When Kathy McGowan started saving seeds from her garden 10 years ago in a serious way, her new-found routine was rooted in long tradition.
Seed saving is as old as the beginnings of agriculture, but you don’t have to be a full-time farmer to reap the benefits.
“It’s been a lot of work, and a lot of learning, but I have my own little seed bank now,” McGowan said Tuesday from her Gillies Township property.
McGowan, who organized a seed-saving exchange and information seminar in Nolalu on Saturday, said there’s a sense of satisfaction knowing seeds she’s collected in the fall eventually produce vegetables that are both tasty and hardy.
“So when I plant my garden, I’m going to get plants that have acclimated to our local area,” she said. “So much of the seed (in retail stores) come from other places.”
She added: “There are seed banks all over the world now.”
The seed-saving movement is often tied to food security and a desire to promote local produce production.
McGowan said when there was a shortage of peas during parts of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was happy to have her own supply of the sweet, Homesteader variety.
“For me, seed saving is my way of rebellion (against convention),” said McGowan, who also plants carrots and tomatoes from seeds she collects and dries.
“Our goal is to become as self-sufficient as possible.”
The cost of food, meanwhile, remains a sore point for one in five Northerners, public-health officials say.
On April 3, the Northwestern Health Unit released the results of an annual survey showing that monthly grocery costs in its region spiked by nine per cent in 2023 to just over $1,400.
“When money is tight, enjoyable and nutritious food is often compromised to pay for other necessities, like rent,” the health unit said. “This is household food insecurity: Inadequate or insecure access to food due to a lack of money.”
Nolalu’s Seedy Saturday event was to include a rep from Seeds of Diversity Canada, the Waterloo-Ont. group that promotes seed-sharing across the country.
The group’s website says it protects “Canada’s seed biodiversity by growing it ourselves and sharing it with others.”
“Every year, we multiply the most vulnerable seed varieties that we can, exchange seeds with each other, and keep those varieties alive and in cultivation for future gardeners to enjoy.”
