Plant City is joining the fight against the growing use of genetically modified seeds in agriculture with the creation of its very own seed library.
Seed libraries allow a community to come together and share seeds from plants they are growing at home. This protects the variety of plants available in a community and offers an alternative to genetically modified seeds.
“Depending on which source you consult, during the last half century we have lost access to between 70 to 90% of the seed diversity that once existed,” Nancy Ham, creator of the seed library, said. “Most of our seeds come from large, for profit corporations who understandably discontinue varieties that are not profitable.”
Seed libraries are popping up across the globe with over 400 locations worldwide. In the U.S. 46 states have begun to set aside collections of local seeds.
Communities like Plant City that are heavily agriculture focused tend to benefit from seed libraries due to the abundant variety of plants in the area. As many consumers turn toward the “local food movement,” a movement that aims to connect food producers and consumers in the same geographic location, seed libraries offer another option to ensure food is as authentic as possible.
Ham said large corporations play a major role in the lack of variety in seeds. She said we used to have a system that was farmer to farmer or neighbor to neighbor rather than having a corporation market the seeds. Unfortunately, most corporations are for profit, which means when a seed variety isn’t selling it will discontinue it.
“That means the grower that was growing that seed no longer grows it because it was their business and
that’s not a seed that sells anymore,” Ham said. “Over time many of these varieties disappear. Unless you can find it in a local seed library, or through neighbors or people you know that have these seeds.”
Seed libraries focus on saving heirloom seeds as these seeds produce the same plant that it was harvested from. Essentially, if you have a gorgeous flower and it is an heirloom seed, when you plant one of its seeds you will get replications of that same perfect flower.
Hybrid seeds, which are taking over the market, are cross pollinated by two varieties of the same species. Ham equates hybrids to human reproduction. When a couple has a child that child is not a clone of either parent but rather a combination of the genetics of both.
“If you’ve got a limited amount of time and resources and real estate you really want some consistency in what you’re going to produce, especially if you’re going to eat it,” Ham said. “Hybrids just don’t offer that. It’s why preserving heirloom seeds are so important.”
Corporations have relied on hybrids to increase shelf life of produce and make them more disease and drought resistant, and they have been able to produce larger and earlier yields from crops.
“I’m not dissing hybrids, I think some hybrids are wonderful,” Ham said. “Mankind has been hybridizing plants for centuries and it’s done some wonderful things. Unfortunately, sometimes the process of hybridizing doesn’t give us a better tasting product.”
The seed library will partner with the Plant City Community Garden, located at the botanical gardens near Hillsborough Community College, to store and sort the seeds for the library.
The seed library will be free to members of the community garden and anyone else can partake in the endeavor by either doing volunteer work with the library, making a small donation whenever they take seeds from the library or by bringing their own heirloom seeds to swap out.
Ham encourages partnership with the community garden for those who don’t have the proper facilities at home. The community garden offers small plots of land for its members to grow whatever they wish. This comes in handy for many living in apartments or with limited yard space.
Membership with the community gardens costs $35 per year and the group also has access to the greenhouse on site.
The library will officially start in September and will be available to the public the second and fourth Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Ham plans to offer an informational program on how to begin seed saving at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 11 at Bruton Memorial Library.