By: Crystal Kwaw, Reporter
OMAHA, Neb. – Almost 100 people gathered for the 8th annual seed sharing event Saturday to not only share seeds, but gardening advice.
“We all need access to seeds, and it shouldn’t be something that someone doesn’t have access to,” said Laura Simpson, Programs and Distribution Manager of City Sprouts.
“Another goal with the seed share is trying to build up a seed library as a resource for people to have a continual source of seeds,” she said.
According to Permaculture Research Institute seed banks are imperative. They say as climate change worsens, diverse crops are in danger of extinction.
Alex O’Hanlon of The Blazing Star Seed Cooperative said during the pandemic, seeds were scarce. She said she started saving seeds 4 years ago and she’s been a gardener for over ten years.
O’Hanlon passed around a 6-page informational guides about the intricacies of preserving seeds. For example, seeds must carefully be spaced, so they don’t cross, unless you intend to create a hybrid.
Another section advises that seeds be stored in a cool, dark location with a constant temperature, if not a freezer.
Tom Neal, Executive Director of The Big Garden said, he sees “a whole new crop of new people every year” and that it’s awesome.
Neal said that The Big Garden grows all their produce organically and use no chemicals.
On Douglas County’s Garden website, prospective gardeners can search their address to find their closest community gardens. They said in a blog that community gardening “improves the quality of life for people.”
The founder of Benson Community Garden, Kurt Goetzinger said when people nurture plants, they think more about the environment and food they’re ingesting.
“I was very interested in sustainability and climate change, and I saw what was happening in our world,” he said.
“Nothing tastes better than fresh fruits and vegetables,” Goetzinger said.
