I have already acquired heirloom varieties several hard to find vegetable seeds and will germinate some this summer to see if they are viable, and save this years seeds to plant next year. I have read that heirloom seeds (depending on the species) can last up to three years and still be viable, but I have actually experimented with several seeds over five years old and still had more than a 50% germination rate. Some of my seeds are quite rare, though, so I don’t want to mess with best before dates and risk losing them entirely. Once I get to the farm this year, I will do a complete inventory of seeds and figure out what needs to be added.

Earlier in the year I spoke to a man in Colorado who has several pounds of broom corn seeds that he wants to trade for a seabuckthorn tree. I have to admit, I was tempted to send him one in trade for the broom corn but didn’t because I know across border shipping can be tricky and I wasn’t so sure he wanted me to get into the paperwork for exporting live trees. I thought it would be less fun, but more practical to just purchase broom corn seed.
I have a homemade corn broom that I love and thought I might try my hand at making a few more. If I understand it correctly, you plant the broom corn (Sorghum vulgare) and the seeds grow at the end of some pretty sturdy stocks. You cut the stocks, remove the seeds and bind the stiff grass type stock with twine to make your broom. Check out Youtube for how to make corn brooms.
The broom corn comes in a variety of colours, too, so you can make some really pretty, natural brooms.
Here is a picture of mine in its’ spot in our little guest house…