Nancy Redfeather
Feb 144 min
Updated: Feb 19
As the Earth spins around our star and seasons change, we continue to be inspired by the abundance and peacefulness of our gardens. There is a growing realization that our gardens provide the taproot to re-center us in gratitude, wonder, and the belonging that comes with a deep sense of place.
Aloha Hawai'i Home Gardeners,
Are you new to gardening in the subtropics? Or maybe just new to the Hawai’i Seed Growers Network Online Marketplace? Are you unsure of what to plant, how to plant, when to plant, or perhaps just looking for locally grown seed?
This short blog is intended to begin to give you both direction and information about some key things we have learned along the way. And know that you’re in good company - more and more people in Hawai'i are starting home kitchen gardens to supplement their family's food needs. Before we dig in, let me share a few words about the Hawai’i Seed Growers Network and who we are.
Fourteen seed growers make up the Hawai’i Seed Growers Network, and all are longtime home gardeners and farmers from Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawai’i Island. We are passionate about working together to develop regional seed resources for Hawaii’s home producers and committed to growing quality seed.
We are committed to being part of Hawaii’s drive to develop a sustainable community food system. We have been collaborating for 14 years to support backyard growers finding success in their home gardens.
You can read more about our individual growers and their farms and home gardens here.
We have observed that seed variety, time of year, soil fertility, and how seed is started all influence successful garden plantings.
The ecosystems and micro-climates of Hawai’i are unlike any environment on the continent and we highly encourage new growers to try varieties that have been successfully grown here for many years. You can read about the specific qualities of each variety at our Online Store. We are constantly trialing new varieties and aim to provide seeds for hardy and delicious food crops for Hawaii’s backyard gardens. New varieties come onto the marketplace frequently so stay tuned and be sure to sign up on for our Mailing List to receive our shout-outs, blogs, and seed specials.
Our website has an abundance of information for new and experienced gardeners in Hawai’i. I would recommend taking a look at the blogs listed below and also scroll down through the website blog page and see if anything else there catches your interest. Blogs are written mostly, but not always, for the current season.
1. “Seed Magic: Starting Seeds and Storing Seeds” – May 2020
This blog is useful if you are just starting to garden in Hawai’i or you are having trouble starting or transplanting seed. Also discusses storing seed properly in the subtropics.
This late winter blog discusses varieties that like to grow during this time of year.
3. “Cool Season Planting Tips and Challenges” - December 2021
In this blog cool season crops are discussed along with advice for continuous salad ingredients.
4. “Getting Started: Creating a Home Garden in Hawai’i” – March 2020
This blog shares expert advice from Glenn Teves and Nancy Redfeather on starting a new garden or expanding an existing one.
5. “Planting for Season” – May 2022
This blog gives ideas of which varieties to try, how to build garden beds, and discusses what to think about when amending your soil!
This blog discusses 10 important crops that are easy to grow in Hawaii’s home gardens.
7. "Hawaii’s Home Growers Can Adapt to a Changing Climate by Increasing Resiliency” – November 2023
A current guide to thinking about how weather will affect your plantings in 2024, and includes recommendations to help your garden grow its resiliency and 'weather' the storms.
To support deepening your gardening knowledge, we share some very informative single papers in the Resources tab that can help with issues you may be having with specific crops like papaya, peas, and beans. Our growers discuss the future of seed in Hawai’i, share their thoughts in “talk stories” on Hawai’i Public Radio, encourage tree crops, pollinators, and more! These deep dives will help you to build your garden tool-kit and mitigate challenges in the garden. We also have a page for you to learn more about the Hawai’i Island Seed Bank Nahelehele, a Native seed repository and our seed partner that carefully dries and stores all of the seed we send to your home gardens.
In our next blog we will be sharing how the farmers of the Hawai’i Seed Growers Network are getting ready for Spring Plantings in 2024- stay tuned for that one!
We appreciate you and your support for locally grown regional seed for Hawai’i! We wish you all success in your plantings, abundance on your tables, and resilience and hope for the future!
Until next time,
Nancy Redfeather and all of us at Hawai'i Seed Growers Network