Today on the show we talk with Fred Hempel of Artisan Seeds on being an independent vegetable breeder, why most breeders need the support and infrastructure of a larger company to be successful, and breeding varieties that are suitable for market farmers.

For almost twenty years, Fred has used his own farm, Green Bee Farm in Sunol, California, to both support his breeding work and act as a proving ground for it. By selling to chefs and wholesalers in the Bay Area, he has been able to get feedback from some of the most demanding customers anywhere on his varieties, and has used those suggestions to move his breeding work forward.

We talk about the process of breeding the Artisan series of striped, elongated cherry tomatoes, and how incorporating farmer-friendly traits like shelf life and disease resistance don’t necessarily have to come at the expense of flavor and other characteristics that market farmers care about.

Shop Talk with Neversink Farm - we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss how to choose between all the different nursery trays. We talk about the pros and cons of different options, from soil blocks to Winstrip trays and everything in between, and which crops to propagate in which trays. Link to full podcast episode in profile.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make it free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Other Resources:

Here’s an article Fred wrote to help growers select their own varieties of tomatoes:

Breeding tomatoes on a farm: practical selection advice

https://growingformarket.com/articles/breeding-tomatoes-farm-practical-selection-advice

Connect With Guest:

Web Store: https://store.growartisan.com

Instagram: @artisan.seeds

Instagram: @green.bee.farm

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