Resources
Useful References Plans and Instructions Pest Control - BMSB Contributed Articles Propagation Techniques
Useful References
- Chart of recommended isolation distances for Virginia-grown vegetable seed crops [PDF format]
- Growing plants from seed: Tips for raising plants from seed indoors or outdoors [PDF format]
- Chart of recommended planting times for vegetable seed crops in the Mid-Atlantic region [PDF format]
- Chart of nutrient availability in relation to soil pH [PDF format]
- Chart of basic seed-cleaning screens and equipment [PDF format]
- Hotwater and chlorine treatment of vegetable seeds to eradicate bacterial plant pathogens [PDF format]
- Alternatives to use of Roundup weed killer [PDF format]
Plans and instructions for building seed processing equipment
- Manually operated screen seed cleaner [PDF format]
- Constructing your own seed cleaning machine [RealSeeds website with video]
Schematic and photos from RealSeeds website [PDF] - Hand-operated winnower [PDF format]
- Electric winnower [PDF format]
- Farm-scale winnower [PDF format]
- Vacuum packing system for seed storage [PDF format]
- Grain dehuller for rice, spelt wheat, quinoa and millet [PDF format]
- Grain thresher converted from leaf shredder/wood chipper [PDF format]
Other plans and instructions
- Garlic trimmer [PDF format]
- Dehuller for sunflower and barley [PDF format]
- Farm-scale food dehydrator [PDF format]
- Make your own weeding spade [PDF format]
- Serrated hand hoe and mower blade [PDF format]
- Flextine cultivator conversion [PDF format]
- Enhanced bug-zapper for grain storage shed [PDF format]
Pest Control - Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
- Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) trap: a study evaluating the Rescue® brand BMSB trap - its effectiveness and recommendations for use by Jeff McCormack [PDF format - large download, 38 MB]
[Added Oct. 5, 2011; Updated May 8, 2012 and November 17, 2014]
Contributed Articles
Contributions are welcome. No specific guidelines have been developed for submission at this point except that the focus should be on heirloom gardening, techniques, stories associated with heirloom seed varieties, and variety preservation.
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- Oral Histories: Connecting People, Plants, and Biodiversity by Jeff McCormack. This is the transcript of Jeff's presentation given at the Seed Savers Exchange and also the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello in 2011. [Added Nov. 7, 2011]
- Pedigree of 'Green Zebra' Tomato by Tom Wagner of Tater-Mater Seeds. [Added Mar. 3, 2007]
- My Adventures in Growing Melons by Merlyn Niedens. This article first appeared in the Winter 2006 issue of the Heirloom Gardener. [Added Jan. 1, 2007]
- Japanese Beetles? . . . Try this. by Jeff McCormack. Novel technique for Japanese Beetle control from William and Eileen Stephens. [Added Sep. 5, 2006]
- Seed Processing and Storage by Ben Gabel. Comments about UV light and seed treatment. [Added Jan. 16, 2006]
- Update on Organic Pepper Seed Production Manual by Jeff McCormack. Updated seed description of Capsicum pubescens. [Added 2006]
Propagation techniques (woody plants)
- Rooting of 'Illinois Everbearing' mulberry cuttings. [PDF format]