THUNDER BAY – For centuries, gardens and farms would use seeds from a previous harvest to jumpstart the next year’s growing season.
But the availability and commercialization of seeds has changed how food is grown.
Some local producers, such as the Roots to Harvest community garden, are looking to get back to natural roots by saving seeds from ripened fruits and vegetables to return to the ground.
“It’s definitely an older skill. Before you could go buy seeds in the grocery stores gardeners would be always saving their own seed. It was just a natural part of gardening,” said Jody Mitchell, program coordinator for Roots to Harvest.
“I think, like many things, we started relying on commercialization so we went to buy our seed instead of saving it ourselves but it’s a skill we’re trying to bring back.”
On Thursday members of the Superior Seed Producers hosted a tour of four seed saver gardens and farmers around the city, starting with Roots to Harvest.
Lucie Lavoie, an urban gardener who has practiced saving seeds for a number of years, said there are a number of reasons why there are benefits.
“We save seeds that are adapted to the local environmental conditions, that are adapted to growing in Thunder Bay, that are adapted to growing in the different kinds of soils here and they do better,” she said.
The community garden, which is located adjacent to the corner of Algoma and Cornwall streets, is growing spinach, potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, zucchini, beans, peas and tomatoes amongst other vegetables this year.
Saving seeds helps Roots to Harvest maximize their yields.
“By saving our own seed here we can start selecting varieties that work really well that go to seed within our short growing season and we can rely on to give us food in the following year as well,” Mitchell said.
The cooperative’s workers were busy in the garden in the morning collecting ready to consume vegetables.
Harvesting at the community garden will continue throughout the fall with the garden expected to be closed in mid-October.
