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Post by terracotta on Nov 23, 2012 19:16:08 GMT -5
How does one go about motivating people to start saving their own seeds?
I have talked to many people in my area about this and the best I have gotten is a confused look like you must have gone crazy. I brought it up in a local committee meeting and must didn't even know the term " seed saving " even meant.Second they didn't know what it would be called and feared since they would then be hybrids that they just could not compete.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Nov 23, 2012 19:25:00 GMT -5
I brought it up in a local committee meeting and must didn't even know the term " seed saving " even meant.Second they didn't know what it would be called and feared since they would then be hybrids that they just could not compete. I don't quite understand the part about hybrids. What would be hybrids? As far as motivating folks to save seed, the only thing I can think of is to actually give them some seed of something that isn't commercially available. The idea that they have to save the seed if they want more may motivate some folks. Its kind of a niche thing, even in gardening circles. Most folks are perfectly content to garden they way they already do. I'd say the only way is to demonstrate and encourage and the ones that want to will pick up on it. You can only lead a horse to water.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Nov 23, 2012 20:34:20 GMT -5
The Public Relations arm of the mega-ag seed companies have really done a great Jedi-mind-trick on gardeners... Because on the one hand they say, "Grow Hybrids because they do better", and at the same time they say, "Don't save seeds because you might get hybrids". Motivation for seed saving varies all over, and I suspect that every person may be motivated by a different set of reasons. The reasons people give me most often, in no particular order are: - Self reliance.
- Community independence.
- Local resilience.
- Food security
- Stick it to the man.
- Guarantee availability of favorite cultivars.
- Historical preservation.
- Nostalgia.
- Seed banking.
- Prettier varieties.
- Local adaptation leading to better production.
- Better taste.
- Freedom.
- Longing to have something to call their own.
- Preserving genes for future generations.
- Breeding of new plant varieties.
- Protest against excessive regulation.
- Cost savings.
- Source of income.
- Insurance against societal problems.
- Useful as barter/swap item.
- Return to more traditional values.
- Prestige: Good farmers grow seeds to share with others.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Nov 23, 2012 21:03:24 GMT -5
But in my experience, most folks that save seed only save one or two things that they have a personal affection for some reason, and are content to purchase seeds or planting material for everything else. This is also easy to see if you look at the listed members at Seed Savers Exchange, the majority of listed members only list a handful of things.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2012 21:04:11 GMT -5
I have plenty to eat, and I look like it, too. But, there is always someone telling me that every little bit helps. I am proud share and free up a little room. The more routine this becomes, the less you go to the store. When all the work is already done, you go out in bare feet, snack, and fill your buckets.
This reminds me of neat "food forest" and "urban permaculture" videos, free, online, which I was watching while it was still cold, last year.
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Post by ferdzy on Nov 23, 2012 21:09:25 GMT -5
To Joseph's list I would add, to complete the full natural cycle of growing something. To indulge my scientific curiosity and interest in seeing things adapt and evolve in real time.
I've been gardening for 3 years here at our current place, but before that I spent 3 or 4 years with an allotment garden. It's only been in the last year that I've really been interested in saving seed. Admittedly, I've somehow always known about and approved of the idea; I just felt I was still learning so much about the actual growing that seed saving was one step too far. Now I feel like I have the basics down, and can start to save some seed too.
I'd say that seed saving is just part of the normal progression of knowledge and experience with gardening, and will start happening as soon as people get to that stage. But on the other hand, I also think that cooking involves learning new skills and ingredients all the time, and plenty of people seem to think cooking consists of sticking the frozen pizza in the oven, so what do I know?
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Post by circumspice on Nov 23, 2012 21:24:21 GMT -5
I believe that seed saving is an expected, normal progression of events when gardening. Even folks who don't consciously attempt to save seed usually end up with volunteers coming up in their garden the following spring. A good example: I was staying at my cousin's home over the Thanksgiving holiday. This morning I walked through her now supposedly defunct garden, I harvested several okra pods, several jalapeno peppers, 1 bell pepper & a handful of green beans. While there I also harvested several dried okra pods & several dried green been pods. There were quite a few tomatoes & peppers laying on the ground rotting. I'm going to use the seed I gathered in my garden next spring. She'll have quite a few volunteers popping up in her garden next spring. It's all good. ;D
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2012 21:56:22 GMT -5
I think of Fall foods, which many people consider marginal, because of so much prep work. Nuts and pomegranates. Some wild foods have been done this way. I sit in the orchard, between chores, or in the living room, in inclement weather. It is hypnotic, or perhaps meditative. People start to get jealous as you fill up largest, glass bowls and stew pots with bright red arils or nutmeats. The nicest-looking juices, turkish delights, marzipans, and so on, are in even higher demand. Air layering makes neatly wrapped, little plantlets. Between re-gifting and barter, there is a parallel economy, and people will be happy to save seed. I'm not stuffy, but try to show that I am serious, attentive, maybe gourmet. It should seem smart and fashionable, rather than hokey.
