Living Seeds - Heirloom Seeds Farm

This weekend I had to fly to JHB for a homeschool convention. It was not all work...Friday afternoon afforded me the pleasure of visiting 3 farms in Gauteng. I will do my visits for you in different posts as each farm and "farmer" had something to share with me, teach me and to be quite honest, make me a little green with envy.

After arriving at 2pm and battling the JHB traffic for 1 hour I arrived at Living Seeds. Sean and Nicola Freeman have a self sufficient farm where they raise their own meat animals and grow their own veggies, but they also have an open pollinated heirloom seed business.

Sean's passion for becoming a seed depository for vegetable gardeners (and farmers) is evident in his manner and talk as he showed me around his family operated farm. Nicola and his 5 children are all team workers and while he was showing me around, the children were helping with the sheep and packaging seed inside.

Nicola has just completed a veggie gardening book for "beginner beginners", as she likes to describe it. So if you are one of those, be sure to buy a copy.

Inside Sean's tunnel he is growing more than 100 varieties of tomatoes...this one below is a young green sausage tomato.

His potato section is enviable...goes on and on!

Below is a picture of Salsify which is a "big white parsnip/carrot" type vegetable.

This next photo is of his Chioggo Beets and his purple carrots which are going to seed.

Then on to the 20 (I think) different types of beans that he grows...I was given a few to munch...sweet and tender.



Lastly Sean shared with me how he makes his compost heaps. He promises me that this is a super fast way to turn manure and straw into hot stuff in a couple of weeks.

I even came home with a few treats - some seed potatoes, Black Prince Tomato Seeds, Chioggo Beetroot and Patty Pan seeds. Can't wait to get them planted, but must first unpack my bags!