Why Save Seed?

Riddell’s Creek Seed Savers (RCSS) is a group of home gardeners dedicated to preserving traditional, non-hybrid, open-pollinated food seed varieties which do well in the Macedon Ranges.  Why do we want to do this?

Over the past 100 years or so, we have lost 80-90% of our fruit and vegetable varieties worldwide, through nursery monopolisation.  Much commercially produced seed is hybridised, which means that if you save seed from the plants you grow from it, you can’t be sure what you’re going to get, ie the plants won’t be true to type, or the seed may be sterile.  Non-hybrid seed will come true to type, although you do get some natural variation, which is a good thing. Hybrid plants are genetically uniform, so will all have the same susceptibility to pests or disease.

Most importantly saving and sharing your own seed is fun, educational and builds community,  lastly (but not least) saving your own seed saves you money!

At the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Festival on the 2nd March we will be discussing seed saving and it´s role in sustainability , please come and talk to us. Sara Gormley O´Brien on behalf of Lyn Godfrey Riddell´s Creek Seed Savers.