Over 75% of cultivated biodiversity has disappeared, primarily due to the agro-industrial practices of European farms. Kokopelli is a French association dedicated to promoting heirloom seeds since 1999.
Today, we preserve thousands seeds varieties, including 400 varieties of tomatoes seeds, and offer for sale each year between 1,600 and 2,000 references.
Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated plants passed down through generations, known for their rich, complex flavors and diverse shapes, sizes, and colors. These seedlings adapt well to local conditions, and their seeds can be saved and replanted to produce true-to-type offspring. In contrast, hybrid varieties are created by cross-pollinating different parent plants trying to achieve specific traits like uniformity, disease resistance, and high yield. While hybrids are often easier to grow commercially, their flavor are less complex, and seeds from hybrids result in plants that are markedly different from their parent plants.
How do heirloom seeds contribute to biodiversity in home gardens?
Heirloom seeds contribute to biodiversity in home gardens by preserving old and rare plant varieties that are not typically found in commercial agriculture. By growing heirloom seeds, gardeners help maintain genetic diversity and protect plant species from extinction.
How can I ensure high germination rates with heirloom seeds?
To achieve high germination rates, store your seeds in a cool, dry place until planting. Ensure your garden soil is well-aerated and moist. Remember, proper planting depth and timing are critical; refer to the seed packet for specific instructions tailored to each variety.
Why should gardeners consider using heirloom seeds?
Gardeners should consider using heirloom seeds because they offer a wide range of old-fashioned flavors and heritage varieties, providing a unique and diverse selection of vegetables to grow in their gardens.
Can I save seeds from heirloom plants?
Absolutely! One of the most rewarding aspects of growing heirloom plants is the ability to save seeds from year to year. Since these plants are open-pollinated, seeds collected from your garden will produce plants similar to the parent plant. This practice not only saves money but also gradually creates a seed stock specially adapted to your local growing conditions.
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Maryse and Fred set up in seed production and mixed farming in southern Saône-et-Loire in 1997, and since 2014 have devoted themselves solely to seed, producing almost 70 varieties.
On their small 8-hectare farm "Aux ânes et caetera" in the Creuse region of France, Adrien and Perrine have been devoting 5,000 m² to vegetable and flower seed production since 2020.
Based in Feria, south-west Spain, Alejandro has been propagating around 15 varieties on his 1.6 ha farm since 2022.
At the Portecluse farm in Ariège, France, Aurore has started its first season in 2021 with 12 varieties on 100 m² of land covering a hundred hectares.
A new seed producer, Béatrice is working on a one-hectare market-gardening plot in the Haute-Loire region, with a target of 1,000 m² cultivated by 2022.
Fred has been growing 12 to 20 varieties for Kokopelli since 2021, in the heart of the Lot-et-Garonne region.
Located in the eastern Périgord region, Greg propagates some 50 vegetable and flower species on almost a hectare of land.
Jérôme multiplies seeds on a 500 m² plot in the Hautes-Pyrénées and joined the Kokopelli network of producers in 2022.
In the Périgord Noir region of the Dordogne, Jonathan propagates between 25 and 35 varieties of vegetables and flowers in 1,500 m² of open fields.
Julien, a seed producer based on a former meadow in the Ardèche region, propagates between 40 and 60 varieties on 4,000 m² of living soil.
Set at an altitude of 850 m on the slopes of a verdant ridge in the Haute-Loire, Kevin propagates between 50 and 75 varieties, depending on the year, on his 3,000 m² plot.
Based in the Haute-Loire region of France, Rachel is starting her first season in 2021 with 23 varieties grown on her 3,000 m² plot.
New seed producers since 2022, Marie and Auriane propagate different varieties on 2000 m² in the Roya valley.
Gabriel has been propagating 50 to 80 different varieties on his farm "Aux Grez des Graines" since 2018, on 1 ha of open ground and 200 m² of tunnel.
Ivan and Fanny propagate some twenty varieties, near Toulouse, on an old 4-hectare farm.
Silvia, based in the north-east of the Hérault region, grows seeds of almost 70 varieties.
Mathieu is based in Lot-et-Garonne, on a 5-hectare plot of meadow, woodland and marshland, bordering a 9-hectare lake. He produces around thirty varieties of seed on 2000m2 of land.
Not far from the Gironde Estuary, Nadia and Luc produce over 100 varieties, many of them perennials.
Formerly a market gardener, Karine now devotes all her time to seeds, growing over forty varieties in the south-east of the Creuse region.
New producers, Blandine and Lisa work 2,500 m2 of land, including 400 m2 of market garden tunnels, on the banks of a river at an altitude of 650 m in the Haute-Loire.
Lex has been producing seeds for almost 30 years. He grows a large number of vegetables and flowers, including perennials, in the Allier region.
Benoît and Thomas are based in Belgium on a farm with various agroecological projects. They reproduce nearly 80 varieties of vegetables, flowers and aromatic plants.
At the eastern end of the Haute-Vienne, Jean-Michel has been a seed producer since 1996.
In Ariège, Maxime, Ananda and the whole Cotyledon team produce around a hundred varieties, annuals and perennials, in the open ground and under glass.
Sofi, a new grower, is based near the ocean, in the south of Finistère, where she grows around ten varieties.
Gregory has been producing seeds for Kokopelli for several years, on 5 hectares of land in the heart of Béarn's ancient forests.
After nearly 20 years as a market gardener, Cédric now cultivates between 50 and 100 biodynamic seed varieties along the Loire.
Lucien, Claudine and René reproduce some thirty vegetable and green manure varieties on 6 hectares in Maine-et-Loire.
Alan has been a seed producer for over 30 years in the rocky mountains of the Alpes Maritimes. He grows many varieties of the same species, thanks to his mastery of different earlinesses.
Ivan propagates some thirty varieties on his farm, nestled in the heart of the Ardèche cliffs.
Alexandre has been growing for Kokopelli for several years. Now based in Corrèze, he grows and propagates nearly a hundred varieties.
Right next door to Kokopelli, Marie and Jérémie started their seed production business when the association arrived in Ariège.
Based in Switzerland, Sativa brings together and distributes biodynamic seeds from nearly a hundred seed multipliers in Switzerland, France, Germany and Italy. The cooperative produces around 80 varieties for Kokopelli.
Laure begins her first season for Kokopelli with a selection of flower varieties in the south of Loir-et-Cher.
Not far from the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park and Geopark, Yves is starting seed production for Kokopelli this year.
A grower in the Hérault region of France, Marianne began seed multiplication for Kokopelli in 2021, with some fifteen varieties.
In the heart of the Massif Central, Julien propagates around fifty varieties of vegetables and flowers in living soil, on almost a hectare of open fields.
Based in the Dordogne region of France, Benoît has added producing seeds for Kokopelli to his multitude of activities, starting this year.
Kevin multiplies his seeds not far from the Rhône, east of Lyon, for Kokopelli.
In the heart of the Lot-et-Garonne region, Anthony is starting out this year as a seed producer alongside his market gardening business.
In eastern Spain, in the province of Castellón, Eulalia began her first season with Kokopelli in 2021.
It was on the edge of the Livradois-Forez Regional Nature Park that Fanny began her seed production activity for Kokopelli.
In the north of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region, Nadia produced her first seed for Kokopelli in 2021.
Close to the Kokopelli house, Tiffen propagates a few varieties in parallel with their market gardening activity.
In Ardèche, Stéphane produces a few dozen varieties a year.
Based in Anjou, the Aubepin family seed company has been selecting and producing a hundred varieties on 10 hectares since 2004. They have been supplying Kokopelli for two years.
