Our Vision:
To create a grassroots community seed bank that supports Sonoma County gardeners with free, locally grown, open-pollinated, pesticide and GMO-free seeds. All gardeners with or with out seeds to share are welcome. We hope that many gardeners will commit to grow out and donate back to the seed bank. The West County Seed Bank and Seed Garden is housed at the St Stephen's Episcopal Church in Sebastopol and is open to the public monthly for classes, resource sharing and a seed and plant exchange.
Why save seed and why a local seed bank?
Our rapidly changing world gives us more and more reasons to strengthen our local resources and our ability to be self-sufficient. Local seed saving allows us to cultivate plants that do well in our region, with each generation adapting more to the local environment. We preserve heirloom seeds that are lost as the seed industry concentrates into fewer and fewer large corporations. Seed banks are a great investment; with some plants one seed can return up to 40,000. The abundance seed savers experience is shared with the community and helps model a different economic system. We hope to cultivate a network of seed savers in the region, supporting each other and the seed library as a resource for the expanding community of gardeners, and to strengthen our local food system.As we grow:
Our leaves will spread and our roots will develop. Our knowledge will spill into articles, stories and projects to post and share with our neighbors near and far. We will post photos and recipes from our workshops and meetings. And, maybe, you will join us on the last Saturday of the month at St. Stephens Episcopal Church to share your knowledge and seeds with us.
