We all remember the resurgence of interest in gardening spawned by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Demand for everything related to growing one’s one food soared on Salt Spring Island, and elsewhere — from seeds to soil to fencing and tools — and knowledge as well.
Interest in producing more food on both an individual and community-wide level has since continued, augmented by several initiatives of the Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust, the Salt Spring Island Farmers’ Institute and other groups and individuals with passion for the subject.
As another growing season arrives, support for those efforts is readily available. The “big event” happens this weekend at the Farmers’ Institute, with Seedy Saturday running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For the uninitiated, Seedy Saturday is the place to not only find all sorts of growing-related products and purveyors, but a huge selection of heirloom and open-pollinated seeds, either grown by your neighbours or from seed companies on the island or in the region. A key to food security is the ability to save a plant’s seeds and grow new ones on your own, providing independence from multinational seed companies and their hybrid seed varieties that must be bought year after year.
When the first Salt Spring Seedy Saturday took place 30 years ago, notions of food security and the possibility of losing the ability to grow well-loved heirloom plants were just beginning to be talked about. Salt Spring’s Dan Jason of Salt Spring Seeds and Marsha Goldberg of Eagleridge Seeds have been at the forefront of the movement to preserve heirloom and open-pollinated seeds. A local seed bank was also established and continues to thrive.
For people wanting some hands-on learning about seed saving, Ben Corno and Kaleigh Barton are leading a workshop on Sunday, Feb. 23 as part of Seedy Saturday weekend, and Goldberg is hosting visitors at her farm on Saturday, March 1 for a seed-saving presentation, discussion and walk-about.
Registration for both sessions is through www.ssifarmlandtrust.org/news-blog.
The need to produce our own food without relying on outside forces is more important than ever. On Salt Spring we have all the expertise and passion required to keep growing.