What does it cost to save an heirloom variety from extinction?

To save seeds is to preserve the very essence of culture. Heirloom crops wouldn’t exist if not for the gardeners and farmers who meticulously grew seeds and saved them to pass down from generation to generation.

At Diggers we have helped preserve and revitalise many varieties over the years, including ‘Uncle Tony’s La Stupenda’ tomato, ‘Franks’ pea and ‘Moon & Stars’ watermelon, holding them in our seed bank and passing them on to future generations.

Why is it important to preserve heirloom seeds?

This unbroken chain of observation, selection and cultivation is under constant threat with the increasing power and influence of agricultural and chemical companies that operate the world seed trade. Frighteningly, just four companies control over 60% of global proprietary seed sales and these mega-businesses are not interested in preserving cultural and biological diversity.

There is no government or institutional body in Australia that supports the preservation of heirloom vegetable and flower seeds. It is now and always has been, the community of gardeners and small-scale farmers who are the stewards of this valuable and precarious diversity. This has created a situation where it is left to individuals and not-for-profit organisations like Diggers to undertake this vital task, but it comes at a cost.

Our seed trial, production and preservation team maintain our four-acre seed farm in Dromana, Victoria. It is an intensive and technical operation that requires specialist skill and knowledge to ensure varieties are maintained with optimal diversity whilst maintaining stability and are true-to-type, and each year we welcome the generous donations of heirloom seeds from gardeners across the country, adding to our seed bank.

What does it cost to preserve an heirloom?

Each accession that we add to our seed bank goes through a process of growing, assessment and recording to establish that the variety is unique and stable and that it is as described by the donor. This process involves all the technical elements of cultivation, including germination, transplanting, crop management, harvesting and tasting.

Then there are the ‘back room’ aspects of seed saving, including digital record keeping, dry-conditioned storage and the specialist equipment required, including seed germination incubators and seed cleaning tools. We have calculated that it costs an average of $1,000 to keep a variety safe for future generations.

Sometimes the seed varieties we receive as donations make it into our magazine or online offer, and we can generate sales to support the work required to keep them going. But there are far too many varieties to list them all so we are seeking your support to help us maintain our living collection of Australian heirlooms – to catalogue, record, preserve and, most importantly, grow these wonders of yesteryear.

You can also help grow a seed preservation crop by donating:

• $75 for netting and seed harvesting equipment

• $100 for water and irrigation components

• $350 for compost and field materials

• $12,000 for racking and storage for the Diggers seed bank

• $20,000 for a seed germination incubator

The benefits of seed sponsorship:

• Tax-deductible receipt

• Certificate of sponsorship

• Acknowledgement on the Diggers website for your sponsored variety

• Updates on grow-outs and seed collection

• Opportunities to join seed harvesting days

• Free seed samples of your sponsored variety

• Access to Diggers Foundation donor events

We are very excited to open up this program so that our members and gardeners across Australia can participate in the preservation of heirloom seeds. With our mission to preserve genetic and cultural diversity through seed, we welcome donations of seed from gardeners across the country to add to our seed bank, contact us at seeds@diggers.com.au

Written by Tim Sansom, Diggers CEO.