Seed Saving

Seed saving is a human practice that dates back thousands of years. We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for the original seed savers and those that have followed in their footsteps. Saving seeds is at the heart of creating a more sustainable and secure food system by preserving crop diversity, cultivating crops that are more regionally adapted to their specific growing conditions, and by connecting people with their gardens and their heritage. In a very uncertain time, saving seeds is a promise of hope for the future.

The Appalachian bioregion is home to the world’s highest diversity of food crops and with an estimated loss of roughly 90% of our global crop diversity, seed saving has never been more important. One of the main goals for the Biocultural Conservation Farm (BCCF) is to save and share seed from heirloom and heritage crops which are culturally and historically significant to our Appalachian and Virginia Piedmont regions.

Community Connections

In the winter of 2019, we connected with a local community member, Kathryn Gemmer, who shared her family’s heirloom seeds with us to grow out and save here on the farm. The seeds included a variety of beans and tomatoes, okra and sorghum - some of which have been grown and saved by the Gemmer family since the late 1700’s. 

Not only is saving the physical seed important for ensuring continued cultivation of the crop, but the preservation of the stories that go along with the seeds is deeply interwoven into the act of seed saving. In August of 2020, Kathryn Gemmer and her mother, Kathleen Gemmer, visited the farm to see their family’s seeds growing in our seed saving plots. We recorded the stories that they shared with us, as a way to preserve the oral history of these seeds.

Interested in getting involved in seed saving?

One of the beautiful things about saving seed is that it can be done on any scale - whether you are a backyard gardener or a large farm owner. If you are interested in learning more about seed saving,  we encourage you to check out the Seed Savers Exchange - a national nonprofit dedicated to conserving and promoting heirloom and heritage seeds by growing a network of seed growers through the world’s largest grassroots seed exchange.

Sourcing your seeds from your local, small seed companies is another great way to support your local seed growers and get connected with crops that grow well in your region. Here in Virginia, we source most of heirloom seed stock from companies like Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (Louisa, VA); Common Wealth Seed Growers (Louisa, VA); Sow True Seed (Asheville, VA); True Love Seed (Philadelphia, PA) and Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center (Berea, KY).

Additionally, seed swaps are community gatherings where both novice and seasoned gardeners and farmers come together to share and swap seeds for the next year’s gardens. These are a wonderful way to connect with other local growers, and hear the stories that the seeds might hold from your fellow community members. 

Get in touch

We are hoping to cultivate more relationships with members from our community who may have seeds that they or their families have been saving. Do you have seeds of a treasured heirloom that your family has been collecting for as long as you can remember? Or perhaps you have stories around a particular heirloom variety of collards, beans or squash that you’d like to share? We’d love to connect with you! E-mail the Farm Manager, christine@osgf.org