( Log Out /  Starting a Seed Bank is surprisingly easy. Think about this when placing your box. This gives everyone time to look through their seed collections and gather a surplus to give away also to see what they need. Top Tips For Starting A Seed Bank I am available for workshops, commissions and performances. What You Need To Start A Seed Bank. If you are building a seed bank make sure you back up your collection of seeds in two locations. If what you read here moves you in some way and you would like to know more please use my contact details below. Label the small boxes with your categories. With instructions on how to use it via your chosen medium. This is a great way to save money on next year’s garden and to save for the long-term future. h�bbd```b``Q��@$s!��| endstream endobj 183 0 obj <>>>/Metadata 97 0 R/Pages 178 0 R/StructTreeRoot 162 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 184 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/W/Thumb 85 0 R/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 612.0 792.0]/Type/Page>> endobj 185 0 obj <>stream (I’m a hope for the best prepare for the worst kind of guy), Decorate and label the big box so people know what it is for, Place hand sanitiser outside but near the big box with instructions if you need them, Put the whole caboodle in your chosen location. Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a workshop on planning for the seed-saving garden, which was put on as part of an initiative to start a community seed bank here in Prince George. Let each person buy one type of vegetable seed (i.e. What is a seed bank? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ����b{�d2X�,{D A seed bank (also seedbank or seeds bank) stores seeds to preserve genetic diversity; hence it is a type of gene bank.There are many reasons to store seeds. What is a seed bank? Community Seed Banks: How To Start A Seed Bank. You might also find that you develop some wonderful friendships along the way too. Wood would probably be the best. We hope that, through this handbook, many more farmers will become involved in community . Dowload Navdanya Guide to Seed Saving Without their work we would be in much deeper trouble than we are. Setting up and keeping a community seed bank alive requires the commitment, time, and efforts . Use the seed bank as a way to tap into the surplus in your community. h�b```���,� cc`a����h����������$y,��@� �:Ɛ����Z�������d ���O�NK1��K1m�U�T/zy.�4H���$'��ze��S��d߂t �i�a�&A�\�d��Y�$U�"+�ط�(�frd��DOK���\] Leaving it outside makes it generally accessible and reduces the risk of infection but use your common sense and work with what you have. Based on research experiences from various countries, this article argues that community seed banks can enhance the resilience of farmers, in particular of communities and households most affected by climate change. Just as long as you stay organized, you’ll have a fully functional seed bank in no time. They taught many of us in Ireland what we know about seed saving. November 29, 2019. Spread the rice to onto an ungreased baking tray. Cultivating positive relationships with nature. How to start a community seed bank during a pandemic.This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License,It can be freely modified and adapted once original material is attributed to me. Texas Ready Seed Bank. Read here for information on creating your own seed storage. What is a seed bank?A means by which people can grow, save and share seeds for mutual benefit from now into the future. Composition of a cereal bank. If you are associated with a temple, church, mosque, gurudwara, start a seed sanctuary or distribute seeds as a blessing. Cheers Community Seed Banks (CSBs) as part of informal seed systems. Now, let’s say your community seed bank is comprised of 10 people. Jul 27, 2015 - Starting a seed bank is an easy way to contribute to the protection of your regional fauna and ensure future generation?s access to them. Keep the seeds in a cool, dry location for a season or two, depending upon the species. Encourage people to take seeds and bring seeds on a basis of mutualism and trust. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. You will need:A community of people living within easy travel distance of each other. If each person only spends $3 on a single packet, that’s a grand investment of $30 for the entire group. This is because seeds saved from hybrids do not breed true. You can easily make a jar seed bank by following the steps below: Fill a canning jar 1/3 full of dry rice. Further Resources:www.irishseedsavers.iewww.seedalliance.orgwww.seedambassadors.orghttp://www.brownenvelopeseeds, 2020 Earth Restore/John Baker. Change ), DIY climate stabilisation? Bake the rice at 350F for about 45 minutes, or until it is really, really dry. ‘It has taken many years for the partner organizations of the Development Fund to develop successful models. You can start your own survival seed bank to save money, customize it, and save the varieties that do well with your growing conditions. Ask seed savers in your group if they have extra seeds of these types. ��\Q`�? If you are in a community, start a “garden of hope” as a community seed bank. "�R��.09,�"o�EցHq)�D Search for seeds at seed swaps or other local seed projects. Choose Your Varieties and Source Your Seed Decide which varieties best fit your criteria and priorities (each community will be