Dreschflegel

Alternative to hybrid vegetable seeds that must be bought again every year

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Description

Dreschflegel is a German group of small organic farms that grow, breed and sell open-pollinated seed of more than 800 vegetables, herbs and flowers, without hybrids or genetic engineering.

The business is a GbR (a partnership) based in Witzenhausen in northern Hesse. Behind it are about 19 farms, each multiplying seed of the varieties that suit its region and adapting them to organic growing over the years. The group has worked like this since about 1990, with a focus on old vegetable varieties, and the seed is certified organic (control body DE-ÖKO-006). A separate association, Dreschflegel e.V., works on preserving varieties.

All the seed is open-pollinated, so gardeners can save seed from their own plants and sow it the next year. Orders are taken online only and shipped from Witzenhausen to 28 countries, including France, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands. The season ends on 31 October and orders open again on 18 December, so the shop is closed in November and early December.

Strengths

  • Every variety is open-pollinated, so seed can be saved and resown instead of bought each year.
  • The seed is grown on small organic farms that adapt each variety to their region.
  • Shipping goes to 28 countries, so gardeners in France, Austria, Switzerland and the Benelux can order too.

Weaknesses

  • The shop closes from November to mid-December, and orders are online only, not by phone.
  • No independent test of germination or seed quality was found, only the group’s own information.
  • Prices and shipping costs were not shown on the pages checked.

Who it is for

Vegetable gardeners in Germany and across Europe who want organic, open-pollinated seed of old varieties and plan to save some of their own seed.

Sources

  • Bingenheimer Saatgut

    Bingenheimer Saatgut is a German seed company that sells only open-pollinated, organically grown seed of vegetables, herbs and flowers, to home gardeners and market gardeners. Plants from this seed…

  • ARCHE NOAH

    ARCHE NOAH is an Austrian association that preserves old and rare varieties of vegetables, fruit and grain, and sells organic seeds and plants of them so that gardeners can grow them and save their…

  • Garden Organic and the Heritage Seed Library

    Garden Organic is a British charity for organic gardening, and its Heritage Seed Library keeps more than 800 rare and old vegetable varieties alive by sending their seed to members each year.

  • Kokopelli

    Kokopelli is a French association that sells organic and biodynamic seeds of open-pollinated varieties: more than 2,000 varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers, many of them old varieties no…

  • Refuges LPO (wildlife refuges)

    Refuges LPO is the scheme of the French bird protection league LPO for turning a garden, a balcony, a school or a company site into a refuge for wildlife, by signing a charter and following its…