FSCLA manages a large and diverse native seedbank, employing a part-time coordinator to collect, process, store and dispatch local native plant seed.  Our predominant customers are wholesale nursery growers wanting to produce tube stock for local re-vegetation projects. Funding for the seedbank comes from a range of bodies including The Foundation for National Parks (the Firewise Project), South East Local Land Services and occasionally Bega Valley Shire Council and State Government Grants.

The Far South Coast Landcare Community Seedbank provides small quantities of local provenance seed for free to landholders in the Bega Valley Shire. The Seedbank is coordinated by Merryn Carey who collects and processes seed from right across the local landscape, mostly in the hottest, driest months of the year, and stores it in a purpose-built cool room in Bega.  We are fortunate to also have a passionate and knowledgeable volunteer, Ian Cunliffe, to design and build bespoke equipment for the seedbank and support Merryn on a weekly basis.  Thanks Ian! Landcare wouldn't exist without passionate volunteers!!

Why use local provenance seed? Plants from a particular area have evolved over a long period of time to suit local conditions such as climate (especially rainfall) and the area’s topography and soils. Therefore they have greater survival rates and need less care compared to the same species of plants that have evolved elsewhere.  Local provenance plants often have valuable genetic variations, showing clear physical differences such as flower colour and leaf shape, but they also may have genetic material whose benefits have not yet been quantified or even discovered – for example the ability to cope with drier conditions or more shade.  There is a strong interdependence between all the plants in an ecological community and between plants and the local native animals, insects, and micro-organisms with which they have evolved. Introducing plants/genes that evolved from outside the natural ecosystem risks upsetting this balance.

FREE NATIVE SEED FOR LANDHOLDERS - Where possible FSCLA tries to support private landholders wanting to propagate local provenance tube stock for the Bega Valley catchment area by providing small amounts of free seed and technical support.  For access to seed or advice on what species you should plant, please contact our Seedbank Coordinator via email.

Seed Catalogue September 2020 - The Far South Coast Landcare Association Community Seedbank was established in 1999 to assist in the provision of locally collected seed for revegetation projects undertaken by Landcare Groups and individuals in the region.  All seed is collected under guidelines for community collectors based on FloraBank Guidelines.  Further information on the guidelines and ethics of the Community Seedbank can be obtained by contacting Merryn Carey on email fsclaseedbank@gmail.com

If you’d like to collect your own local native seed, have a look at these classic, but still very relevant notes from a distant Native Seed Collection Workshop.

See what's in the Seedbank catalogue - email us for the latest

Prices - Prices are under review; each species is priced according to a matrix considering species availability, difficulty of collection, difficulty of drying and extraction of seed – e.g. 10g of seed will cost somewhere between $3.50-$18.00

• Seed is generally sold in 5 gram (approximate) amounts for nursery use.  
• Some of the less common species may be sold by number, not weight.
• There are discount rates for large orders.

Availability - Seed may not always be available depending on seasonal conditions and demand.   

Germination Tests - The seed from the Community Seedbank is not certified through germination testing.  Germination testing would raise the prices of the seed in store, therefore, as a community based project we ask that clients provide feedback on seed performance to assist us in future supply.  All care in collection and storage is taken to ensure that seed is of high quality.

Payment - An invoice will be sent with seed lots to be purchased. We ask that payment is made within 14-30 days