different). You don’t know what you will get from them. Holding Seeds. Start a seed bank with seeds from your own garden. Things seem uncertain. The government have defined food producation as an essential service but unfortunately a lot of local markets have been closed down. 3.2m members in the gardening community. There are some great videos and articles that can walk you through the steps to save seeds from each of your plants. Sustainability is a huge challenge’, she says. 182 0 obj <> endobj one buys peppers, one gets tomatoes, another buys zucchini), and then the seeds are split up and shared. Most offer their seed for free because the philosophy behind community seed banks is that seed is not a commodity but a shared community resource. The workshop was led by Yvonna Breed, a local organic grower with many years of experience and lots of great advice for those just starting out like me. Anyone in the community who is committed to the idea of a cereal bank and who will benefit from it is a member of the Cereal Bank. This work owes a debt of gratitude and respect to Brown Envelope Seeds and Irish Seed Savers. I am and always have been interested in our relationships, with each other and with the Earth. U:�| �U� �����@���A)"��況%U3 �@5LJ`6X(АR�T�ן@��xW i � ��Q�A�aq�����cZ8˚77~q�aX2!����ϛ|��S�Mp� W#a������q7��O���4��M�`>a��R�P�2; ��}d�Yʀf�>8͛����Ii���@�13�^�(g�W��S�"�� Mf�Y�j�#� ��l Mar 3, 2014 - People are now ordering seeds for this summer's garden, so now is a perfect opportunity to set up a seed bank to share with your friends, family, and community. Aside from a dedicated group of people to organize and implement it, you need three things: seeds; a suitable place to store the seeds; a way of making the seeds accessible to the community The average cost for a packet of heirloom, organic seeds is $2 or $3. Community seed banks really are ideal ways to cultivate biodiversity, and help groups of people get a head start on food security for a very small investment. If you are a school, start saving seeds by setting up a “garden of life” to save seeds of freedom. Survival Seed Bank Basics. Thus, it may be better to start the cereal bank with both cash and grain. Develop your own protocols for keeping safe. Best if people bring their own as it makes the system easier to run. Without their work we would be in much deeper trouble than we are. Everyone would get to grow 10 different species by sharing the seeds … It also helps to build resilience back into the individual and the community. R�H2ʂق��d��L��A$w&�F0ɨ"���$S+/�-�$�����+�/������T� � ��� of many. Community seed banks first appeared towards the end of the 1980s, established with the support of international and national non-governmental organizations. Why a community seed bank?The current crisis has made many of us concerned about the future. Access community seed bank information and learn how to start a seed bank from your county extension office or gardening clubs and groups. In addition to seed collecting, the most important aspects of a seed bank are proper storage and complete labeling. We held a seed swap in a local cafe before the virus happened. Once you’ve got the environment sorted, you can start collecting the seeds of your choice. I used old takeaway containers, Sticky labels for labelling the smaller boxes. Put your seeds into the appropriate box and put them in the bigger box. I used polystyrene boxes lined with opaque cardboard which I stuck on using silicone. ( Log Out /  Lots of people are already thinking this way as shown by how local seed companies and garden centres have been overwhelmed by orders. We also added some small seed packets and sellotape. 244 0 obj <>stream Let people know it is there. This told us that a lot of seed that gets bought every year gets wasted unless we have a means of sharing the surplus. %PDF-1.7 %���� This is one of the few locally-adapted seed banks available. Get to know each other so you can co-operate better in keeping your community in healthy food in uncertain times. How to start a community seed bank during a pandemic By Earth Restore and Bantry Community Garden. The cereal bank members are the ones who own the cereal bank. ( Log Out /  Some smaller seed packet sized packets. If you don’t live in a strong community use this project as a way to start making one. The categories we used are: Brassicas and spinach; Grains and maize; Roots, Peas and beans; Herbs; Flowers; Chili, Peppers and Tomatoes; Onion sets and potatoes; Salads but go with what works for you. A place for the best guides, pictures, and discussions of all things related to plants and their care. Community Seed Banks CSBs have been founded since the early 1980th in many parts of the world, with various forms and functions. The publication Community seed banks: origins, evolution, and prospects edited by Ronnie Vernooy, Pitambar Shrestha, and Bhuwon Sthapit (Vernooy et al. View more posts. You simply dry the bought seed for long-term storage, divide it up into one-year-sized packets, and put it into your freezer. This is so you can categorise your seeds a bit which reduces hassle and rummaging time. Photos via World Bank … Start learning how to save seed and plan your growing accordingly. We ended up with ten times more seed than we arrived with. It musn’t get too hot in there or the seeds will cook. Community seed banks have been founded since the early 1980th in many parts of the world.