Edible gardens is a place that belongs to all of us - it is the gift that each of us has been born into. It is a healthy, fertile and abundant garden of biodiversity which has existed for as long as human beings have been growing food, over 12,000 years. Nearly every staple crop grown by modern people we owe to the wisdom of our anscestors. It was the indigenous cultures around the world who used natural plant breeding and organic growing methods to cultivate over 80,000 varieties of plants used for food. It is these heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables that have made our existence possible for thousands of years.

Sadly, in the last 100 years, humanity has lost much of this great cultural heritage. Nearly 90% of our food varieties have gone extinct. The erosion of genetic diverstity and the extinction of these precious seed varieites is perhaps the greatest threat to our long-term food security and survival. It is the very basis of the world’s food production that is at stake.

Seeds are our greatest living treasure and represent the a part of the gift of life which each generation passes on to future generations. And now these seeds are entrusted to you, to cultivate and enjoy, and to save some seeds to grow for next season. We invite you to join in the creative act of maintaining the earth and her rich diversity of life.

It is you, the backyard gardener, who is the hero in the struggle to preserve the rich biodiversity of the planet.

Happy Gardening!