David Catzel is the BC Seed Security Program Manager at FarmFolk City Folk, the Regional Program Coordinator for the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security, and serves on the board of the BC EcoSeed Co‑op. He also grows seed at Fraser Common Farm Co‑op.

In this episode, David shares his experience supporting growers, organizing cooperatives, and stewarding seed networks. We talk about on‑farm plant breeding, including his efforts to select an open‑pollinated white peacock kale.

In the deep dive, David and I get into the nitty-gritty of growing sea kale (Crambe maritima), covering its tricky germination, perennial habits, and seed production.

I hope you enjoy this conversation.

Enjoy the conversation!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Episode links

BC Seeds Gatherings

https://farmfolkcityfolk.ca/bc-seed-security-program/bc-seed-gathering/

Farm Folk City Folk

https://farmfolkcityfolk.ca/bc-seed-security-program/

https://www.instagram.com/farmfolkcityfolk/

BC Seed Suppliers

https://farmfolkcityfolk.ca/find-seeds/bc-seed-suppliers/

The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security

https://www.seedsecurity.ca/en/

News Links

The Seed Farmer Mentorship is open for registrations!

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!

You've reviewed your field records, gathered feedback from your team, looked at your sales channels, and even listened to your customers. Now it's time to bring it all together.

This is the final episode of the 2025 Season Review Challenge! Let's pull together everything you've learned and turn it into a clear picture of your season.

I'll also share a few examples from Tourne-Sol - including my frustration with cleaning Tithonia seeds and how amazing melons can be when everything goes right.

In this episode, we'll cover:

• Summarizing insights from all your seed reviews

• Celebrating your seed successes

• Learning from your seed challenges

• Identifying your biggest bottleneck in seed work

• Getting better with tool solutions, system solutions, and planning solutions

• Why saying "no" to one thing means saying "yes" to something better

Enjoy the episode — and congrats on completing the Season Review Challenge!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Episode links

The Seed Farmer Mentorship is open for registrations!

Find our more about Organic Seed Alliance: Regional Seed Summits

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!

Matt Bell has worked at Johnny's Selected Seeds in Albion, Maine, since 2018. He is currently a trial technician focusing on cucurbits, but today's conversation dives into some of his previous work with brassicas.

Matt comes from a family with a long history of seed saving and continues that tradition by growing seed at home outside of his work at Johnny's. He also grows vegetables for his partner's café, Café Grazie, in Rockland, Maine.

In this episode, Matt shares how he approaches seed production with intentional goals, five-year selection plans, and the value of diversity over uniformity. We dive deep into overwintering brassicas — from digging and potting plants, pruning, and greenhouse setup, to managing cold-hardiness, rodent and aphid pressures, and drip irrigation.

Enjoy the conversation!

The Seed Farmer Mentorship is open for registrations!

Episode links

Johnny's website

Cafe Grazie instagram

Cafe Grazie website

Register for the Free 2025 Midwest Organic Seed Summit

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!

This week we're turning our attention to your customers. The people who actually buy your seeds. Whether you sell seed packs through your online store, seed racks in retail shops, or bulk seed on contract to other companies, this is the perfect time to connect, listen, and learn.

This minisode is part 4 of the 2025 Season Review Challenge, where I want to make sure you take the time to learn from this season so you can plan an even better next season.

In this episode, we'll get into …

• Why customer feedback is the heart of a thriving seed business

• How to survey or interview your customers effectively

• When to use personal calls instead of online forms

We also talk about Chufa nuts in the intro.

Enjoy the episode!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Episode links

Registrations for The Seed Farmer Mentorship open on Nov 6

The BC Seed Gathering is on Nov 28

Watch Last year's Season Review Challenge Videos

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!

It's time to review your seed sales channels to see what's working and what isn't.

Whether you're selling seed packs through your own company or bulk seed to other seed companies, there are a few metrics that will help you plan for next season.

This minisode is part 3 of the 2025 Season Review Challenge, where I want to make sure you take the time to learn from this season so you can build an even better seed business next year.

In this episode, we'll get into …

• How to top and bottom-selling varieties

• The seed cost per pack for different crops

• The potential sales per growing space for different crops

• Considering non economic reasons why you choose certain varieties

• Get ready to plan next season

Enjoy the episode!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Episode links

The Seed Farmer Mentorship registration starts November 6

Behind the Packet: Open-Pollinated Seeds in Focus on October 28

Watch my Pivot Table tutorial

Watch Last year's Season Review Challenge Videos

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!

Gather the crew - it's time for a season review!

This week on the Season Review Challenge, we're talking about doing a team season review. That means gathering everyone who worked alongside you this year, and looking back together on how the season went - not just from your perspective, but from theirs.

