The KASSI LIVING SEED COMMONS is a collection of locally-adapted, open-pollinated seeds.

Open-pollinated plants grow like their parents. They produce seeds that can be legally grown, saved and shared. THEY ARE THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FOOD SYSTEM.

The KASSI LIVING SEED COMMONS has two parts.

Seeds from the LIVING SEED SANCTUARY are grown out on an ongoing basis in order to maintain their genetic integrity while they continue to adapt to local growing conditions. The seeds that are produced go back into the LIVING SEED SANCTUARY for future grow-outs and the other seeds are added to the SEEDS FOR SHARING.

We want you to have the SEEDS FOR SHARING if you use them to grow more seeds and food for sharing.

KASSI Seeds for Sharing are available on a sliding scale donation. We don’t sell our seeds because we acknowledge and respect that they are living beings. We believe that the price on a seed packet represents the work that goes into growing, harvesting, cleaning and packaging the seeds before they get to you. Local seed companies usually request a minimum of $3.50 per seed packet for their expertise and the labour that goes into producing high quality local seeds that grow well right here where we live.  We encourage you to support them! 

We are not a seed company. We are a very, very small non-profit working with a shoestring budget especially since the In-Person Seedy Saturdays in 2020 and 2021 –our major fundraisers- were cancelled.  We rely on your donations and our amazing volunteers to help us grow, harvest, clean and package these “Seeds of Hope”. Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about our work.

The Heirloom Seed Sanctuary, in KIngston, was a unique one-of-a kind collection of locally adapted open-pollinated seeds. In April 2019, they generously shared their collection of seeds with us and Ratinenhayen:thos, a sister group of seed farmers in nearby Kenhete:ke-Tyendinega Mohawk Territory.

We look forward to working with with Ratinenhayen:thos to steward this important collection. We will also keep looking for and adding rare varieties to the LIVING SEED COMMONS that have roots in our region.