UI Ext. Office to start local seed library

The Boundary County UI Extension Office is currently in the process of setting up a local seed library.

The first of its kind in the county, the library will feature organized stocks of quality, open-pollinated seeds that local gardeners can take home free of charge and plant in their own gardens.

A seed library helps foster an interconnected, self-sufficient community of gardeners that never has to purchase seeds. Instead, gardeners refrain from harvesting some of their plants, which allows these individuals to “go to seed”. The gardeners then donate these seeds to the library for the community’s use. Eventually, if enough people contribute, the library will feature seeds from hundreds of plants, from peonies to potatoes, that have all grown well in that particular region.

Therein lies the greatest benefit of the seed bank.

Like every other living thing on Earth, plants have evolved over millions of years in order to survive and reproduce under certain conditions. This has led to different strains of the same plant, which have adapted to specific soils and climates.

Advanced Master Gardener Angela Tucker, who has put herself in charge of making this vision a reality, explains it this way: “If something overwinters here, say if I had a volunteer tomato come into my garden, it’s obviously gonna make it through our kind of winter. So it’s gonna be a healthier, better product, one that is more climatized to our area.”

Tucker, who works in the UI Extension office in downtown Bonners Ferry, says that she has always been a “seed saver”, but that it wasn’t until she attended a seed-saving class last February down in Cour d’Alene that she decided to start a seed bank here in her hometown.

Tucker is already off to a good start, with thousands of seeds harvested from her own personal crop — including carrot, marigold, calendula, amaranth, coriander, poppy, and cranberry seeds — already bagged and labelled.

She says that the local UI Extension Office has an ideal back room where they can keep the seeds, which need to be stored under the proper conditions in order to give them the best chance of germinating and producing healthy plants.

Of course this community-based project cannot be pulled off alone, and Tucker has received help from a number of local gardeners. “Some of the past Master Gardeners have come in and helped clean seed,” she says, and she hopes for more people to get involved by donating seed as the library continues to take form. As far as financing is concerned, Tucker says that funds from UI’s Master Gardener program will be used to cover some of the start-up costs of the seed library.

Tucker also mentioned genetically modified (GMO) crops, and the fact that many gardeners have no idea whether their seeds came from an actual garden or from a lab somewhere. “I know there’s lots of companies out there that distribute heirloom seeds...but if you’re saving your own, you know exactly where it’s coming from.”

There seemed to be a consistent, underlying tone in Tucker’s voice while she explained her plans for the future of the seed library: genuine excitement. “I’m just super excited about all this,” she says. “I’d like to see more people, especially the younger generation, getting started with growing and eating healthier...it’s so fresh and so good. And if you can your own food, it’s so much better for you.”

The daughter of two avid Alaskan gardeners, Tucker has always enjoyed growing her own food. Now she is realizing how fulfilling it can be to share this ability with others in the community. The first step is teaching others about seed-saving, which is why the UI Extension Office is hosting a presentation from 1 to 3 p.m. on Jan. 27 entitled: “Saving Seeds: Building a Seed Bank for Boundary County.” Everyone is invited to this free event.

For more information about the seed library and how to contribute, contact Angela Tucker by emailing: atucker@uidaho.edu or calling (208) 267-3235.