Taking time for a team review might feel risky during fall harvests and cleanup, but it's one of the best investments you can make for your systems, your sanity, and your staff retention. When people feel heard and see their feedback shape next season's plan, they're a lot more likely to stick around and keep growing with you.

This minisode is part 2 of the 2025 Season Review Challenge, where I want to make sure you take the time to learn from this season so you can plan an even better next season.

In this episode, we'll get into:

• How to structure a team season review

• Questions to ask that draw out useful insights

• How to use surveys to gather input efficiently

• Why sharing everyone's responses matters

• How this feedback can directly improve your seed systems

So, before you dive into winter planning, take an hour to harvest your team's experience. The seeds of next season's improvements are already there. You just have to ask for them.

Enjoy the episode!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Episode links

The Seed Farmer Mentorship is coming back soon.

Breeding tomatoes on a farm: practical selection advice. Article in Growing For Market

Watch Last year's Season Review Challenge Videos

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!

You might be busy harvesting carrots, planting garlic, and wrapping up the season - but this is also the perfect time to pause and look back at your growing season.

Before all the details of the season fade away, take a moment to review what you actually planted, what you harvested, and how it all turned out. Completing your field records now, while the season is still fresh in your mind, will make your future planning so much easier.

This minisode is part 1 of the 2025 Season Review Challenge, where I want to make sure you take the time to learn from this season so you can plan an even better next season.

In this episode, we'll get into …

• Why to do a season review while you're still busy in the field

• What planting and harvest records matter most for seed growers

• How to complete your records if they have a few holes

• How to figure out your own seed yields

• Why your own numbers are more valuable than any reference book (Though the Seed Farmer book is still a pretty good reference!)

Enjoy the episode!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Episode links

The Seed Farmer Mentorship is coming back soon.

Help Shape the 12th Seed Library Summit

Watch Last year's Season Review Challenge Videos

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Order Tourne-Sol seeds (Canadian orders only)

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!

All those roots you're harvesting for fall storage aren't just good for eating or selling at market. They are also the first stage of a biennial seed crop!

If you've planted carrots, beets, turnips, onions, or winter radishes this season, you can choose the best roots now to grow a seed crop next year.

This is another Seedy September minisode to realise that there is seed growing in your garden right now and all you have to do is go and harvest it. Actually - this might actually be an October minisode.

In this episode, we'll get into …

• How to choose the best roots to overwinter for seed

• How to store and handle biennial roots through winter

• Tips for starting biennials and breaking dormancy in the spring

• Keeping genetic diversity and avoiding accidental crosses

• How many plants do you need and how much seed can you get

Enjoy the episode!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Seed News links

Canadian Farmers! Sign the petition to protect your right to save certain protected seed varieties on your farm.

https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-6778

Stay in Touch

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!

Your bean plants might be winding down but that doesn't mean there isn't one last harvest in them.

If you've been picking bush beans or pole beans all summer, chances are a few pods got missed. By now, those pods are starting to mature—and even if you didn't plan to grow beans for seed - those missed pods mean that you still have a chance to harvest some bean seed!

This is another Seedy September minisode to realise that there is seed growing in your garden right now and all you have to do is go and harvest it.

In this episode, we'll get into …

• Whether to pick individual pods or whole plants

• How green you can pick a pod and still get good seed

• Easy threshing and cleaning methods

• How likely beans are to cross pollinate

• The joys of better germination

Enjoy the episode!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Seed News links

Pre-Order Crop Stories from Utopian Seed Project

Read the Organic Task Force report

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!

Head to your squash patch and grab a fruit or two — because inside, you've got a pile of seed waiting for you!

Another Seedy September Minisode about what seed you can harvest from your fields right now.

Now, squash is a bit different from peppers or flowers. Most of the time, I wouldn't tell you to start your seed journey with squash. But if you've only got one variety of a squash species in your garden — especially a butternut or another Cucurbita moschata — then squash seed might be the perfect seed crop.

In this episode, we'll get into …

• The four main species of squash and how they cross (or don't)

• Why Cucurbita pepo squash (like zucchini, pie pumpkins, and delicata) are tricky seed crops

• Why Cucurbita moschata squash (like butternut) is the easiest starting point

• How to harvest and clean squash seed right in your kitchen

• The challenge of mystery squash

Enjoy the episode!

Support the Seed Farmer Podcast

http://spreadsheet.farm/supportpodcast

Follow the Seed Farmer on instagram

Get my weekly seed newsletter

Get my new book The Seed Farmer

https://danbrisebois.com/seedfarmerbook/

❤️ Thanks for listening!