Target: Fruit & vegetable varieties—suitability under year-to-year growing conditions and a changing climate. (*See note at bottom about other agricultural products.)- Importance to Food & Agr: We all know that different varieties of fruits and vegetables grow better in some places than others, so site-specific reports are useful. A greater diversity of crops can reduce overall production losses due to insects, disease, and weather variability. Different varieties of the same vegetable species can have different nutritional content, flavor, and can generate greater interest and acceptance among eaters. This all underscores the need for domestic biodiversity.
- Issues: Many varieties of vegetables have been lost as seed production companies concentrate on a few strains. Some seed companies are bucking this trend and promoting diversity. Similarly, fruit growers are looking for forgotten varieties from the past which may be more resilient in today’s changing climate. Time-honored seed saving techniques are hampered if too much emphasis is put on hybrid seeds.
Weather extremes, variability, and a changing climate put stress on fruit and vegetable production, and call for keeping records year-to-year, sharing info as well as seeds and fruit cultivars with other growers, and developing climate-adapted fruit and vegetables over time. Recordkeeping is key to this process.
- Observing Options: Recording what varieties do well in a given year, along with the growing season weather from onsite or nearby (precipitation, departures from normal high and low temperatures, and for fruit, the lowest winter temperatures) is essential for planning future plantings and sharing with others.
- Citizen Science:
- Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners allows gardeners to submit their own reviews of vegetable varieties in terms of taste and production, and explore ratings submitted by other gardeners.
- Vvi or Vegetable Varieties Investigation guides young people in interviewing gardeners and submitting these findings online for others to use.
- Local areas and regions can develop their own citizen science projects to document the success of different fruit and vegetable varieties in different weather years and share results among growers. Seed saving, seed libraries (sometimes even at public libraries), heirloom fruit grafting programs, and winter sharing of seeds and information are common associated activities.
- Getting Started Tip: Start by simply recording what varieties you plant each year, then add notes in the fall of how they did and how you liked them. Once you have this recorded, sharing this info with others comes rather naturally.
*Note: Similarly, keeping track of production successes and failures for grains, forage, other crops, and livestock are important as well.
