been saying for years: strengthening local agricultural manufacturing and food processing isn’t just about economics—it’s about stability, access, and resilience.

Across North Carolina, researchers and agencies are looking at how expanding processing capacity (things like milling, meat processing, freezing, canning, and packaging) could help farmers keep more value locally while building stronger regional food supply chains.

So what does that actually mean for our community?

It means food systems don’t stop at the farm gate. And right now, that “middle layer”—processing, storage, aggregation, and distribution—is where a lot of opportunity sits.

What Happens Before Food Reaches Your Farmers Market?

When you pick up local lettuce, eggs, meat, or produce, you’re seeing the final step of a much larger system.

Before that moment, food often moves through:

• Washing, sorting, and packaging

• Refrigeration and cold storage

• Value-added processing (like turning fruit into jams or apples into cider)

• Local aggregation hubs that combine products from multiple farms

Without that infrastructure, farmers are left doing everything themselves—growing, selling, delivering, and sometimes even processing. That limits how much local food can realistically move through a region, even when demand is strong.

NC State Extension describes food processing as everything from simple preservation to full value-added production that helps make local foods more convenient and market-ready.

How Local Processing Supports NC Farmers

This is where things get interesting for North Carolina agriculture.

Studies show that expanding food manufacturing and processing capacity can:

• Help farmers access more reliable markets

• Reduce waste from surplus or “imperfect” crops

• Keep more food dollars circulating locally

• Strengthen rural economies through job creation and infrastructure investment

In plain terms: when local processing exists, farmers don’t just grow food—they can scale their businesses.

A tomato doesn’t have to sell fresh in 48 hours. It can become sauce. Apples can become juice or cider. Livestock can be processed closer to where it’s raised instead of traveling long distances out of state.

That flexibility matters, especially when markets shift, weather disrupts harvests, or transportation costs rise.

Why This Matters for Food Security

Food security isn’t only about growing enough food—it’s about whether that food can reliably move through the system and reach people.

Research on resilient food systems shows that distributed local networks with strong “middle layers” (processors, aggregators, and local markets) are more stable during disruptions because they don’t rely on a single centralized supply chain.

In other words, resilience comes from connection—not just production.

When farms, processors, and local markets are linked, the system can absorb shocks better, reduce waste, and keep food closer to the communities that need it.

Where Piedmont Fresh and DCLFN Fit In

This is exactly the space Piedmont Fresh and the Davidson County Local Food Network operate in every day.

We’re not just connecting people to local food—we’re part of a larger ecosystem that depends on:

• Strong farms

• Strong processing capacity

• Strong local distribution channels

• And strong community demand

When all four align, local food stops being a niche option and becomes a functioning system.

The momentum in North Carolina right now is clear: local food systems aren’t just a trend. They’re infrastructure. And infrastructure is what turns “we have good farms” into “we have a resilient food system.”

The Bigger Picture

Local food security isn’t built overnight, and it’s not built by farms alone.

It’s built in processing plants most people never see, in shared kitchens, in cold storage units, in small distribution networks, and in everyday decisions to buy local when possible.

The exciting part? North Carolina is actively investing in that middle layer right now.

And that means the local food system in places like Davidson County isn’t just growing—it’s becoming more complete.

Sources

North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) – Agricultural Manufacturing & Processing Initiative Study
https://www.ncagr.gov/news/press-releases/2026/03/30/study-identifies-opportunities-expand-agricultural-manufacturing-and-processing-north-carolina

RTI International – NC Agricultural Manufacturing & Processing Initiative (NCAMPI) Overview
https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/marketing/agribusiness/marketing-north-carolina-agricultural-manufacturing-and-processing-initiative-opportunity-study

North Carolina Department of Commerce – Food Processing & Manufacturing Industry Overview
https://www.commerce.nc.gov/business/key-industries-north-carolina/food-processing-manufacturing

NC State Extension – Local Food Processing & Distribution Systems
https://orange.ces.ncsu.edu/orange-county-baseline-community-food-assessment/preparing-food/

NC State Extension – Food Safety Repository: NCAMPI Grant Opportunity Background
https://foodsafetyrepository.ces.ncsu.edu/news/grant-opportunity-north-carolina-agriculture-manufacturing-and-processing-initiative/

NC Food Innovation Lab – About Food Processing & Innovation Infrastructure
https://ncfoodinnovationlab.org/about

North Carolina’s Southeast – Agribusiness & Food Processing Fast Facts
https://www.ncse.org/agri-business-and-food-processing.php

North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services – Agricultural Statistics Division
https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/agricultural-statistics

RTI International (via NCDA&CS announcement) – Study on Agricultural Manufacturing Expansion
https://www.ncagr.gov/news/press-releases/2026/03/30/study-identifies-opportunities-expand-agricultural-manufacturing-and-processing-north-carolina

Pollinators: The Tiny Workforce Behind Our Food

When we think about the food on our tables, we often picture farmers, fields, and fresh harvests. But behind every juicy strawberry, crisp cucumber, and summer squash is a hardworking team of pollinators. Bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, birds, and even bats play a critical role in producing many of the foods we enjoy every day.

June is National Pollinator Month, making it the perfect time to celebrate these tiny workers and learn how we can help them thrive in Davidson County and beyond.

Why Pollinators Matter

Pollinators transfer pollen from one flower to another, allowing plants to produce fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. Without pollinators, many crops would see significantly reduced yields—or disappear altogether.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, roughly one-third of the food we eat depends on pollinators. Their work supports not only food production but also healthy ecosystems and biodiversity.

Crops That Depend on Pollinators

Many of the foods grown by local farmers rely on pollinators, including:

• Strawberries

• Blueberries

• Blackberries

• Watermelons

• Cucumbers

• Squash and zucchini

• Pumpkins

• Peppers

• Tomatoes

• Apples

• Herbs and flowering vegetables

The next time you enjoy a locally grown strawberry or slice of watermelon, remember to thank a bee.

How You Can Help Pollinators at Home

Supporting pollinators doesn't require a farm. Small actions can make a big difference:

Plant Native Flowers
Choose a variety of flowers that bloom throughout the growing season to provide a continuous food source.

Reduce Pesticide Use
Avoid spraying flowering plants whenever possible, especially during peak pollinator activity.

Create Habitat
Leave some natural areas in your yard, add a bee house, or allow flowering herbs to bloom.

Provide Water
A shallow dish with stones gives pollinators a safe place to drink.

Pollinator-Friendly Plants for North Carolina

Consider adding these pollinator favorites to your garden:

• Purple Coneflower

• Black-Eyed Susan

• Bee Balm

• Milkweed

• Goldenrod

• Asters

• Native Sunflowers

• Coreopsis

• Salvia

These plants support bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other beneficial insects throughout the season.

Local Farms and Pollinator Stewardship

Many local farmers understand that healthy pollinator populations are essential to successful harvests. Across Davidson County and the surrounding region, farmers support pollinators by planting flowering borders, maintaining natural habitats, diversifying crops, and using integrated pest management practices.

These efforts help create a healthier local food system while supporting the pollinators that make food production possible.

Get Involved

This June, consider planting a pollinator-friendly flower, visiting a local farm, or purchasing locally grown foods that benefit from pollinator services. Every action—no matter how small—helps strengthen our food system and supports the farmers and pollinators working together to feed our community.

Healthy Pollinators = Healthy Farms = Healthy Communities

Sources

• USDA Pollinator Information

• North Carolina State Extension Pollinator Resources

• Pollinator Partnership National Pollinator Month

This would pair nicely with photos of local flowers, bees on strawberry blossoms, butterfly gardens, or farmers growing pollinator-dependent crops.