By P.L. Stiles
Rowan Public Library

What is light enough to float on the breeze, small enough to be carried in a pocket, can grow up to be a giant, and is sometimes eaten as a snack? Seeds of course!

Seeds form the basis of bountiful nutrition for the whole planet and come in such small and beautiful packages. As much art as science, saving seeds helps build heritage in seeds and in culture through the foods, flowers, plants and trees that are passed from generation to generation. Some seeds are easily saved by catching them in a paper bag. Other seeds require methods such as such as fermentation to save and preserve. Preserving, sharing and banking seeds also helps endangered plants thrive again.

Rowan Public Library has several resources for finding out more about seeds, seed saving and the enormous value of preserving seeds for the future generations. Here are a few to resources to become familiar with.

• “Seed Saving: A Beginner’s Guide to Heirloom Gardening,” by Caleb Warnock. Warnock introduces the curious to different methods and succinct facts about seed saving, heirloom vs. hybrid vs. GMO, and he starts with those vegetables most likely to be eaten from the garden. An excellent source for beginning seed saving for the garden’s bounty.• The complete guide to saving seeds: 322 vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruits, trees and shrubs, by Robert Gough and Cheryl Moore-Gough.  For the advanced or specialized seed saver, this book includes contains a full library of 322 plants!  Included are directions for saving their seeds with sections on promoting diversity and tips for preserving tastes and scents.
• “Saving the Wild South: The Fight for Native Plants on the Brink of Extinction,” by Georgann Eubanks. For those interested in caring for wild places and restoration, this book is a clarion call for preserving endangered plants of the south and the roll seed saving and seed banks play in conservation efforts.
• “Saving Vegetable Seeds,” by Fern Marshall Bradley. This ebook is available on N.C. Digital Library (https://ncdigital.overdrive.com/ncdigital-rowan/content) and is accessible from a smart phone while in the garden or kitchen with easy illustrated guides on methods for saving vegetable seeds.
• “Taste, Memory: Forgotten Foods, Lost Flavors, and Why They Matter,” by David Buchanan. Some flavor profiles of fruit or vegetables and some flower scents live on only due to collectors. Buchanan makes the case for growing and using a great variety of collected seeds and grafts so the future may inherit flavors from the past.
On March 2, Rowan Public Library will be hosting a Seed Saving & Exchange event at RPL Headquarters location. Amy-Lynn Albertson, Rowan County Extension Horticulturalist, talks all things seeds offering tips on gathering, preparing, storing and saving seeds. Join a community of like-minded #plantheads and stay for the seed exchange. Bring seeds if you have them to share, take seeds to grow at home. Save your seat at bit.ly/RPLSeedSavingandExchange or contact Paulette at 704-216-8218 to learn more.

P.L. Stiles is a librarian at Rowan Public Library.