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So you've bought into the 100-mile diet. Eco points to you. If you're looking for serious ethical kudos this season, however, you're going to have to dig even deeper - literally.

Serious locavores are working on a zero-mile diet, courtesy of the old-fashioned vegetable garden. As Canadians break ground in many parts of the country this month, concern over the carbon footprint of the global food trade is inspiring them to reach for their spades. And the hunger for a diet free of genetic modifications means the demand for organically grown and heirloom varieties has never been so great.

Dan Jason should know. The owner of Salt Spring Seeds has been promoting an intense local diet for 20 years from his home on British Columbia's Salt Spring Island. After he was interviewed by Vancouverites Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon for their groundbreaking book, The 100-Mile Diet, Mr. Jason was struck with an idea.

"I thought, 'What is this 100-mile diet? We should be aiming for a zero-mile diet.' "

Inspired, he set about writing a pamphlet listing his best, most popular and most reliable crops. Then he took 12 of them - everything from wheat, flax and barley to kale, garbanzo beans and tomatoes - and combined them to form the Zero Mile Diet Seed Kit. The $36 kit went on sale in January and was sold out by the end of February.

"I thought I'd be lucky to sell 100 packs," Mr. Jason said. "I sold 300 before I ran out of seeds. It's pretty radical - until this year, no one was buying wheat or barley at all. And sales of quinoa have increased fivefold."

Other B.C. seed producers are also struggling to keep up. "I would say sales are up 50 per cent from last year," said Jonathan Alcock, owner of Kelowna-based Sunshine Farms. "We've sold out completely of several varieties of soy beans, peas, peppers, carrots and lettuces."

The rise in enthusiasm for homegrown produce reflects the increasingly politicized food arena.

"The new customers coming our way tell us they want to support non-GMO [genetically modified] seeds," Mr. Alcock said. "They are concerned about the corporate control of food and they want to support local businesses."

Though a family of four would need about an acre of land to become self-sufficient, Mr. Jason is excited to see people deciding to grow their first foods.

"You don't have to do the whole thing straight away," he said. "Whether you plant a couple of lettuces or a 100-foot row of beans, you've grown something you don't have to go to the store to buy. And it all counts."

The hunger for homegrown is not confined to British Columbia. "Interest has never been higher," said Judy Newman, office manager for Seeds of Diversity, a Toronto-based charitable organization that encourages the cultivation of heirloom and endangered food crops.

"It's no longer the case that people will sit back and wait for whatever fruits and vegetables their grocery store chooses to sell," she said. "The awareness that there is such diversity of food available to them is gaining, and that, with the interest in eating local, organic produce, has captured the collective imagination."

The group's "Seedy Saturdays" swap meets take place all across the country and offer members the opportunity to trade with each other and sell to the public.

Heirloom tomatoes are already an obsession among gardeners, Ms. Newman said. "People will hear of a certain type and suddenly it's the new big thing. This year it was the Black Krim."

Even heirloom melons are gathering a following. The Citron - planted by the pioneers - is becoming popular. "It's hard as a rock and can sit on your kitchen counter for months," Ms. Newman said.

"We are monitoring closely how much we are selling," said Bernie Martin-Wood, who owns Two Wings Farm in Metchosin, west of Victoria, and specializes in heirloom tomatoes, salad greens, peas, beans and peppers.

"Sources for some of our heirloom varieties are quite scarce, so we have to make sure we keep enough seed back to plant for next year."

Ninety per cent of the produce Mr. Martin-Wood grows is left to go to seed - the natural state of a vegetable if left unpicked. Left alone, a round lettuce will eventually grow flower stalks with puffy heads similar to dandelions that can generate thousands of seeds. Tomato seeds are harvested through a fermentation process after the fruits are crushed.

Both Mr. Martin-Wood and Mr. Alcock are encouraging home gardeners to save their seeds, with tips on how to gather and store them for planting next year. If demand remains as high next summer, Sunshine Farms may cut their Internet and catalogue sales and only sell locally.

Mr. Alcock said even those without prime gardening space are keen to get involved; using pots on decks or signing up for community gardens.

"People at the farmer's market say they're digging up their lawn to plant more veggies," he said.

"I gave a lecture at [the University of British Columbia] recently and handed out heirloom beans. A young fellow asked if they would grow on his balcony in a pot - he just wanted to do something that wasn't part of the industrial agriculture complex. Hopefully, he'll be able to make at least one pot of soup with his harvest."

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Plant a salad ...

We consulted Jonathan Alcock of SunshineFarm.net and Linda Crago of TreeAndTwig.ca for the following recommendations:

Tomatoes

Stupice tomatoes produce early and will keep growing right up to the first frost. In cold climates or patio pots, try Black Russian - a sweet, spicy black/brown fruit - or Morden Yellow, a mid-sized yellow fruit.

Lettuce

Deer Tongue dates from the 1700s and copes well in high temperatures. Bronze Arrow grows quickly, producing red and green oak-shaped leaves.

Onions

Chives and scallions work well in pots, as do cipollinis, as long you use good quality potting soil and water sufficiently.

Garlic

In cold climates try Spanish Roja, prized for its taste. Red Toch produces large, pink-streaked cloves that can be eaten raw.

Seedy Sources

For general information on growing heirloom seeds, check out Seeds.ca and OrganicGardening.com.

To mail-order seeds, try to find a source in your province, as they will carry varieties appropriate to your climate. In British Columbia, try SunshineFarm.net or TwoWingsFarm.com. In Saskatchewan, try PrSeeds.ca.

Manitobans can check HeritageHarvestSeed.com and in Ontario there are HeritageSeedAndProduce.com and TerraEdibles.ca. In Eastern Canada, try New Brunswick's HopeSeed.com.

Fiona Morrow

... and save the seeds

Always save seeds from healthy plants that produced good fruit. Dry them thoroughly before storing in an airtight glass or metal container in a cool, dark place.

Tomatoes

Cut open fully ripened fruit and gently squeeze out the jelly-like substance that contains the seeds. Place in a small, loosely covered jar in a warm location and let sit for three days, stirring once a day. After three days, fill the seed container with warm water and drain off contents, repeating until a layer of seeds is sitting at the bottom and the water runs almost clear. Drain and allow to dry completely. Break into individual seeds and store.

Peas and beans

Allow pods to dry brown, about six weeks after eating stage. Open pods and remove beans, and let them dry thoroughly. Before storing, place inside freezer for 72 hours to kill any insects that may be hiding inside.

Lettuce

Lettuce produces self-pollinating flowers, each of which has one seed. Wait until half the flowers on each plant have gone to seed, then cut entire top off plant and allow to dry upside down in an open paper bag.

Onions

As soon as majority of flowers have dried, clip off. Allow to dry in cool, dry location for 2 to 3 weeks. Fully dried flowers will drop clean seeds naturally.

Garlic

Since garlic isn't grown from seed, you can save garlic bulbs to replant each year.

Sources: SeedSave.org and

VictorySeeds.com