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Our Seed Philosophy: Choosing Diversity and Resilience
At Little Ducky Flower Farm, every seed we plant carries a piece of our commitment to sustainability, adaptability, and biodiversity. Thoughtful seed selection is at the heart of how we grow flowers and cultivate a resilient environment. Here’s a closer look at the principles guiding our seed purchasing choices
Region-Adapted Seeds
We believe in working with nature, not against it. That’s why we prioritize seeds that are regionally adapted—varieties that thrive in our specific climate and soil conditions. With our changing climate, it makes even more sense to focus on seeds suited to being field-grown in our region. These seeds are naturally more resilient to local challenges like pests, diseases, and weather extremes.
By growing region-adapted seeds, we...
Reduce the need for synthetic inputs like pesticides and fertilizers.
Support a healthier, more sustainable ecosystem.
Promote the cultivation of crops that reflect the unique beauty and character of our area
Choosing seeds that are adapted to our region ensures that our farm remains in harmony with its environment while producing flowers that flourish.
The Landrace Method
The landrace method is an ancient and time-honored approach to seed breeding that embraces diversity. Rather than aiming for uniformity, this method encourages genetic variation within a crop, allowing it to adapt to its environment over time and thrive in a specific region and climate, often under low-input systems.
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This stands in contrast to the modern seed industry (controlled by a handful of corporations), where a focus on visual and production uniformity has led to narrow genetic pools in many crops. These closed populations often suffer from inbreeding, making them less resilient to stresses like disease or drought. To counteract these weaknesses, many growers rely on hybrid seeds that must be purchased annually, reinforcing the dominance of hybrids and contributing to the loss of genetic diversity over the past century.
We especially practice the landrace method in our vegetable garden, where we focus on crops that can evolve to meet the challenges of our growing conditions.
On our farm, we love the landrace method because it...
Creates resilient plants that adapt to our conditions.
Encourages biodiversity, essential for healthy ecosystems.
Continues the tradition of farmers shaping crops in harmony with the land.
By growing landrace crops, we’re investing in the future of farming that’s diverse, sustainable, and adaptable.
Open-Pollinated Seeds
We choose open-pollinated seeds because they can be saved, shared, and replanted—keeping the cycle of growth in the hands of growers. These seeds, unlike hybrids, carry forward their genetic traits from generation to generation, creating opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
Open-pollinated seeds mean...
Seed saving is possible: Farmers and gardeners can select and save seeds for the next season.
Biodiversity thrives: Every saved seed represents an opportunity for adaptation and growth.
A sustainable future: These seeds foster community-based innovation and support more resilient agriculture.
Growing open-pollinated seeds allows us to balance practicality with creativity, ensuring every choice supports the bigger picture. Growing open-pollinated seeds allows us to balance practicality with creativity, ensuring every choice supports the bigger picture.
Avoiding Invasive Varieties
We are committed to being responsible stewards of the land, which includes ensuring that the plants we grow do not disrupt local ecosystems. Before introducing new flower varieties to our fields, we carefully research and check them against regional lists of plants of concern to avoid introducing invasive species.
This care and research reflect our dedication to...
Protecting native ecosystems by prioritizing non-invasive species.
Maintaining balance in our local environment.
Growing responsibly to support both agriculture and biodiversity.
We take these steps to preserve the natural beauty and health of our surroundings for future generations.
Supporting Open Source Seeds
We’re proud to support the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI), which works to keep seeds patent-free and accessible to farmers, gardeners, and breeders. While we’re not seed producers ourselves, we believe that supporting breeders who pledge OSSI is critical to ensuring that seeds remain a public resource, not controlled by corporations.
OSSI protects four key freedoms:
The freedom to save seeds for replanting.
The freedom to share seeds with others.
The freedom to study and publish information about seeds.
The freedom to adapt seeds to create new varieties.
Breeders who support OSSI help safeguard biodiversity, innovation, and the future of our food and farming systems.
A Love for the Unique
As flower farmers, we also seek out fun and unique varieties that aren’t commonly found in flower shops. This passion for distinctive blooms inspires us to grow a mix of native, ornamental, and quirky flowers that make people smile.
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Whether it’s an heirloom treasure or an unexpected gem, we love finding flowers that bring something special to our fields—and to the hands of those who pick them.
Why All of This Matters
Our choices in seeds impact more than our fields—they influence our food web, biodiversity, and the legacy we leave for future generations. By focusing on region-adapted, landrace, and open-pollinated varieties, and being mindful not to introduce invasive species, we’re growing responsibly and helping to create a resilient agricultural system.
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But don’t let all that practicality fool you—we still manage to grow a whole lot of beauty. From flowers you’ve probably never seen at a florist to the ones that remind you of a wild meadow, we love showing how thoughtful farming can also be breathtaking. Supporting initiatives like OSSI ensures that this beauty and the seeds that create it remains accessible to all.
