South West Local Seed Savers Network

We are situated at Wintergreen Permaculture Garden where we have a young orchard of about sixty heritage apple cultivars and would like to link up with other seed savers in our area. We have been saving seed for six years in our garden and swap a number of other vegetable seeds.

LATEST NEWS

1/05/02

Keith and Diane write that they intend holding a seed swapping day soon.

AIMS:

- To establish regional contacts with people in our local area who are interested in preserving our heritage food plants.

- To grow, save, swap and promote the conservation of food plant biodiversity, suited to our regions local climate conditions.

- To promote to local people the value and importance of conserving all forms of biodiversity for a healthy, ecologically sustainable future.

- To foster environmental education in our local schools.

PROPOSED ACTIVITIES:

- Seed swapping,

- Swapping cuttings and other planting material,

- Swapping info on gardening, seed saving, preparing and cooking,

- Activities in schools,

- Packing seeds,

- Training in seed saving,

- Giving talks,

Other activities: Permaculture Training

Are there other people in our area interested in being involved?

We are a new local seed network so anyone in our area interested in being involved with a Local Seed Saver's Network is encouraged to contact us at " Wintergreen " Permaculture Garden via the contact details on this page.

Our major project is the conservation of heritage fruit cultivars suited to our site. We have a Permaculture garden of 1 ha which has a young orchard of about sixty heritage and old apple cultivars that we have collected over the last five years. We also have about ten pear and ten apricot cultivars in our orchard, and numerous other temperate fruits in our collection.

Meeting location and frequency: to be decided, contact by email

Membership: public

FUTURE PLANS:

To connect with local seed savers and to preserve unique locally grown fruit and vegetable varieties before they are lost. Future activities for this network might be seed swap days, seed saving workshops or Introduction to Permaculture courses, if there is sufficient interest.

Kirkstall, VIC 3282

Nearest large town/city: Warrnambool, Victoria 3280

http://www.users.bigpond.com/keithdavispdc.htm

Current Seedlist: 02 July 2002

Lacinato Kale (Seed Savers' Number 3773), which we have been saving for six years.