project leader
Kyla L
location
518 Main Street
(Frisco )
latest update rss
Thank you!

the project

The next step needed for our current local food movement to evolve is to perpetuate the knowledge and culture of seed saving. Our vision is to establish a Seed Library which offers free access to seeds and seed saving education to everyone in our community. The initial focus is to raise awareness about choosing better growing seed at high altitude, followed by how to increase the genetic diversity of our own seed stock through seed saving. We will then be able to begin developing seed stock that is more resilient and regionally adapted to our soil and micro-climate.


The people involved in getting our Summit County Seed Library started are:

Kyla Laplante and Kyle Wiseman, Summit CSA lead farmers

Emily Roesel, Benny Hubley, Kate Christopher, Jon Blank, and Kelly Lesch,

Colorado Mountain College Interns

Jen Santry, Community Programs Director, High County Conservation Center

Holle Vliet, Local seed-saving expert

Sherie Sobke, Owner, Alpine Gardens

Our vision is to establish a Seed Library which offers free seeds and provides education on how to properly save seeds and about the importance of doing so. We aim to foster relationships among our gardeners by emphasizing the importance of a collective seed resource better-suited to our climate. The ultimate goal is to become a model for our neighbors to follow by developing a larger regional network of seed libraries that serve surrounding counties.This project is essential to enable our budding garden network to become an independent food growing system in our community.

the steps

  • Scout and finalize location for Seed Library; meet with Frisco Library by August 31, 2013
  • Begin press-release for our campaign, September 9, 2013
  • Complete ioby crowdfunding campaign by October 4th, 2013
  • Set up Seed Library location by October 31, 2013
  • Collaborate with library staff on how the checkout/return policy for seeds will work by January 31, 2014
  • Organize/catalog seeds and set up seed saving informational table in library by February 31, 2014
  • Run educational workshops, March 2014 
  • Seed Library launch party and seed swap, April 19, 2014

 

why we're doing it

"The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates a loss of cultivated agricultural biodiversity of 75% since 1990, when the seed market emerged...During the last 30 years, the seed sector has gone through massive concentration processes, leading to...not more than 10 multinational companies controlling 74% of the global seed market...Maintaining seeds diversity is essential to ensuring agriculture systems are resilient to the threats they face."

At 9,000 feet above sea level, Summit County, Colorado is a challenging location to grow vegetables and flowers. With the support of local non-profit, the High Country Conservation Center (HC3), our community has built five community gardens in the past five years. This season marks the inception of the Summit County Garden Network and the official launch of its website. Each of the gardens, comprised of about a total of 300 gardeners and volunteers, are now linked to each other, a public calendar, and resources for growing food in the high country. The Summit CSA (Cultivating Students of Agriculture) is in it's second phase of becoming a self-sustaining farm share program. It now incorporates student interns from Colorado Mountain College (CMC) who acquire school credit, develop research and gain hands on experience while working in the field. The next step in expanding our sustainable food movement is to implement a seed library within our community in order to build a collection of high-altitude, regionally adapted seeds. Saving seeds ensures the conservation of the genetic diversity of our heirloom seed stock.

budget

Seed Saving Hardware:

Set of 8 seed cleaning screens, $169 plus tax, shipping & handling, Horizon Herbs, phone: 541-846-6704

Envelopes:

Coin brown envelopes 250 count box ($26.99), 8 boxes needed for a

total of $215.92, Item number- 21641911, Office Max

Labels

Weatherproof gloss inkjet labels, 3,000 labels, $99.95, onlinelabels.com, 1-888-575-2235

Books:

Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth, ($17.46 per copy), 5 copies needed for a total of $88.80 (plus s&h), Amazon

Seed Sowing and Saving by Carole B. Turner, $15.16 (plus s&h), Amazon.com, 1 copy

The Complete Idiots Guide to Seed Saving and Starting by Sheri Ann Richerson, $13.86 (plus s&h), Amazon.com, 1 copy

Saving Seeds: The Gardener's Guide to Growing and Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds by Marc Rogers, $11.46 (plus s&h), Amazon.com, 1 copy

The Manual of Seed Saving by Andrea Heistinger, $28.48 (plus s&h), Amazon, 1 copy

The Organic Seed Grower: A Farmer's Guide to Vegetable Seed Production by John Navazio, $32.31 (plus s&h), Amazon.com, 1 copy

The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds by Robert Gough, $17.46 (plus s&h), Amazon.com, 1 copy

The Seed-Starter's Handbook by Nancy Bubel, ($13.86 per copy), 2 copies needed for a total of $27.72 (plus s&h), Amazon.com, 1 copy

Growing and Saving Vegetable Seeds by Marc Rogers, $11.48 (plus s&h), Amazon.com, 1 copy

Seed Saving for the Organic Gardener by Martin Anderson, $7.17 (plus s&h), Amazon.com

The Garden Seed Saving Guide: Seed Saving for Everyone by Jill Henderson, $9.90 (plus s&h), Amazon.com, 1 copy

The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food by Janisse Ray, $13.26 (plus s&h), Amazon.com, 1 copy

Seeds:

Bucket of High Altitude Seeds 32 packets plus seed saving book, SKU 69300, ($61.69 per bucket) 5 buckets needed for a total of $308.45 (tax not included), Seeds Trust seedstrust.com

Estimated tax, shipping & handiling costs (books and seeds): $42.00

Storage items/Filing System:

Reclaimed card catalog organizer cabinet, ($49 a piece) 3 needed for a total of $150 (plus tax) shipping is free, Urban Outfitters

Miscellaneous:

$95, used to cover any unforseen costs  that come up in the future such as additional seed saving supplies and materials for our Seed Library table

Promotional Materials/Office Supplies:

HP 950 XL Black High Yield Ink Cartridge 2 pack, $73.72, Costco

HP 951 XL HIgh Yield Ink Cartridge Tri-Color 3 pack, $81.69, Costco 

Royal Two Cool Colors Poster Board Blue/Yellow 28" by 22" 5 pack, $6.99, Office Max

FORAY Cork Board 12" by 18", $16.49, Office Depot

Crayola Washable Markers, $3.99, Office Depot

Push Pin pack of 40, $2.19, Offfice Depot

Tri-fold Corrugated Display Board 36" by 48" white, $7.99, Office Depot

Travel Costs: 

Our group will travel to the Basalt Seed Library for educational training, gas for 250

miles at $3.75/gallon, $50

Training Workshops/Contracted Help: 

Local seed saving experts to teach seed saving educational classes, $50 per class for a total of 4 classes to be taught, $200, Holle Vliet (2 classes), Cassidy Callahan (2 classes)

Subtotal = $2,000

 



ioby Platform Fee $35
3rd Party Credit Card Processing Fee (3%) $60
TOTAL TO RAISE = $2,095


RAISED = $2,105
ioby Platform Fee  $35
3rd Party Credit Card Processing Fee (3%) $60
TOTAL TO DISBURSE = $2,010

 

updates

Thank you!

photos

This is where photos will go once we build flickr integration

donors

  • Anonymous A.
  • Emily R.
  • Layne C.
  • Michael L.
  • Kelly H.
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  • Alyse P.
  • Jeanne C.
  • Tom C.
  • Jonathon B.
  • Cindy R.
  • John T.
  • Elizabeth D.
  • Susan T I.
  • Louis & Linda L.
  • Sandra M.
  • Pauline R.
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  • Jennifer K.
  • Benjamin H.