Canberra Seed Savers Cooperative
Growing, sharing, cooperating to build a living seed bank for our community.
Who We Are
We are a network of urban food growers and local farmers working cooperatively to protect our abundant, common heritage of open-pollinated food seeds.
We swap and share seeds, learn and teach about seed growing and saving, and together build a resilient community seed sharing network – a ‘living seed bank’.
We welcome you to join us and be part of the local network of seed savers, growers and guardians. Seed saving is for everyone.
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Be part of the Seedy fun!
- Drop in to a Seedy Saturday Session at the Canberra Environment Centre.
- Like us on Facebook or Instagram to find out more about upcoming events and come along!
- Join the Canberra Seed Savers Cooperative Facebook group.
- Get in touch with your questions and ideas for seedy activity!
- Become a member of the Cooperative.
- Subscribe to our newsletter.
Get involved in a project or team
Here are some of our current teams and projects. We’re all volunteers and we love working together to build our seedy community and spread the love of seeds. Use the button above to tell us what you’d like to know more about and we’ll be in touch with some information about what’s involved and to find out more about what you would like to do.
Native Seed Saving Team (Native seed education, collection and propagation activities. Help out by organising and coordinating events, leading seed collecting excursions, organising and recording collected seed)
Dwarf Tomato Project (Growing dwarf tomato varieties at home, saving some of the seeds for the communal seed bank. Help with coordinating growers, organising events and providing advice and support to newer growers)
Workshops and Education Team (Deliver workshops ranging from seed bombs to Intro to Seed Saving. Run or assist at a workshop or training; help with producing educational materials and tools. Training and ongoing support provided.)
Community Seedlings Program (Growing seedlings at home to donate to Canberrans in need. Runs in spring and autumn. Materials supplied by Seed Savers.)
The Living Seed Bank Team (Organise, catalogue and maintain the Living Seed Bank)
Seed Packing at Home (We supply the seeds, envelopes and labels, you pack seeds at home at your preferred time!)
Seedy Saturday Team (Third Saturday of the month, 11am-1pm. Help to set up, pack down or run activities)
Stalls and Markets Team (Help to run stalls at markets, festivals and open days. Join a team of 2-4 people setting up, running and packing down a stall; shifts are usually 2 hours. It’s fun, social and easy to do!)
What’s On: Calendar of Events
“Seed is the source of life and the first link in the food chain. Control over seed means control over our lives, our food and our freedom.”
Dr vandana shiva, founder of navdanya international
Sharing
Grow, save and share heirloom, open pollinated, organically grown food seeds. Get in touch to find out more about how to access seeds and how to contribute your own home grown seeds to the living seed bank. Or just come along to a Seedy Saturday Session or a seasonal Seed Swap & Share. Our next Seed Swap is on Sunday 21 August 2022 from 11am-1pm at the Canberra Environment Centre.
Learning
Our education and outreach activities are a great way to connect with the local community, and how we build knowledge, skills and love of seeds and seed saving. From market stalls to workshops, little kids to experienced gardeners, we can all learn from each other and share the wonder of seed saving and growing from seed.
Throughout the year we run workshops on seed saving including Introduction to Seed Saving and Saving Seeds from Summer Vegetables.
Community
Seedy Saturdays are fun and relaxed drop-in sessions open to everyone. Meet other local growers, help process and save seeds, learn and share your knowledge, have a cuppa and a chat. No experience required. You don’t need to bring seeds but can if you want to.
Seedy Saturday: Usually the 3rd Saturday every month 11am-1pm Canberra Environment Centre. No Seedy Saturday in August, come to Seed Swap 11am-1pm Sunday 21 August instead @ The Canberra Environment Centre.
All events are family friendly and everyone is welcome. Unless otherwise specified, no RSVP is required. Sometimes plans change so subscribe to our newsletter (below) or join our Facebook group to stay up to date!
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News from Canberra Seed Savers
- Meeting a seed saving legendSeeds are the very living embodiment of heritage. They are the source of everything we eat (yes, even the carnivore’s meat is from animals that graze on flowering, seeding grasses/grains). Knowledge of saving seed has been foundational to human cultureContinue reading “Meeting a seed saving legend”
- Can you grow tomatoes in a wet summer in Canberra?If you read any advice on growing tomatoes in a wet season, all reports say “Don’t grow in a wet season!”. But you can still grow tomatoes in Canberra in wet condition and get a yield if you apply aContinue reading “Can you grow tomatoes in a wet summer in Canberra?”
- Join the Seedy ChatWhether you are an experienced seed saver or just starting out, whether you are part of a local seed savers group or seed library or just saving seeds in your backyard, you are very welcome to join the conversation. ThisContinue reading “Join the Seedy Chat”
Canberra Seed Savers Co-operative Ltd. is a not-for-profit, non-distributing co-operative registered in the ACT. Cooperative No: CO – 0212. To find out more about becoming a co-op member ask us. Canberra Seed Savers is based at the Canberra Environment Centre, Corner Lennox Crossing and Lawson Crescent, Acton ACT. Our postal address is PO Box 1875, Canberra, ACT. You can email us at canberraseedsavers at gmail.com.
The Canberra Seed Savers Living Seed Bank is based at the Canberra Environment Centre, corner of Lennox Crossing and Lawson Crescent, Acton. Come and check out the seeds at one of our events or workshops.
Canberra Seed Savers Cooperative 