Seed Bank

 

Far South Coast Community Seedbank

Growing the right plants, from the right place.

Established in 1999, the Far South Coast Landcare Community Seedbank has spent more than 25 years collecting, protecting and supplying local provenance native seed for revegetation across the Bega Valley.

FSCLA manages a diverse seedbank, with a part-time Seedbank Coordinator responsible for collecting, processing, storing and dispatching seed. Most of our customers are wholesale nurseries, which use local seed to grow tubestock for revegetation, restoration and conservation projects across the region.

The Seedbank is supported through a range of partnerships and grants, including Foundation for National Parks, South East Local Land Services, Bega Valley Shire Council and NSW Government programs.

Seed collected from our landscape

Seedbank Coordinator Merryn Carey collects seed from across the local landscape, often during the hottest and driest months of the year when many native species are producing seed. The seed is carefully processed and stored in a purpose-built cool room in Bega until it is needed.

Merryn is supported by passionate volunteer Ian Cunliffe, who brings his practical skills and ingenuity to the Seedbank, designing and building bespoke equipment and providing regular hands-on support.

It’s a great example of what Landcare is built on — local knowledge, practical skills and passionate volunteers.

Why local provenance matters

Local provenance seed carries the genetic history of our landscape.

Native plants have evolved over generations to cope with the particular climate, soils, rainfall, topography and conditions of the places where they naturally occur. Using locally sourced seed helps maintain this genetic diversity and gives revegetation projects the best chance of establishing plants suited to local conditions.

Local populations can also contain genetic traits that aren't immediately visible — including adaptations to drought, shade, soil conditions and other environmental pressures. Protecting this local genetic diversity is an important part of restoring and maintaining healthy ecosystems.

Using local provenance seed also helps maintain the relationships between native plants and the birds, animals, insects and microorganisms that have evolved alongside them.

Free seed for landholders

FSCLA provides small quantities of local provenance seed free of charge to landholders in the Bega Valley, where seed is available and the project is appropriate.

We can also provide advice on what to plant, where to source seed and how to propagate it successfully.

Whether you are restoring a creekline, establishing a shelterbelt, creating habitat or simply bringing more native plants back to your property, the Seedbank can help you get started.

Seed catalogue

We are happy to make the Community Seedbank Catalogue available to help landholders, Landcare groups and nurseries understand what locally collected seed is available. For seed, propagation advice or information about the Seedbank, contact Merryn Carey at fsclaseedbank@gmail.com.

All seed is collected in accordance with ethical seed-collection principles and community collector guidelines based on FloraBank guidelines, ensuring that collection is undertaken responsibly and does not compromise wild populations.

If you’d like to collect your own local native seed, have a look at these classic, but still very relevant notes from a distant Native Seed Collection Workshop.

See what's in the Seedbank catalogue - email us for the latest

Prices - Prices are under review; each species is priced according to a matrix considering species availability, difficulty of collection, weight, difficulty of drying and extraction of seed – e.g. 10g of seed will cost somewhere between $3.50-$25.00

  • Seed is generally sold in 5 gram amounts for nursery use.  
  • Some of the less common species may be sold by number, not weight.
  • There are discount rates for large orders.

Availability - Seed may not always be available depending on seasonal conditions and demand.   

Germination Tests - The seed from the Community Seedbank is not certified through germination testing.  Germination testing would raise the prices of the seed in store, therefore, as a community based project we ask that clients provide feedback on seed performance to assist us in future supply.  All care in collection and storage is taken to ensure that seed is of high quality.

Payment - An invoice will be sent with seed lots to be purchased. We ask that payment is made within 14-30 days