Bring on the Red-Podded Peas

We speak with Colorado gardener and backyard plant breeder Andrew Barney about his work developing a red-podded pea, cold-adapted watermelons, and new tomatoes.

Barney connects with other plant breeders through seed swaps, social media groups, and online forums. He says many people who are interested in plant breeding and preserving plant varieties are happy to share plant genetics.

While some approaches to breeding require more effort on the part of the gardener, others, such as the landrace-style breeding he's using for his watermelons, take less work to manage.

His advice to would-be backyard plant breeders is, "Just try it!"