Green Thumb
Gardening has been a lifelong passion for Wende and she’d like to share her passion with her readers. Follow her as she writes about her gardening adventures, lists tasks to do depending on the season, and gives easy to understand gardening advice.
World Seed Banks
Every once in awhile I would hear or read something about world seed banks, but they always seemed shrouded in mystery and hidden away. Articles never really said much about where they are and how they worked. Could I make a withdrawal if I wanted to plant something exotic? Could I send them seeds of my favorite marigold? Can I trade my snapdragon seeds for some heirloom sunflower seeds?
All kidding aside, there are many seed banks around the world. Some specialize in preserving seeds for specific food crops, like potatoes or rice. Others, like the Millennium Seed Bank Project at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew (United Kingdom), preserve the native plants of their countries. The Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry was established in 1894 in St. Petersburg, Russia and is the oldest seed bank in the world.
