If you start to look around where you live, no matter how urban you are, there is evidence of seeds in your life. Most of the food you eat, even if you eat meat, the animal ate food from seeds. The coffee, tea and chocolate you drink, the clothes you wear, the furniture you sit on; seed evidence is everywhere.
Seeds are one of the most successful life forms and have transformed planet Earth into a paradise. Why have they been so successful? The concentrated energy of a seed is packaged very well into a compact, portable shape, which has enabled the seed plants to spread across the planet. When humans discovered this energy in seeds, agriculture began.
Looking inside a typical seed, there is usually a first meal for the potential plant that will sprout from it, to help ensure its survival. Seeds are very creative when it comes to reproduction. They can use birds to disperse their seeds, and with a dollop of fertilizer to go with them. Here in the Shire, there’s ample evidence in the abundance of camphor laurel trees to show the success of this form of seed reproduction.
There’s also the feathery, floating type of seed, as seen in dandelions and Timor lettuce, to enable the seeds to spread to other areas via air currents. Then there’s hitching a ride in animal fur, as in farmers friends; their tenacity to hold on until pulled or scratched off is impressive!
The Byron Hinterland Seed Savers are having another event at the Mullum Farmers Market on Friday the 4 June 2021, 8–10.30am.
Come along and get some free seeds to sow in your garden, and we always appreciate it when you bring some of your saved seeds to share with others. See you there!
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