Seed Libraries

We live with the uncomfortable awareness that our country's botanical diversity is diminishing at an increasingly rapid rate. At times, it seems we are bystanders to this alarming phenomenon. However, rather than resemble the proverbial deer in the headlights, some people are working to counteract this dreadful trend. One means to accomplish the goal of saving our nation's fruit and vegetable bounty is the development of seed libraries.

This movement has something of an ad hoc spirit to it. A number of seed libraries have sprouted (sorry about the pun) in California and New York, where the awareness of the crisis' severity is strong. The LA Times recently noted the "opening" of the Seed Library of Los Angeles, a Venice-based venture with two purposes. One is to offer free seeds to gardeners. The other is to become "a preserve of local agricultural diversity," according to the Times piece. The library also has the charming notion of acting as a book lending library would, in that borrowers would return seeds at the end of a growing period. The plan sagaciously encourages members to return far many more seeds than what they were originally provided.

The inspiration for the bi-coastal efforts is the Seed Savers Exchange (SSE), an Iowa-based non-profit started thirty-six years ago and still going strong today. Its goal, according to the SSE mission statement, is to save and share heirloom seeds. How serious is that need? Here's an example: the SSE maintains a pre-1900 orchard showcasing what the organization is attempting to rescue from otherwise likely extinction. According to the Seed Savers Exchange, in "1900 there were about 8,000 named varieties of apples in the U.S., but the vast majority are already extinct and the rest are steadily dying out. In an attempt to halt this constant genetic erosion, SSE has obtained all of the pre-1900 varieties that still exist in government collections and large private collections, but has only found about 700 that remain of the 8,000 known in 1900."

A sensible way to salvage our nation's vital botanical heritage is to support SSE and like-minded, local ventures. The need is urgent. The stakes are high. The time to act is now.

The photo shows leaves and seeds of a variety of amaranth.