Hello Gardeners!
Seed Library Success!
That was the headline of my last
email, but with that success there also came a concern--the seed library is
woefully short on seeds.
I reported over 700 packets of seeds
found new homes, but what I didn’t convey is there were only 276 packets of
seeds left in the Seed Library at the end of March. I have added a few more
packets since then and more packets found new homes too, so the seed library is
still getting low.
What is needed are non-hybrid,
open-pollinated varieties of peas, beans, lettuce and herbs. Tomatoes and
peppers are also needed, but the window to start them indoors is quickly coming
to an end. So if you are buying seeds please consider buying a commercial
packet of heirloom or open-pollinated seeds to donate to the Seed Library.
So maybe you have some questions about
why I am so picky about what seeds I accept for the seed library. Perhaps you
even donated some seeds and didn’t see them offered at the seed library.
Why
does the Seed Library only want non-hybrid and open pollinated or heirloom
seeds?
In short, it has to do with biology
and laws.
Biology:
Open
pollinated or heirloom plants come
true to the parent plant. Hybrid
varieties require pollen from one variety of plant to pollinate a different
variety of the same species of plant. This specific pollination is usually done
by human whereas open-pollinated varieties the pollination is done by bees,
wind or other natural ways. Sometimes seeds from a hybrid plant revert back to
one of the two original plants or sometimes the seeds are not viable at all or
the plant does not make any seeds. This does not mean hybrid plants are less
desirable than heirloom plants. Both have pros and cons. It is up to you as a
gardener to make that decision.
Also, the Seed Library prefers seeds
from non-cross
pollinated plants. Some plants such as those from the Brassica family
easily cross pollinate. Some plants are pollinated by the wind or bees which
also increase its chance of cross pollination. The easy to save seeds are
tomatoes, peas, beans, lettuce and native plants because they seldom are cross
pollinated. If you give me seeds from a plant that was cross-pollinated, I
cannot with good faith describe the characteristics of the plant that will grow
from the seeds.
Laws:
The other reason has to do with plant patent laws.
It is illegal to sell or give away seeds from plants that have a plant patent.
In most cases these are hybrid plants. Many times it is very difficult to
determine if a particular variety of plant is under a plant patent, so if I
cannot find out that information through sleuthing on the internet, then I will
not offer it in the library.
So if you give me seeds you saved from
a hybrid
plant or plant that has a plant patent I will throw away the seeds. This is
true for vegetable, herb or flower seeds. If the description of the plant says something
like ‘new’ or ‘improved’ or ‘recent variety’ that is a clue that it may be a
hybrid. If the seed packet has an OP or the word ‘heirloom’ by the name that means
it is an open-pollinated variety and is OK to donate to the Seed Library. If
the seed packet has the word ‘hybrid’ or F1 by the name then it is a hybrid
variety and it is best you only grow them in your own garden. (GMO is an
entirely different thing and GMO seeds are not offered to the general public.)
There is a lot of controversy about
plant patents and you can find some information ‘against’ here
and ‘for’ here. The Rocky Mountain Seed
Alliance also has information about plant patents and seeds.
The White Bear Lake Seed Library has
stated:
The seeds being
distributed may not meet germination or varietal purity standards prescribed by
the state seed law. Patented seed or varieties protected by the Plant Variety
Protection Act will not be accepted or distributed without permission of the
certificate holder.
This is in accordance with the RUSSL Non-commercial
Seed Sharing Amendment Overview.
Another
reason the seeds you donated may not have been offered at the Seed Library.
Seeds do age. There are guidelines for
how long seeds remain viable and much of that has to do with the condition
under which the seeds are stored. Seeds stored in cool, dry locations last
longer than seeds stored where it is warm or humid. Seeds Savers Exchange has a handy chart you can
download.
At the end of each year I cull out
seeds packets that are older than general guidelines.
So in summary, please remember the
White Bear Lake Seed Library when buying commercial packets of seeds and if you
are able, donate a packet of an open-pollinated variety to the seed library.
The seed library welcomes any seed
donations of non-hybrid, non-cross-pollinated seeds. Place dry seeds in a paper
envelope with the name of seed, year and location on the envelope. Drop off in
the bin on the seed library table in the library during open hours.
Contact info for the
Seed Library:
Email:
wblseedlibrary@gmail.com
Blog
site: WBL Seed Library
Pam
