The Green Pages: Roughwood Seed Collection (E-Commerce Companies)

Roughwood Seed Collection is trying to become self-supporting by selling seeds from the rare seed collection started in the 1930s, which they steward. Many are rare edible heirlooms from the Pennsylvania Dutch country, and some are locally adapted crosses that they have selected and stabilized.

Baker Creek brought them to my attention with their praise in an email newsletter.

I just bought two packets, receiving order number "22." One is 'Mizunarubasoi,' their stabilized cross of a cold-hardy, wide-leafed Mizuna with Tatsoi and Maruba, adapted to Lebanon CT.

They selected it to keep growing through the winter under plastic, then found that it didn't need the plastic to propagate itself. When tested at The Pentridge Children's Garden in West Philadelphia, it just sneaked out of the tunnels and grew unprotected.

The other is a chard with golden-orange stems, developed by William Woys Weaver’s grandfather during the 1930s. So far, its name is only 'Grandpap’s Golden Chard.'

I'm going to keep my eye on them as they "grow up." Right now they seem like a cross between a private seed conservancy and a startup rare seed company.

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