The Diggers Foundation Donor Update | October 2026


The Living Plant Library is ready to grow  

Earlier this year, we raised funds to build a living plant library at our Boundary Road site in Dromana, Victoria. A living collection of hundreds of heirloom varieties from the Foundation’s seed bank.   

The response from our community was overwhelming.   

I’m delighted to share that work is now well underway. The area where the plant library will be situated has been cleared, planting beds have been established, and the site has been fenced to protect the precious plantings.   

Excitingly, the first collection of seeds to be grown has now been identified, and planting has commenced.  

This is an important milestone in establishing the Living Plant Library — a living collection that will help preserve and protect rare heirloom varieties and ensure that these important plants are not lost to future generations.

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Digitising the Diggers Seed Bank 

We have identified and adopted a leading digital platform used by some of the world's most important seed banks internationally. 

Work is underway to prepare our existing seed bank records, featuring over 450 heirloom varieties, for migration into the new database to create a comprehensive digital record of our collection. 

Once established, the platform will provide sophisticated monitoring and reporting to help guide planting schedules, track the source and stock levels of seed, and importantly, maintain the integrity and provenance of our mother stock. 

This is much more than a digitisation project. It will provide a stronger foundation for managing, protecting and growing the Seed Bank for generations to come. 

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Growing the next generation of gardeners 

The Foundation's School Education Program has just launched, and we’re welcoming primary schools and their students to Heronswood, Dromana.  

A curriculum has been developed by our team of qualified teachers and expert gardeners. Students will enjoy an engaging, hands-on learning experience that aligns with the Victorian Curriculum.  

Planning for a dedicated outdoor education classroom at Heronswood has now been completed, and construction is underway. We look forward to welcoming our first students at the beginning of Term 4. 

The program will provide children with the opportunity to learn about plants, gardening, biodiversity, growing food, and sustainable growing in the unique environment of a Diggers historic garden. 

Diggers has a longstanding commitment to supporting young people to discover the joy and importance of growing.   

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Four million seeds donated to Australian schools and communities 

Our Seed the Future program has reached a significant milestone, having donated over 4 million seeds to schools and community groups across every state of Australia, since it launched in July 2022.   

Through the program, tens of thousands of children have been able to enjoy the process of sowing seeds, caring for plants and harvesting crops. Millions of flowers have bloomed, and millions of vegetables have been harvested.     

For every new Diggers Club membership, The Diggers Foundation donates one packet of seeds towards our Seed the Future program, which supports primary, secondary and tertiary schools, as well as communities in need.  

Every seed represents an opportunity to discover where food comes from, develop practical gardening skills and understand the importance of plants, biodiversity and sustainable food production. 

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What’s next 

While we are proud of what has already been achieved, our ambition extends well beyond these projects. We are developing a number of initiatives that will allow the Foundation to share the knowledge demonstrated in Diggers gardens more widely and build a stronger evidence base for sustainable gardening. 

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Expanding interpretive signage across our historic gardens 

We plan to extend the existing signage throughout our historic gardens with new interpretive information that guides visitors through the collections and explains the use and application of Diggers' sustainable gardening principles. 

The aim is to help visitors not only appreciate the beauty and significance of the gardens but to understand how the gardening practices demonstrated within them can be applied in their own gardens. 

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Building research partnerships with universities 

We are exploring research partnerships with universities to quantify the environmental benefits of sustainable gardening practices demonstrated across Diggers gardens. An initial project exploring how vegetation and management influence carbon levels in soil is being undertaken by 3rd year undergraduate students from RMIT’s Soil Science Department. 

Future areas of research include soil carbon capture, biodiversity and the broader environmental benefits of sustainable gardening. 

The proposed partnership will create opportunities for: 

  • a PhD research program, linking carbon quality, soil structure and biological function in organic and regenerative horticultural systems; 

  • a postdoctoral research fellowship, helping develop the next generation of researchers generating new knowledge on soil carbon sequestration, soil health, ecosystem function and regenerative horticultural practices. 

This research will help build an evidence base around the environmental benefits of sustainable gardening and provide credible knowledge that can ultimately be shared with gardeners and the wider community. 

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Diggers Education Online 

One of our most ambitious upcoming projects is the development and launch of Diggers Education Online — a national digital education platform designed to create more environmentally responsible gardeners. 

A gardener who learns how to improve soil health, grow food organically, conserve water, choose plants suited to their environment, protect pollinators, save seed, or create habitat is doing more than becoming a better gardener. 

They are developing practical skills that can contribute to healthier ecosystems, greater biodiversity, more resilient gardens and stronger household food security. 

Diggers Education Online will allow the Foundation to take this knowledge beyond our physical gardens and reach gardeners across Australia, regardless of where they live. 

It will give us an opportunity to share the principles and practices demonstrated in Diggers' gardens with a much larger audience — helping gardeners everywhere understand that the choices they make in their own gardens can contribute to a healthier and more sustainable future. 

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Thank you for helping us grow the future 

None of this work happens without the generosity of our supporters. 

Your contribution is helping us protect rare plants, safeguard our Seed Bank, inspire children, and share practical knowledge about sustainable gardening. 

But perhaps most importantly, it is helping us build something that will extend well beyond any individual project - a growing community who understand the important role gardens can play in creating a healthier, more biodiverse, and more sustainable world. 

Thank you for being part of that journey. 

We look forward to keeping you updated as these projects continue to grow in our next Donor Update.

If you’d like to start a conversation about the work of The Diggers Foundation or any of the projects shared in our Donor Update, we’d welcome the opportunity.