The seed bank functions via help from many wonderful people. One of the biggest problems the seed bank faces however, is the sheer number of seeds that need be to grown out every year versus the actual available garden space I have myself.
In 2010 I enlisted the help of some fabulous growers around the globe to help me grow out some varieties that I didn’t have room for in my own garden, and the response was fantastic! So from now on it’ll be a permanent project here at the seed bank.
So how do you become a Populuxe Seed Bank Grower? Read on!
- I will list a bunch of plants that need to be grown out this season that just can’t fit into my garden.
- You decide which varieties you would like to grow out for the seed bank, and send me an email detailing them.
- If I have seed left of the variety to still send you, I pop them in the mail.
- You grow the plant as normal through the season, harvesting, eating, and hopefully enjoying it, taking special care to isolate the fruit you’re harvesting seed from. But, being sure to save enough seed to send back to the bank to be put into storage (generally 200-400 seeds).
- Along with sending back seeds, you take notes on growth you observe. That information in documented in the wiki.
- Come the end of the season you send me back the seeds, and I put them into storage.
That’s it. It doesn’t cost you anything except a bit of garden space. All I ask from you is that you commit to sending seed back to the bank at the end of the season. The seeds I have to send you are usually getting on in years, and I might not have many left. So if you take seeds without sending any back, I’ve got to find another brand new source for the seeds and do more grow-outs to have bankable quantities again. Unfortunately I have had problems in the past few years with people offering to be a grower and then not sending seed back, which is a big blow to the bank. If you cannot commit to sending seed back at the end of the season, please do not offer to be a grower. There will always be growers needed in future years, so there will be lots more opportunities.
If you need help with isolation, don’t hesitate to contact me, to ask questions!
All seeds are currently spoken for! If you are interested in perhaps growing in a future year, please contact me via this page.