Tino heads to Tasmania’s Huon Valley to meet a family of self-confessed Seed Freaks, whose commitment to sustainability, food security and seed saving has grown into their full-time gig.
Linda Cockburn and partner Trev Wittmer are passionate about seed. On their 1.5-hectare block in the picturesque Huon Valley, they grow, save and sell varieties of heirloom seeds. Linda says, “we produce around 400 different varieties of edible plant seeds, all of which we grow, harvest, process and package here. Our plants are all organically grown, locally climatised and either open-pollinated or heirloom varieties because, over the last 100 years, 93% of these older varieties have been lost. Gardeners have an opportunity to save and secure these varieties”.
In 2006, they started from scratch, “nothing but blackberries and dumped cars”, says Trev over the next five years they built a completely sustainable strawbale house, “no cement, PVC or toxic finishes, and local timber, 400-year-old celery top pine which had been designated as firewood”. “The garden sort of evolved alongside the house, but it was never designed with the thought that we would make our living out of it, it was simply to supply us with food, and maybe share excess with our neighbours” says Linda. “Our focus with the market garden was to supply organic produce to feed local families and the community, but we soon realised that supplying seed, educating and enabling others to grow their own food was a more empowering activity, and far more valuable for local food security”.
Food, and seed, security is a recurring theme for Linda and Trev and underpins literally everything they do. “Most seed sold in Australia is imported – grown in developing countries at very low cost, then sent elsewhere to be processed, and then shipped here for sale. With increases in biosecurity actions and quarantine, it is becoming harder and harder to import seeds” explains Trev. “Seed produced entirely in Australia struggles to compete with those produced overseas given massive difference in cost and volume, which leaves Australia really exposed and very vulnerable to what happens elsewhere in the world. We’ve seen it exacerbated by Covid, and we already know that there will be global shortages of seed in the seasons to come”.
Seed Freaks see their role in local food security and seed sovereignty as an important one. “100 years ago, 70% of the world’s population would’ve been involved in food production of some sort, now it’s less than 6%” says Trev. “That’s a figure that rams it home for us, we don’t have control of our food anymore, and that’s what we are trying to help people with”. Linda continues, “The only thing eroding faster than seed biodiversity is seed knowledge. If enough people understood how important seed security was, knew basic seed literacy and understood how to get involved, this secures local food systems, and empowers communities. That is why we do what we do. Seed saving is at the very core of food security. Ensuring the means to produce our food year in and year out using methods that aren’t dependent on what’s happening in the rest of the world.
As the focus changed from market garden to seed supply, so too did the layout and infrastructure of the garden itself. Large polyhouses were installed for seed raising, and much of the growing area has been netted. Trev explains that this was vital, not just for excluding pests, but for minimising cross-pollination. “It’s about isolation, which is the distance required between two varieties of the same species in to maintain varietal integrity. For wind-pollinated species, like corn, this can be 6kms or more. For insect pollinated species, it is 800m to 1.6km”.
One such example in their growing area is curcurbits, namely pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons. Trev explains that “while the processing of the seeds is easy, the pollination and cross-pollination is a little complicated. If you want to save pure varieties, you need to isolate species. All Cucurbits are outcrossing plants with male and female flowers usually on the same plant. As a general rule, the different species do not cross-pollinate. Varieties in a different genus like watermelons and cucumbers certainly will never cross. So, you can grow one variety of each species in your garden with little or no crossing. Since you probably don't want the pumpkin doing it with the zucchini without your permission you will need isolation of about 1.6km, as the bees do the pollination on these”.
For good quality seed, you also need numbers. “You want genetic diversity in your seed saving, so to ensure you have that collect seed from a few different plants – ideally, at least 10 plants of one variety for seed saving and health” says Trev.
Linda and Trev are also passionate about seed education, helping people understand the value of these varieties and the seed they choose to grow at home.
Heirloom Seeds – For a plant to be known as an heirloom, it must have been saved for a minimum of three human generations, but the term may also refer to older commercial varieties. “These are varieties and seeds that have stood the test of time” says Linda. Heirlooms are also open-pollinated, meaning they rely on natural mechanisms for fertilisation. Self-pollinating plants tomatoes and beans, or cross-pollinating plants (cabbages and beets) All heirlooms are open pollinated, but not all open pollinated varieties are heirlooms.
Hybrid Seeds –Hybrid (or F1) varieties are achieved by the crossing of two distinct inbred lines. This results in increased uniformity & sometimes vigour and disease resistance – favoured for commercial production. But, for home and market gardeners, seed saved from hybrids will not grow true-to-type, meaning growers need to buy need seed each year.
According to Linda, home gardeners can save almost any heirloom or open pollinated variety by understanding two simple processes:
Dry seed processing – refers to seed that dries on the plant and needs to be kept dry until it is sown. Linda reckons these are some of the best seeds for beginners to grow and save, and applies to some home garden favourites, like lettuce, corn, coriander, brassicas peas and beans.
“Beginners should start with beans, they’re really simple – grow them like normal and leave a few of the plants alone to go to seed. Let beans dry, the plant will die back and in most cases the pods will go dark, which indicates they are dry. To make 100% sure they are dry – grab a rolling pin and smash a seed – if it smooshes, it’s still wet (corn is the same). Seeds have to be 100% dry when stored, otherwise they will not be viable when it comes time to plant.
Fermentation seed processing – requires the seeds and their juices to be mixed with a little water and allowed to ferment for a day or two. The fermentation process breaks down germination inhibitors that surround the seeds of delicious favourites like cucumbers, chillies and tomatoes. Linda has a particular penchant for tomatoes – in fact, she says she is addicted to them. “There are so many varieties, they look different, taste different, grow differently – there are over 10,000 known varieties of tomatoes around the world, so there is plenty to keep us interested”. While they may not grow quite this number of toms at their place, they do have over 100 growing beautifully, and some of Linda’s current favourites include:
Tomatoes are in fact one of these easiest seeds to sow and save, another that Linda recommends for beginners.
Linda and Trev’s tireless work maintaining seed and educating others is an inspiration. “For us, seed saving is at the very core of food security. Ensuring the means to produce our food year in and year out using methods that aren’t dependent on what’s happening in the rest of the world. With open-pollinated and heirloom seed we can provide ourselves with one of the most important necessities, food, and hopefully empower others to do the same”
Please note: Since filming this story, Linda and Trevor have sold their business to new owners Florian and Kate, who are continuing their important seed saving work at Wobblestone Regenerative Farm, just outside Hobart.
Filmed on Muwinina Country | Snug, Tas
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