Jonathan Spero Varieties

People Behind the Seeds
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Jonathan Spero Varieties

Jonathan and Jessie Spero started Lupine Knoll Farm in 2001 with the purpose of improving vegetable varieties and offering open pollinated organic vegetable seeds. Jonathan has selected delicious and resilient varieties of lettuce, broccoli, and kale that has gained a devoted following. His most sustained work, however, has been with open-pollinated corn varieties. Since the 1920's, corn breeding and marketing has become dominated entirely by hybrids. Developing open-pollinated alternatives that allow farmers to save and adapt their own seed, while competing with the hybrids' sweetness and yield, is a steep challenge.

Jonathan had the insight to use both outstanding modern corns and ancient landrace sweet corn in his breeding work. This has given his varieties a wide genetic base, and a range of adaptive traits. He selected for specific characteristics like excellent flavor, robust growth, and multiple ears per plant. However, he left some of the genetic variability from the landrace corns. As he explained it: "In older times, variability was highly desired. People wanted corn that produced food come wet or dry, hot or cold, and with a minimum of added inputs."

Jonathan's death in 2020 was a huge loss to his family, community, and organic agriculture. Go here for more about him by his fellow farmer/activists at Our Family Farms.