Food Garden Life Show: Helping You Harvest More from Your Edible Garden, Vegetable Garden, and Edible Landscaping

Joseph Lofthouse had hundreds of jars of seed around his house when he began market gardening.
He saved seeds from each variety…a time-consuming task.
Today he has far fewer jars of seed. Today he practices landrace gardening.
Lofthouse no longer focuses on keeping pure varieties, but instead uses genetically diverse lots of seed.
His is the author of the book, Landrace Gardening: Food Security through Biodiversity and Promiscuous Pollination.
What is Landrace Gardening
Landrace gardening is not new. It’s a traditional method of growing using locally adapted, genetically variable seeds. The genetic variability makes it more likely that some plants will perform well even if there are adverse conditions.

“What I’m doing was standard practice through all of human history up until about 60 years ago, until people started farming with machines instead of human effort,” explains Lofthouse.
How to Start Landrace Gardening
Not having pure varieties feels strange to some gardeners. But Lofthouse points out that uniformity isn’t important in small-scale operations or home gardens.
Here are his tips for gardeners who want to try landrace gardening:

Grow and save seeds of a favourite variety

Then grow another variety of the same crop with desirable traits next to it

Aim for 2 - 5 varieties of the same crop from which to start your landrace

Lofthouse notes that there are some crops for which he avoids certain mixes. For example, he does not mix his popcorn with his sweetcorn; or his hot peppers with his sweet peppers.

Show Notes

Online classes happening soon: Grow a Potted Yuzu Citrus, Grow Angel's Trumpet (brugmansia) on Your Patio.
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Joseph Lofthouse had hundreds of jars of seed around his house when he began market gardening.
He saved seeds from each variety…a time-consuming task.
Today he has far fewer jars of seed. Today he practices landrace gardening.
Lofthouse no longer focuses on keeping pure varieties, but instead uses genetically diverse lots of seed.
His is the author of the book, Landrace Gardening: Food Security through Biodiversity and Promiscuous Pollination.
What is Landrace Gardening
Landrace gardening is not new. It’s a traditional method of growing using locally adapted, genetically variable seeds. The genetic variability makes it more likely that some plants will perform well even if there are adverse conditions.












“What I’m doing was standard practice through all of human history up until about 60 years ago, until people started farming with machines instead of human effort,” explains Lofthouse.
How to Start Landrace Gardening
Not having pure varieties feels strange to some gardeners. But Lofthouse points out that uniformity isn’t important in small-scale operations or home gardens.
Here are his tips for gardeners who want to try landrace gardening:
  1. Grow and save seeds of a favourite variety
  2. Then grow another variety of the same crop with desirable traits next to it
  3. Aim for 2 - 5 varieties of the same crop from which to start your landrace
Lofthouse notes that there are some crops for which he avoids certain mixes. For example, he does not mix his popcorn with his sweetcorn; or his hot peppers with his sweet peppers.

 
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What is Food Garden Life Show: Helping You Harvest More from Your Edible Garden, Vegetable Garden, and Edible Landscaping?

Want to grow your own food but need creative ideas so you can get the most from your space and your growing zone? Our passion is the edible garden.

We help people grow food on balconies, in backyards, and beyond—whether it’s edible landscaping, a vegetable garden, container gardens, or a home orchard.

There are many ways to approach edible landscaping. Find out how to harvest enough fruit, vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. Get top tips for exotic crops. And learn how to garden in a way that suits any situation.

Host Steven Biggs was recognized by Garden Making magazine as one of the “green gang” making a difference in Canadian horticulture. His home-garden experiments span driveway straw-bale gardens, a rooftop kitchen garden, fruit plantings, and an edible-themed front yard. He's a horticulturist, award-winning broadcaster and author, and former horticulture instructor with George Brown and Durham Colleges in Ontario, Canada.

Get started with one of our fan favourites. Season 6, Episode 10: Big Harvests from a Small Space with a Vertical Vegetable Garden.