More homegrown seeds, growers
Great article on seeds in the Pacific Northwest, but you would be remiss to leave out some of the other companies operated by our homegrown seedsmen and plant breeders extraordinaire, including: Frank Morton’s Wild Garden Seeds; Tom Wagner’s Tater-Mater Seed Potatoes and True Potato Seed; and Alan Kapuler’s Peace Seeds.
Other noteworthy seed companies include: Victory Seeds of Oregon City; Full Circle Seeds, British Columbia; and Tatiana’s Tomato Seeds (more than just tomatoes), British Columbia. Filaree Farm in Okanogan, WA is primarily garlic, but does other bulbs and seeds.
Love the new magazine concept. Looking forward to seeing you expand to our neck of the woods down here in Southwest Washington.  We’ve got TONS of great stuff happening.
–Glenn Grossman
Clark County Food & Farm
www.clarkfoodfarm.blogspot.com

(Editor’s Note: Glenn, thank you for writing and identifying other seed companies within the region! We have added these companies and others to our online listing, which can be found at www.grownorthwest.com.)
Slow Food Skagit campaign: “Bring a friend to the Farmers Market”
As Farmers Market shoppers, you know the pleasures of gathering with your community to buy fresh, local food, while getting to know your local food producers. Yet, we all know people who haven’t yet discovered this wonderful experience.
The health and security of our communities depend on MORE FOOD GROWING NEAR MORE PEOPLE.  Many of us take the very important step of growing some of our own food, for ourselves, family, and neighbors.
But, gardener or not,  we must ALL support our local small scale food producers, so that they thrive and increase, to produce more food for everyone in our communities.  We stop at farm stands, enjoy the Farmers Market every week, buy local products we find at area stores, and join CSAs.  What more can we do?
As we encourage more farmers to grow more food in our communities, we need more people to discover the pleasures of buying from them.  It is time to broaden the base of support for local small scale food producers to KEEP OUR FARMERS GROWING.
So let’s all “BRING A FRIEND TO THE FARMERS MARKET!”  Invite someone to join you when you go to your local farmers market.  You will enjoy each other’s company and bring a new customer to the market.  Maybe they will become regulars, too, and bring a friend of their own next time.
Share ideas, share recipes, share resources, spread the word. It’s easy, it’s fun, it’s good for the community, and it’s good for the wonderful folks who grow our food.  This is a friendly, positive way to support our local farmers, and increase the amount of food growing in our communities.
Call a neighbor, friend, family member, or acquaintance, and ask them if they’d like to go with you next time you go to your local Farmers Market.
–Carol Havens, Slow Food Skagit River Salish Sea, www.slowfoodskagit.org

Starting Master Grower classes
Congratulations on deciding to make a difference at the local level. Growing any crop presents a plethora of challenges brought on by a greater number of variables.
I’m writing to survey the level of interest in starting a series of Master Grower classes. I have a sampling of articles and videos outlining some advanced sustainable growing techniques I have developed over the past two decades  at: www.coco-coir.com.
Personally I have studied Horticulture for 37 years and would like to share some of my accumulated knowledge with those who could use it most, the small agricultural enterprises that are getting started.
My nursery, Windy Meadow, produces 1,000 varieties of plants and ships to over 100 locations in the Puget Sound region. We currently generate $35 of revenue per square foot of greenhouse space.
My other company, The Center for Holistic Advanced Organic Studies Ltd. (CHAOS Limited) carries on research and development of a line of garden products including Intrepid Coco-Coir Premium Potting Soil that has been registered organic by the Washington State Department of Agriculture since 1999.
Organic growers from Tacoma to Sequim have had great success using our products. Please contact me if you have an interest in learning in a structured setting with your fellow peers.
–Scott Titus, Ferndale
scott_titus@comcast.net
Local coverage
Wow, what a great first issue. I am impressed. I very much enjoyed the local, community feel of your magazine, the how-tos, stories about farmers and people in MY area, the recipes, and resources within the region. This was truly local coverage!
Your CSA listing was perhaps the best I have ever seen. I look forward to more of your listings and local, agricultural and community coverage. I am hooked, sign me up for a subscription.
—Holly Krantz, Skagit County
Good timing
Good timing Grow Northwest magazine! It is about time someone published a “downhome” periodical pertinent to our region. The great Northwest is truly a great place – we have an abundance of local farmers, food producers, artisans, crafters and others that make this region enjoyable and community oriented. The Northwest has a strong system of those supporting the local economy, and I can only imagine this mag will help steer that mission forward.
I felt like I was reading a local version of Grit Magazine or Mother Earth News. I read it cover to cover, over and over again.  We’re excited to get the next issue. We will support your advertisers. Keep up the good work.
—John Parks, Bellingham