A new community building initiative is underway in the Snowy Monaro to bring together local gardeners to build seed libraries across the region.
Much like the popular Little Free Library project, Seed Savers seed libraries allow our community to swap seeds, with a long-term vision to see these libraries grow to share veggies, bulbs, native plants and more.
Snowy Monaro Regional Council is holding the first of these seed collecting workshop on Saturday 30 April 2022 in Bombala, in cooperation with Seed Savers Bega. This introductory session covers when and how to collect seeds, organise swaps and manage a local library.
The project aims to help the Snowy Monaro find and connect to our local plant heritage through varieties handed down through families and friends, provide access to locally grown and saved seeds adapted to our local climate and soil. The Seed Savers libraries give people access to a wider variety of plants than just those that are available commercially.
Through sharing seeds, we hope that we can replicate the success of Seed Savers elsewhere and help create real connections between growers in the community. By fostering cooperation and collaboration, the community can begin to reconnect after a long period of isolation following the impact of COVID-19, bushfires and floods.
The Bombala session is being facilitated by Liz Worth from Bega Valley Seed Savers – a well-established seed library network that works to protect and improve heritage food seeds and plants. Liz has a wealth of technical knowledge about seed saving and is passionate about sharing the fun of seed saving and sharing.
Where: Bombala Community Centre
When: Saturday 30 April 2022 from 10am to 12.30pm
What to bring: a notebook, pen and your ideas – we’re covering morning tea for free.
