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Labor and weather directing breeding programs at Johnny’s

A territory manager for Johnny’s Selected Seeds says the company is breeding varieties to better withstand increasingly wet and humid conditions in the Great Lakes.

Dana Hillfinger tells Brownfield ….

“That doesn’t just mean finding the gene that has powdery mildew resistance, but also breeding varieties in a way so that the plant maybe has a better shape or better architecture so that a disease is less likely to be a problem,” she explains.

Hillfinger points to Delicata and Honeynut winter squashes as just two examples the company has developed for their disease resistance.

She says demand for varieties that require less labor continues to increase.

“I think growers are really looking for things that are going to help them save time and labor,” she says. “We’ve seen that with certain varieties that we carry that maybe are more well suited for a certain kind of trellis system or with varieties that just have a single concentrated harvest.”

Hillfinger says the best place to find heirloom and more delicate varieties is at the local farmers’ market.  

Johnny’s has been a global seed supplier for home gardeners and many large-scale specialty crop growers for more than 50 years.