Seed savers increase capacity

THE Irish Seed Savers’ Association, based in Scariff, has completed construction on its new seed bank and processing facility, which will not only improve their storage needs but will also help expand operations by increasing their seed-saving capacity. 
Matteo Pettiti is the garden co-ordinator at Seed Savers and together with Jo Newton, the seed coordinator, they will be running the facility, bringing all the processing and storage elements together under one environmentally friendly roof. 
The seed bank and seed processing facility means that when a plant is harvested from the fields, it is brought to the seed bank where it is hung and dried in the solar space located at the southern end of the building. After that, it will be thrashed and processed, the seeds will be cleaned and then dried to a very good standard before they are stored and packaged.
“We will be able to do everything under the one roof with a flow of work that goes around the building. We have been working in different buildings up to now. We would have things hanging in various polytunnels to dry, thrashing could happen in different places and problems with storing things. The storage space is a seed bank standard; it will be both a seed/gene bank and also a seed store. It’s a big step forward. This is my fourth year here. When I started, there were talks about this already. They have been talking about it longer than that, maybe 10 years,” Matteo said.
The building, which has been constructed by East Clare construction company Bohatch Building Company Ltd, has a living roof, which will be in full bloom this summer. The roof has a sheet of sedum plant laid across it, which is a plant that grows in poor soil conditions, blooms in red or pink during the summer but keeps its greenery all year round.
The building itself, according to Matteo, is multifunctional as it can cater for both the hot temperatures needed for drying and the cool temperatures needed for storage. In addition, it is the first facility of its kind in Ireland and will be open to the public. It is designed in such a way that visitors can view the entire process, from pod to packet.
“It is a dedicated space for processing, which will allow the work flow to be constant and you don’t have to move things around. The purpose of it is mainly for drying things because we need that. It’s ideal as it has a south-facing conservatory. This is the warmest place and also the other advantage of it is that it will heat the building on the south side where we will be working. Whereas the seed storage is on the north side and it is well insulated so it will require minimum cooling and dehumidifying. There will also be a viewing gallery in this seed bank for the public,” Matteo said.
Although the actual building work has been fully completed at this stage, it is expected that the seedbank will be fully operational from July onwards just in time for the next seed crop.
For more information about the seed savers charity, visit www.irishseedsavers.ie.