The Clackamas print., February 01, 2023, Page 8, Image 8

ARTS & CULTURE
9
Sorting Seeds
STUDENT GENEVIEVE FOLEY SPROUTS CCC’S FIRST SEED LIBRARY
STORY BY CALLIE VALENTE
CO-NEWS EDITOR
Meet Genevieve Foley, the 27-year-old student here at
Clackamas Community College who is in the early process
of starting a seed library on campus. As a vermiculture
enthusiast, she knows her w ay around die garden. Foley
is incredibly ambitious, and is also an ambassador for
ONX Off-road. She regularly goes out into unknown forest
service trails to help map them In her off-roading escapades
she also finds many rare seeds and plants, and hopes to
eventually share them with CCC to help build knowledge on
native wildlife as well.
The Clackamas Print was fortunate enough to interview
Foley and pick her brain on the process of starting a seed
library and gathering some gardening tips.
The Clackamas Print: Could you tell me about yourself?
Genevieve Foley: My name is Genevieve Foley, I’ve been at
CCC for about a year. My goal is to become a naturopathic
nutritionists I really want to help people learn how to make
themselves healthy through the mouth. We don’t know how
to eat as students, and we lack a lot of vegetables, fruit and
nutrition because we’re trying to get a lot of calories in, and it
doesn’t necessarily translate into good education. So, m y end
goal is to be able to teach people how to eat and eat what is
useful for their family as well as their diet
TCP: What is a seed library?
Foley: A seed library is a collection of seeds from all kinds
of different genetics that w e typically hold on to for different
reasons. One, so w e don’t lose those genetics and we have a
lot of older genetics w e can sit w ithTw o, so you have people
coming in from all over and they can donate. For example,
they can give away things that they know they’re not going
to be able to use this year because they only needed two luffa
seeds out of the package of 50 they bought So, it’s a good way
to get rid of some of the stuff that normally would be wasted
and give it life.
TCP: When and where will students be able to access the
seed library?
Foley: We’re very early on. I have built this fun little vision,
and I have a lot of interest from CCC to assist, but I need
bodies. Looking at 2024, we’re gonna try and get that going.
It is a long way out, but if w e get it done sooner with more
help that’s great
TCP: Do you have any tips for growing produce from seed?
Foley: One ofthe biggest things is that the storage matters,
so keeping it in a dry, mostly cool condition is important
Refrigeration is OK, but what you really want is a cool dark
place like under your bed. A lot of seeds need to go through
a cold shock before they can actually be planted. This is
because seeds are used to going through winter. So knowing
that w e can use that to start the germination process with
some of them. One of the best things you can do is just put
seeds in a paper towel. Putting some seeds in a damp paper
towel in your window is m y number one. Another thing
you can do is take an old egg carton and get soil and put the
seeds in the carton, then just plant that The biggest thing for
students is to focus on plants that you know. Start with one
plant If you know you’re going to eat a bunch of tomatoes;
start with planting those first
TCP: What are your opinions on eating locally grown
produce versus produce farmed vs mass production?
Foley: We run into a lot of monoculture with the large farms.
Monoculture leaves us in a position where there’s not a lot
of diversity in the microorganisms that are inside of the soil
This puts us in a situation where the microorganisms that
do bring up essential minerals from deep in the earth don’t
even have that opportunity anymore. If w e could get large
farms to embrace a polyculture system, I would love that
TCP: For students lacking space to start a garden, do you
know of any local community gardens you can recommend?
Foley: We have one at CCC, but it is usually full, and it is hard
to get into. If you wind up wanting to do it do it now. Sign up
on the signup sheet because a lot of people are dropping out
of it right now as we transition into winter.
Genevieve’s home Garden.
The Clackamas Print:-— —-
Genevieve holding her pet chicken. Photos provided by Gen­
evieve Foley.
TCP: Is there anything else you’d like to share with students?
Foley: Yes, you can compost everything that comes out of
your kitchen that has anything to do with vegetables and
anything to do with paper bags that don’t have any writing
on them When it comes to vermiculture, which is worms,
you can get one of those little slide-out container sets that’s
made of plastic and fill it about a third of the way with dirt,
vegetable scraps and soaked newspaper. Then, shred some
brown paper bags and add your worms. I have one of those
just underneath m y sink. I put food in it every now and then
when its density starts to get too thick, I just take some out
and I put it in a plant Basically, you’re constantly turning
food into soil which I call, “terrain freedom.”
While the seed library is still in the works, it is the perfect
time to get your hands in file dirt and test out your green
thumb. Foley is still looking for volunteer help to get the
ball rolling, and is available at foley.genevieve@student
clackamas.edu for anyone interested in assisting her.
'This interview has been edited for clarity a n d space.
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