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Seed Saving in a Time of Crisis Class
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Seed Steward Grow a Row Program
I want to be a Seed Steward! |
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Do you rely on getting seeds or starts from a nursery? Since COVID there has been a rush on seeds. Create a more resilient garden by making seed saving part of your practice. What will you save?
Over 94% of the seed commercially available 100 years ago is gone. The loss of genetic diversity and the current model of breeding for uniformity makes our food system much more susceptible to shocks from pest and diseases to severe weather events from climate change. Additionally, most of the seeds both farmers and home gardeners purchase are grown outside of the US making access more vulnerable. Help create a local seed shed in your community and be part of the solution. |
In 2020, we passed out 20,000 seed packets. Help us meet this moment by growing seeds out to help continue to provide seed for the community.
No seed saving experience required. We provide the seeds. Seed saving tips. You provide the love and commit to growing all of the plants to seed and to donate the majority of the seed back to the seed library for the benefit of the community. One Seed One Community
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Planting GuideHere is a Planting Times Guide listing of what to plant each month of the year (in Spanish too).
Guidelines for Getting Seeds
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Got Seeds?Help grow seed for the community. You can save something you are currently growing or we can provide the seed. No previous seed saving experience required. Become a Grow a Row Seed Steward! Fill in the Spring Grow a Row survey.
Lettuce Unite! Newsletter |
New to Gardening?
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What's a Seed Lending Library?A seed lending library is a place where you can borrow seeds for free. You may be asking, “How can you ‘borrow’ seeds?” The basic is idea is that you plant the seeds, let some go to seed, then return some of these next generation seeds for others to borrow. (Don’t worry. We don’t have fines if you don’t return seeds.)
We encourage home gardeners to save seeds from the "super easy" plants: tomatoes, lettuce, beans, and peas. Do not save seeds from plants in the "easy" or "difficult" drawer until you have more experience seed saving. Learn more about seed saving. Richmond Grows is a non-profit seed lending library located in the public library. We’re open whenever the public library is open. You do not need to have Richmond Public Library card to use the seed library, but we do ask people to watch our on-line orientation. We provide free classes on organic gardening and seed saving, and of course, you can also borrow books from the public library on these topics.
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Envelopes - Grow Out Program
Return quality seed that is well labeled. Use our envelope labels (make a copy) or see if the variety you are growing already has a label pre-made on our Grow Out Program list.
NOTE: Some plants readily cross pollinate, such as sunflowers, corn, and brassicas. If you are saving seeds from these plants and did not cage or hand-pollinate them, write "Crossed?" on the packet.
NOTE: Some plants readily cross pollinate, such as sunflowers, corn, and brassicas. If you are saving seeds from these plants and did not cage or hand-pollinate them, write "Crossed?" on the packet.
Help Us Grow Local Seed
Our intention is to grow more local seed for the benefit of the community. We're focusing on preserving varieties that have cultural significance or are rare or unusual while increasing food security and local resilience. What can you do to help?
- Grow out seed - Never saved seeds before? We'll start you with "super easy" things you can save. Click on our Grow Out List plants and email us about what you'd like to grow. Pick ups of the seeds, seed saving instructions and return envelopes are at Richmond Grows.
- Join East Bay Local Seeds - We're a group of individuals, seed librarians, public librarians and nonprofits working together to vision and create a network of local seed to be shared through and among seed libraries. Email us to get info about our next meeting.
Face-Place-Story
Video about Richmond Grows' Co-Founder Rebecca Newburn's garden