Welcome!

SEED TAPE is a publication of the Napa County Seed Library. The Spanish version is under the section “cintas de semillas” above.

My daughter and I created the seed library in 2020 to build community, inspire gardeners, and expand seed access through volunteer-led, free seed library annexes in Napa County, California.

I moved SEED TAPE to Substack from MailChimp in January because, well, this platform is easier to write from and saved us pennies. ✅

Why subscribe?

SEED TAPE is all about seed: the foundation of food. And also beauty, medicine, culture, and community. In SEED TAPE I write about:

• Why learning and practicing ethical seed saving skills matters.

• How Big Ag has systematically jeopardized our right to grow and regenerate healthy food and soils.

• Why building community through seed-centered activities and events feeds my soul.

• How to save a variety of seed types, ethically.

• Which seeds to plant each month in Napa County (USDA Zone 9b).

• How growing locally adapted seed strengthens local food systems to ensure they remain resilient to changes in climate.

• How to start a seed library from scratch.

What’s a seed library?

A seed library is a free public resource for seed saving and sharing. The Napa County Seed Library operates as a network of little free seed library annexes where you can borrow, grow, save, and return locally grown, organic seeds. There are lots of seed libraries across the country; you may have one near you.1 It’s really fun and inspiring to be a part of the seed library movement. I’m grateful for our initiative to grow, save, and share locally adapted, organic seeds and for the awesome community of seed savers and dedicated volunteers that empowers it.

A bit about me

I’m a scientist turned science editor who gardens and saves seeds on the side. I enjoy publications, writing, and editing. To imagine and relate wild ideas that serve humanity gives me a buzz. What if we...?” is often how I start my day.

When I’m not creating SEED TAPE, I’m creating the next issue of the peer-reviewed, open access journal San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science. Before I became science editor in 1998, I was a fishery biologist. I evaluated and documented declining fish species, wrote about imperiled water resources, and endured the politics that beleaguer the ecologies of California where I live. So if you are also a science nerd, you might be interested in SFEWS. (Or Atmospheric Rivers, published by Springer in 2020, written by over 30 international meteorologists and the SFEWS publication team.)

Free or paid?

I love to bring together a community of people who share an interest in contributing to a healthier, culturally rich, and resilient world. I also value openness and equity in sharing information. Both SEED TAPE and SFEWS are open access and publish under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License2.

When you subscribe to SEED TAPE for free, you get full access to all current and archived content.

As a paid subscriber, you get all that, plus a huge virtual hug from me. 🥰

It takes time and effort to create something unique and worthwhile and I’m here for it. I truly appreciate your contributions.

One last thing

Be curious about everything here. Click all the links. Read and add comments. Leave a genuine “like.” Share what you know, wonder, experience, and question. Show compassion and respect. We need each other more than ever. Let’s have fun saving seeds together.

Seed you soon,

To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com. I’m grateful that Substack creates a space for writing original content, ad-free.