The day Danuta Baran-Tait began to turn her mental health struggle around during COVID lockdowns started with a small change — preserving seeds for others.
"I was depressed, and I was really feeling down in the dumps," she said.
Trying to find ways to improve her mental health during those dark and restrictive months wasn't easy.
Until she came up with the idea to share her gardening skills and knowledge with others — starting up a seed library in her hometown of Devonport in Tasmania's north-west.
"It certainly gave me a brighter aspect and something to work with, to make me feel good."
"It was great to just share with people. Even if I didn't see them directly in lockdown, I knew that they were taking the seed packets and that they were being used, which is great."
Findings in a study published in the Journal of Public Health show gardening and contact with natural environments improve self-esteem, reduce stress and foster mental well-being.
Seed libraries boom
Ms Baran-Tait started with eight different types of seeds in a plastic container on her letterbox in 2020, which quickly expanded to a library hosting more than 400 distinct seed varieties.
From tomatoes, Warrigal spinach and garlic to daffodils and native seeds, community members can freely access and share any seed packets available.
It's not just Ms Baran-Tait's Devonport network that's developing rapidly, as seed libraries have recorded a boom across the country since the start of the pandemic.
Heather Macfarlane, the coordinator at Cygnet seed library in Tasmania's Huon Valley, believed the initiative provided 'everybody in the community regardless of their socio-economic status access to fresh food'.
Preserving seeds for future generations
The seed vault in Cygnet is full of treasures, keeping seeds and memories alive, including the preservation of Peter Cundall's Beauty pumpkin seeds.
Ms Macfarlane said their dedicated seed stewardship program ensured the protection with experienced seed savers growing it every year.
Seed libraries allow each region and district to conserve ancient seeds from their local area, which often can't be grown anywhere else.
In Devonport, Ms Baran-Tait and the community have been preserving heirloom varieties, including a 150-year-old Betty Yule tomato seed and Sassafras Bell tomato seeds.
"It's fantastically important. The heirloom varieties are what we need because we don't want to get caught up in GMO or hybrid seeds, where we don't get the true seed coming back from the parent plant," she said.
"We also have Tasmanian winter cress, which we have brought back from the brink of extinction."
Homegrown produce trending
Besides preserving local seed varieties and keeping plant history alive, Ms Baran-Tait has witnessed ever-increasing interest from people in growing their own food as they have 'realised the value of it.'
"It is a fabulous thing to be able to have a meal where you have grown some of the food yourself."
"People are just flocking to us to get the seed, to learn about growing. It's lovely to see that enthusiasm and those positive vibes."
For herself, it's been a helpful change and improvement to her mental health struggle during the pandemic.
"It makes me feel so much a part of the community. It's great," Ms Baran-Tait said.