If you're in the middle of something, or haven't gotten the ball rolling yet, this makes you seem cheesy or desperate. I speak from experience. When people see the distilled effort of many hours, presented on a silver platter, they wonder where in the world it came from. And, you haven't done anything especially sophisticated -- just careful and tidy.
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Post by templeton on Nov 24, 2012 7:21:35 GMT -5
To Joseph's list I would add A chance to play god - well, perhaps an underling to one of the minor angels... You get to choose what gets collected, what gets rejected, a bit of a power trip, in the nicest possible way...sort of the next step on from 'I grew this' to I grew this from my own seed.
I just sort of picked up seed saving - I remember my mum from my first days of actually paying attention to gardening putting paper bags over the heads of some of her favourite flowers - I must ask her we she learned it - we are not from farming stock.
Then I didn't do it for ages. and now I'm madly over the sewing machine in spare hours, running up little organza bags.
The reason most people don't do it is time, I reckon. You need to be organised, have enough room and the inclination or lazyness to not pull everything out when it's finished, and let it press on to seed set, then get yourself organised to bag it or whatever, then remember to label it. I have shelves on the door of the beer fridge full of envelopes, twists and folded pieces of paper of what was probably good or special seed that is actually of no use, since I don't know what it is anymore. Ms T is not impressed that I'm taking up good beer space with ageing packets of seed.
Many of us barely have time to water and fertilise and harvest, let alone extend the process for another month or so. I wonder what would be sufficient motivation for most gardeners to do it? T
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Post by ottawagardener on Nov 24, 2012 8:16:13 GMT -5
I save seeds because it's a pleasant and fascinating activity. Also I like the chance to select interesting varieties or deselect (save in a mess of varieties) for greater diversity. It appeals to my science training, environmental bent, artistic nature and love the outdoors.
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Post by kwilds on Nov 24, 2012 12:02:56 GMT -5
I think it is a symptom of our societies lack of imagination in general! People as a group are very resistant to change. You see it in most everything - we have always done it this way so why change? Most gardeners buy their seeds year after year because they have never done it any other way. To suggest there is another (better!) way is too mind boggling to consider. Gentle and persistent exposure and education to alternates is probably the only way to open peoples minds.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Nov 24, 2012 12:16:20 GMT -5
I used to feel defensive at the farmer's market when people would ask me what variety something was... Because the genetics are all jumbled up, so there is no variety... Now days I proudly say: "It's my own variety that I bred special to thrive on my farm and in our valley". People like that, and can understand.
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Post by circumspice on Nov 24, 2012 15:41:03 GMT -5
Many of us barely have time to water and fertilise and harvest, let alone extend the process for another month or so. I wonder what would be sufficient motivation for most gardeners to do it?T Hunger? Or at the very least, an inclination to stave off possible future hunger by saving your own seed...
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Post by MikeH on Nov 25, 2012 4:20:32 GMT -5
How does one go about motivating people to start saving their own seeds? I don't think that you can. People will do or not do whatever they want regardless of whether they should or shouldn't and they will do it or not do it on their own timetable which in most cases is determined by external factors, eg, the 2008 financial mess saw vegetable seed sales skyrocket. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. All that you can do is gain more and more experience in seed selection/saving so that you can be a teacher. Find groups that are willing to be taught now. The Transition movement is a good place to start. Many places have started Transition efforts and offer re-skilling. They are always looking for people to teach. Seed selection/saving would be near and dear to their heart since local food is a core belief and strategy.
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Post by YoungAllotmenteer on Nov 25, 2012 7:21:22 GMT -5
Seed Saving in the UK would be putting the chicken before the egg, and I suspect the situation is not that different in the majority of the US Population.
Persuading people to actually grow vegetables and food, whether from purchased Mega-Ag seed or other would be the key thing to start with.
I don't know of any accurate figures around this in the UK, but I would guess that 20-30% of the population grow any kind of food, maybe a few herbs, some salads, apple tree etc. 1-2% probably grow food in a more serious way, allotments, bigger gardens not taken up entirely by lawns and pretty gardens.
Persuading people to save seeds is valiant, but persuading people to grow veg towards sustainability would be a step in the right direction.
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