Building a Seed Bank

Imagine sitting on a five gallon bucket among vines bursting with tomatoes of every color of the rainbow. It is the stuff of poetry.

Saving seeds is an ancient art. For generations, gardeners have saved and passed along seeds of their favorite plants to ensure the survival of the genetics. Perhaps the juiciness of a brandywine tomato surpasses all others. The grower wants more of these tomatoes next season so she saves seeds from this particular strain and re-sows them. She also shares the seeds with friends and family, spreading the love.

Since the dawn of agriculture, seeds have been saved and passed along from one generation to the next.

Creating and building a seed bank in your home is one way to ensure your personal food independence and prepare for future gardens. It is also one way to prepare for the day when food does not come to you by way of the grocery store. Seed banking is an excellent skill to share with children and within communities. Imagine a world where every home and every community center has a bank of viable heirloom varieties just waiting to explode with genetic diversity and flavor.

Some folks dedicate their lives to saving seeds for the world to sow.

I was fortunate enough to grow up in Northeast Iowa, a land untouched by glaciers, ripe with limestone bluffs and rich dark earth. Scandinavian heritage abounds and some say the Nisse still roam the wild parts of the countryside. Visionaries live there too.

Seed Savers Exchange was founded in 1975 by Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy to honor the tradition of preserving and sharing. Their collection started when Diane's terminally-ill grandfather gave them the seeds of two garden plants, Grandpa Ott's morning glory and German Pink tomato. Grandpa Ott's parents brought the seeds from Bavaria when they immigrated to St. Lucas, Iowa in the 1870s.


Diane and Kent planted the seeds and then sought out seeds the world round. The best seeds. Seeds passed on from one generation to the next because of desirable traits. They found the land and planted and propagated year after year the best seeds. And they saved the seeds. These seeds are available at Seed Savers Exchange.


My Spinner friend down the road wrote a great piece on creating a personal seed bank. I defer to her expertise and invite you to partake in the ancient art of seed saving in your home and your community. Follow the link below...

http://ruralspin.com/2012/02/12/creating-a-personal-seedbank/