Posted on: February 3, 2018 | Written By: Friends of EG |
Seeds buried for 50 years in a time capsule in British Columbia will be germinated in an attempt to see how much the plants have changed over the years.
Harold Lindball, a seed buyer for the Alberta Wheat Pool, selected the varieties back in 1967, according to CBC News. Some of the seeds have names like “Frontier” rye and “Gateway” barley.
Dale Bumstead, the mayor of Dawson Creek, wondered if they would still grow.
“To be able to have the opportunity to plant those seeds, and grow them, and think those were part of the history of our community… there’s something kind of magical about that,” mayor Dale Bumstead said.
Contained in vials, the remnants from the past will be germinated by the B.C. Grain Producer’s Association to see if they’re still viable.
Our Doug Oster has written extensively on seeds, whether it’s starting them early inside or seed collection for a heritage tree nursery.