Where do your seeds come from?

Posted by Shelburne & District Horticultural Society May 09, 2015

Where do your seeds come from?

I think most people are aware of the issue of our declining bee population – but have you considered our seed situation?

When you purchase a packet of seeds have you considered where they come from?

Aabir Dey of the Bauta Family Initiative with Everdale Farms shared with us at our last meeting how much of a concern this is becoming. Virtually all vegetable seed planted in Canada has been imported and because of this we are losing plants and seeds that are adapted to our area. The other big concern is that many heirloom varieties are becoming extinct because the seed companies are only focusing on the popular varieties.

The Bauta Family Initiative http://www.seedsecurity.ca/en/ is providing resources and bringing existing farmers and projects together across Canada to increase the production of regionally adapted seed suitable for organic growing. They are working on building regional seed security in Canada.

Seed security = Food Security. Without seed we cannot grow our own food.

They are focusing on four main areas – Training and Networking, Applied Research, Public Access to seed and a Seed Facilitation fund.

Check their website for some training videos. http://www.seedsecurity.ca/en/194-2014-5-webinar-series

Although you can request more varieties from seed banks such as much of the public is unaware that they can do this. They are working to make it easier for the general public to have access to them.

Have you ever considered saving your own seeds? The advantage of saving your seeds is that each year the plant adapts to your area and the seeds pass this information along in their plant line.

Hawthorn Seeds http://www.hawthornfarm.ca/index.php has become part of a seed co-op (Seeds of Transition) where multiple organic market farms each commit to growing a different variety for seed. Hawthorn then comes in and harvests the seed and makes it available to the public. This allows the market farms to continue to do what they do best – grow produce – yet it also increases the seed available.

What can you do to support local grown seeds?

1) Attend a Seedy Saturday many of them are hosted in the spring

Everdale’s - http://everdale.org/events/seedy-saturday/

Check out http://seeds.ca/ for more seedy events, seed banks and Canadian Seed companies.

2)Purchase from farms that grow seed local to you.

Aabir mentioned these ones in his presentation

Hawthorn Farm Organic Seeds - http://www.hawthornfarm.ca/

Urban Harvest - http://uharvest.ca/shop/

Cottage Gardener - http://www.cottagegardener.com/

Saugeen River CSA http://www.saugeenrivercsa.com/

Here are some others that I found as well - https://www.pinterest.com/annaleak/gardening-seeds/

Check your area for seed libraries. There are some seeds at the Dufferin Museum.