Winston-Salem Journal - Stroll down the brick and stone walkways of Old Salem, and it’s obvious that the buildings and artifacts preserved there represent an irreplaceable link to the past.

Another collection, however, has been quietly growing in importance over the years - the large stock of heirloom seeds gathered and saved by Old Salem’s gardeners.

Such diversity protects the genetic stock that a plant species could need some day to overcome problems posed by disease or pests, said Christoff den Biggelaar, an agroecologist in the Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Program at Appalachian State University.

“If you look at common crops such as corn, you’re only talking about five or six different types of seed that dominate the market,” den Biggelaar said. “That means that if a disease breaks out, you’re going to have a disaster, because your genetic diversity is so small. When fewer and fewer seeds are grown, then we’re cutting the legs out from under ourselves.”

Heirloom seeds have often been bred to fit conditions in a particular place. That means that a local gardener probably won’t have to take special measures - such as using commercial chemicals or constantly watering - to make them grow well, den Biggelaar said. Read the full article