For centuries, Hamilton told
Seven Days, people saved their own seed because they had little choice. That changed after what she called the post-World War II era of commercializing seed and commodifying food. Although commercial hybrid seed production has reduced the workload for gardeners and farmers and created popular new varieties, it has decreased seed diversity and made people reliant on big seed companies. That cost was brought home to Hamilton when a favorite heirloom tomato called Lillian s Yellow disappeared from seed catalogs. Public seed libraries aim to put the power of seeds back in the hands of everyone. We are trying to increase understanding of the value of tried-and-true varieties, Tuininga said, [to] keep those alive in the community, so we are not dependent on commercial seed.