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zeedman

Seed Saving Organizations

Not sure if this forum gets enough traffic for this topic, but I'll try it here first.

It's getting close to Spring, when gardeners' thoughts turn to seeds, and planning begins. In these times of economic uncertainty, many are becoming more concerned about sustainable gardening, and seed saving - and perhaps, traditional varieties. But where to find them?

There are a lot of seed saving organizations worldwide: Seed Savers Exchange (U.S.), HDRA (U.K.), Seeds of Diversity Canada, and Diggers Club (Australia) are a few of them. There are more, especially in Europe. Members from some of these have posted here on GW periodically. (Are there any in Asia?)

To U.S. gardeners, many of these organizations are unknown. If there are members of these or other seed saving organizations, could you describe your organization & how it operates? I hope to give these organizations greater exposure, find out about any recent changes, and perhaps establish some international dialogs.

Several years ago, in my ignorance, I inadvertently offended some European seed savers. I thought that SSE was the last refuge for endangered food crops, and that is far from the truth. There are world-wide efforts by private organizations to preserve our edible crops for future generations, and dedicated seed savers who began their efforts long before it became fashionable. All organizations that save & share seed, regardless of size, are partners in that effort... and I hope to hear from them, or about them, from those who have personal experience.

Government-sponsored seed banks which are willing to send seeds to private citizens (both here & abroad) are also worthy of discussion.

Galina, you & I had a good discussion about this a couple years back both online & off, which I have since lost... you pretty much "schooled" me on the topic. ;-) I would value your wisdom, and hope you hear of this thread.

Comments (10)

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Well, apparently I was right about this being the wrong forum... guess I'll kick it down.

  • xaroline
    14 years ago

    No you started a good thread here.
    Seeds of Diversity is the Canadian seed savers organization.
    In the fall they put out a request for members to say which seeds they have.
    The information is compiled into a print directory which is sent to all members in about January.
    Members can then order seeds from those who have them. A nominal fee is to be sent---usually about $2.50 Canadian---- a little more for heavier seeds.
    Seeds of Diversity also sponsors "Seedy Saturdays" and "Seedy Sundays" across Canada. There are usually small seed producers there with booths
    selling seeds/and plants. There is a donation booth where we can drop off our excess seeds and pick up others that we might like.
    There are presentations on sustainable topics. Saturday, March 19 is the Calgary one in the Montgomery community hall. There is one in Edmonton on Sunday, March 20. There is a nominal admission charge of about $2. to help with the hall rental.

  • xaroline
    14 years ago

    Those dates in the previous post are Saturday, March 20 in Calgary and Sunday, March 21, in Edmonton this year 2010.

    Another thing Seeds of Diversity does is they run a Canadian Tomato Project to preserve heirloom tomato varieties which were developed in Canada.

    They also have a preservation project for other plants whee donors can donate money which is used to preserve seeds of some plant which is in danger of extinction.

  • remy_gw
    14 years ago

    Zeedman,
    You posted in the right place. People come here and read posts all the time. I didn't respond because I knew once responded to, it would drop down the page.
    Remy

  • naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan
    14 years ago

    Zeedman, I think you're looking for non-US groups. However, I only recently learned of some of the groups within the US and may be unfamiliar with others. Maybe we can list them, too. I'm also not sure just what qualifies as an organization so hope I'm okay listing this. Sandhill Preservation seeks out and grows many heirloom varieties and sells them at low cost. It is great fun to read about the varieties they have. I'm looking forward to growing a few of them myself this year and passing on seed to others.

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thank you, Xaroline, for the update on SoDC. I had considered joining them several years ago, but the sample rates at the time were too low to make it practical. Most of my collection is larger seeds (such as beans), and the cost of international postage would have been prohibitive. If the rates have been raised to the point where I can break even, I might reconsider.

    I really like the "Seedy Saturdays" idea. At one point, I had considered trying to organize such a thing locally; but a new job has cut into much of my family time, so it may not happen.

    Naturegirl, while my primary intent was to hear from international seed saving organizations, it would certainly be great to hear from other U.S. organizations as well. Glen (who runs Sandhill) is one of the founding members of SSE, and one of their advisors.

  • flora_uk
    14 years ago

    zeedman - I am not a member of any organisation and I am sure you already know of this one but here's a link below. (not specifically edibles).

    Not stricly a seed organisation but this one is another plant conservation organisation. http://www.brogdale.org/

    This site has some links too: http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/hsl/hsl_links.php

    Here is a link that might be useful: National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens

  • dirt_is_cool
    13 years ago

    Native Seeds/ SEARCH (Southwestern Endangered Aridland Resource Clearinghouse) is another excellent organization to explore. They are involved in the conservation and distribution of heirloom seed varieties (particularly those developed and utilized by cultures in the southwestern United States and in the northwestern portion of Mexico). Their website is: http://www.nativeseeds.org/.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Native Seeds/ SEARCH

  • magpie_grower
    13 years ago

    Hudson Valley Seed Library membership costs $20. Members receive 10 Garden Packs or Library Packs of their choice, discounts on additional packs (including Art Packs this year), and discounts on Hudson Valley Seed Library events. Members who choose to save seeds from the plants they grow may return them to us for credits toward their next year's membership.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Hudson Valley Seed Library

  • biscombe
    8 years ago

    We're a small seed saving project base in Andalusia Spain www.seeed.es we can send seeds out for a small donation which helps keep our project running.

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