A Maine man who left a significant mark on farms, gardens, plants, seeds and the people who grow them across the country died on June 1 at age 69. John Navazio of Belfast, a plant breeder, professor and author, is remembered by family and colleagues as an enthusiastic resource for organic growers. He spent the past decade as the plant breeding manager for Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Winslow.
He previously worked for the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor and universities and seed companies across the country. “His whole training was to serve organic farmers,” said his wife, Terri Matson. “He loved farmers.
” His focus on diverse plant varieties, farmer participation in the plant breeding process and education set him apart. Johnny’s called him a bright spirit who provided a blueprint for “countless young farmers” interested in sustainable agriculture, seed saving and plant breeding. Navazio co-founded the Organic Seed Alliance , a group researching, teaching and promoting seed saving, and wrote “The Organic Seed Grower: A Farmer’s Guide to Vegetable Seed Production.
” Popular plant varieties he developed include Dragon purple carrots, several Swiss chards, Dark Star zucchini, Touchstone Gold beets, Rossa di Milano onions, Hungarian Hot Wax peppers and the Long Pie Pumpkin. That pumpkin, a well-known baking squash today, originates from one an old Mainer brought to him at the Common Ground Fair from the family garden in the 1980s. “He just loved working.
