Three Seeds, One Community: Join Us This Growing Season

Tired of watching your grocery bills go up, up, up? Have you ever wanted to grow your own food but don't know where to start? This spring, the Orleans Community Seed Share is launching a program designed just for you.

Three Seeds, One Community gives beginning gardeners free seeds, detailed instructions, and ongoing support to grow, harvest, cook and save seeds from their very own, home-grown tomato, bean and squash plants. It's a step toward greater self-reliance and lower grocery bills.

No garden? No problem. These three crops can grow in containers on a porch or patio. Never gardened before? That's exactly who this program is for. Orleans County Master Gardeners will send you timely emails that guide you every step of the way. From sowing seeds to picking your first ripe tomato, we'll be there to give you advice and encouragement. We'll also host Growing Season Check-Ins where you can connect with other beginning gardeners and Master Gardeners, tour the Vegetable Variety Trial Gardens and the Three Seeds, One Community container garden, and get your questions answered.

If you can't make it to the Growing Season Check-Ins, you can always contact our Horticulture Diagnostic Hotline with specific gardening questions. Join our Facebook group to connect with other gardeners and share photos of your progress as your plants grow.

Sign up for the program has already started! You can register by emailing orleansmg [at] cornell.edu or calling (585) 798-4265 ext. 125 and providing your name and email address.

Once the kits are available, we'll email you with specific days and times to pick them up at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds, sometime between March 23 and April 6. Your kit will include instructions for getting started, and you'll start receiving email reminders as needed after April 6.

In September, we'll gather for a Harvest Festival to celebrate what we've grown, exchange saved seeds, and learn simple ways to cook and preserve the harvest. Your saved seeds will help stock the Orleans Community Seed Share and your own garden for years to come.

Growing food connects us to the seasons, to our neighbors, and to the simple accomplishment of nurturing something from seed to table. We'd love to have you join us.

What You'll Need to Get Started

If growing in containers:

• Three 5-gallon containers with drainage holes
• Quality potting mix
• A tomato cage or stake for support
• A sunny spot (6-8 hours of direct sun daily)
• Access to water

If growing in the ground:

• A sunny garden spot (6-8 hours of direct sun daily)
• Approximately 12 square feet of space for 6 plants
• Garden soil (we'll guide you in preparation)
• A tomato cage or stake for support
• Access to water

Time commitment:

• 15-30 minutes per week for watering and care
• Willingness to check plants regularly
• Reading weekly email updates

What we provide FREE:

• 4 Roma VF tomato seeds (grow 1 plant)
• 6-8 Blue Lake 274 bush bean seeds (grow 4 plants)
• 4 Black Beauty squash seeds (grow 1-2 plants)
• Complete growing instructions for each variety
• Recipes and seed-saving guidance
• Expert support throughout the season

The most important thing you need? Just the desire to learn and grow!