Saving Seeds for the Future
When we save seeds from heirloom and open-pollinated varieties, we continue that time-honored tradition of passing seeds from generation to generation while protecting the history and characteristic traits of favorite and tried-and-true varieties.
In our Community Gardens, a team of gardeners recently collected dried seed pods of lettuce, radish, and climbing beans that had been growing in the greenhouse. This first seed harvest will bring our gardens full circle when we share and plant them next spring and begin to 'grow' our future seed bank.
These seeds came from more than 50 varieties of open-pollinated vegetable and flowers whose seeds were donated to the Community Gardens for educational purposes by Seed Savers Exchange, a nonprofit organization that since 1975 has grown, saved, and shared seeds and led a movement to protect biodiversity and preserve heirloom varieties. Seed Savers has a seed bank that houses a collection of 20,000+ rare, open-pollinated varieties.
With the onset of Covid-19 compelling a renewed interest in gardening this spring, there was a high demand for seeds across the country, with many customers experiencing long delays from seed companies unable to keep up with the demand. We realized more than ever the importance of being able to grow our own food, and of sharing the knowledge and tradition of seed saving and gardening with our community.