Anatolian Heirloom Seeds Recovery Project (ANATOHUM)

[chancethegardener]

I am working on a project to increase the circulation of Anatolian heirlooms. Unfortunately, certain Anatolian varieties are currently in danger. It is significantly difficult to find the seeds unless one knows someone who grows those varieties locally in their backyard. For example, legendary Diyarbakir watermelon, known for its huge size (40 kg on average~80 lbs) and incredible taste, is hard to find these days. Luckily, seeds are kept in circulation through an annual watermelon competition but it is quite unusual to find this variety in farmer's market or grocery store. I think this is very sad especially because Diyarbakir is located in the Tigris-Euphrates basin, Mesopotamia, world's one of most fertile regions, and I would expect a wide circulation of the variety. There are a lot of other examples.

While heirloom awareness is growing and commercial seed companies have started to introduce heirlooms in their catalogs, efforts are not enough. I believe that growers in Tomatoville (specifically the members in North America) would be a very meaningful addition to the cause of these efforts. For my project, I will need volunteers to grow various seeds of Anatolian heirlooms. I will request one thing from growers: When I send seeds for a variety, you must grow it (yes, I will follow up ). Additionally, providing feedback on the variety would be very helpful.

If anyone interested, please let me know. I will make a list and when the seeds are available I will send them out for trials. Varieties primarily include tomatoes, melons/watermelons, and peppers.