Navigating the crisis…
The closure of a number of Australian seed suppliers has sent people searching for a supply of non-hybrid seeds…
What now for seeds during the crisis?
Why not stop off at the nursery we usually get stuff from in Sorell and pick up some seeds? A good idea, I thought, because the nursery sells non-hybrid varieties. So Fiona turns the van into the driveway… to find that the nursery has shut for the duration of the coronavirus.
Okay, let’s drive around to Mitre 10 hardware. They sell seeds. Walking around to the seed rack she finds all that is left are a few bags of Mrs Fothergill’s seeds and a diminishing supply of Yates. And a sign announcing that Mrs Fothergill’s is no longer supplying seed.
Interesting, I thought. Has been panic buying by home gardeners coopted the seed supply or is the shortage due to people who want to start a vegetable garden?
That’s it for seed here on the coast, I thought as we drove away.
Is this panic buying of seed?
I wondered. Does the seed shortage suggest that the popular notion of people being able to partially feed themselves from their home gardens during a crisis mean it is erroneous? Sure, people with established gardens and who save their seeds might be able to continue to feed themselves, however with the current partial collapse of the retail seed supply in Australia the idea is not scalable and at this time cannot supply people who are starting out in home gardening in response to the crisis.
I suppose whether increasing our own food security in a crisis like we have now depends on the type of crisis. A pandemic or any type of infectious disease epidemic reduces the effective operation of local seed networks in distributing seed because interpersonal contact is risky. Friends, or participants in local seed networks, might find ways to swap seed, however that won’t operate at the scale required to cope with people taking up home gardening, so supply falls behind demand.
Crises in which there is no risk in interpersonal contact would presumably allow more effective seed distribution, though that would be limited by the low stock held by local seed networks.
People are planting, and it seems many want to start, because nobody knows how long the current crisis will continue.
Where are the alternatives?
I checked the Mrs Fothergill’s website when we got home. There was the announcement that the company will not be supplying seed “until further notice”. They join the small Tasmanian supplier of non-hybrid seeds, Seed Freaks (see note below), and large Victoria-based Diggers Seeds in temporarily ceasing to supply vegetable seed.
I checked Yates website and found they are continuing to supply via their online shop, including herbs and vegetable seeds. Does that mean we have to use hybrid seeds during the crisis because we have no choice, as the small non-hybrid seed companies are finding it difficult to supply? I searched the Yates website and found that they supply non-hybrid vegetables and other plants, and that they are not genetically modified.
Most of us prefer to support the small seed companies which grow organically rather than the big suppliers like Yates. This is a crisis, however, and if we want to feed ourselves we might have to forego that preference.
For Tasmanians, there remains one non-hybrid seed company still trading. Southern Harvest. If I am right, they are based somewhere near Fern Tree on the lower shoulder of Kunanyi-Mt Wellington, on Hobart’s outskirts. So, to their website and this is what I find: “We are experiencing a large number of orders at this time, so there will be a delay of up to 10 business days in getting your orders out… Due to high demand, orders are currently limited to a maximum of twenty (20) items.”
They are still trading online though in limited supply. It’s another case of the internet coming to our rescue in a time of coronavirus.
Here’s a couple questions that might help people here:
1. Is anyone supplying seed through local seed networks?
2. What is your experience with the networks?
Update
After posting the link to this story on social media, Kym from Permaculture Australia wrote this update:
Thanks for the post Russ. Seed Freaks (I think you meant them and not Seed Fiends — though that’s a cool name too! [ed: corrected) have restarted trading again as of yesterday, you could also check out online Inspirations Seeds in Northern Tassie and Rangeview Seeds (delay with processing but still taking orders), Southern Harvest can be found at TRBG also if you closer to Hobart & Provenance Growers for seedlings at their roadside stall in Neika. Good luck! (Kym)
The Seed Savers’ Network has information on local seed networks: https://seedsavers.net/local-seed-networks/
Southern Harvest: https://www.southernharvest.com.au
Yates: https://www.yates.com.au/product/seeds
Yates non-hybrid seeds: https://www.yates.com.au/search-results?query=non-hybrid+seeds#
Mrs Fothergill’s: https://www.mrfothergills.com.au
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