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Adopt a Seed!

Aileen Verdun

Did you know that through Seeds of Diversity's Canadian Seed Library, you can adopt your very own seed and by doing so, support the fantastic work that Seeds of Diversity does? Any unadopted seed in the Canadian Seed Library can be adopted, such as Goldette turnip, Bullnose pepper, or Blue Beech tomato. There are hundreds of seeds with fascinating stories or names from which to choose, and any of them could be permanently recognized in the Seed Library as being adopted by you!

Adopting a seed ensures that the Seed Library has the resources to preserve and protect the adopted variety. Unlike the books in a regular library, the seeds of the Seed Library need to be monitored and grown out regularly in order to ensure that fresh, viable seed is available in large enough quantities to produce more viable seed in the future. When a variety is adopted, the adopter is ensuring that all the work that goes into germination testing, coordinating growers, and sending and receiving seed will happen for the adopted variety.

While the cost of fully adopting a seed is $250, smaller contributions to adoptions are always welcome and the full amount of every adoption is a tax-receiptable charitable donation. We have a number of partially adopted seeds in the library that just need another $50 to reach that fully adopted status! The adoption status of all our seeds, along with their name and status in the library, can be seen in the online List of Varieties.

If the idea of scrolling through hundreds of seeds to find one that you want to adopt is a bit too daunting, you can always adopt a seed “as needed”. In that case, the Seed Library team will pick a seed for you from a list of seeds that we think are great adoption candidates.

One of the greatest parts of the seed adoption program is that you can adopt a seed as a gift! Adopting a seed is a great gift for the seed-saver, the gardening aficionado, or the home-cook in your life. Adopting a seed for a friend or loved one is a wonderful way for their favourite food or flower to be grown in their name for years to come.

Convinced? Click here to make an Adoption donation. You will receive a confirmation email letting you know that your name is listed in the Seed Library on the page of your adopted variety, as well as an electronic copy of your Certificate of Adoption so that you can proudly display the name of the variety that you have helped to protect.

Join us as people protecting the people's seeds, and adopt a variety today!

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Aileen Verdun is a Seed Library coordinator at Seeds of Diversity

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