Updated March 2025
The Planting Your Seeds to Improve Your Family’s Health brochure explains how to save your own seeds. It was produced by Russ Grayson in 2001 for the Solomon Islands Planting Material Network and funded by AusAID Community Peace Restoration Fund following the intercommunal conflict.
Plant your seeds
Plant seeds to improve your family’s health.
- soak the seed in water for half an hour before planting
- make a hole that is twice as deep as your seed
- place a seed in the hole and cover it with soil
- pour some water over the covered seed
- pour on more water as the plant grows
- harvest the vegetable to eat when the plant has fully grown, and leave some plants to flower and go to seed
Save your seeds
Save some of your seed for replanting and sharing with other farmers.
- collect the seeds from the plant after it has flowered and grown
- put the seeds in a dry place and leave them to dry out
- you can plant the dried seeds in your garden
- share some of the seeds you have saved and dried with other farmers in your village.
Why save seeds ?
- growing many different food plants and varieties of those plants is a traditional way of providing family food security
- the Planting Material Network encourages members to look after all their varieties of plants—this is called on-farm conservation; all of these varieties are important for today and for the future
- seeds can be saved to plant in your garden
- seeds can be exchanged with other farmers for different seeds
- planting the seeds you save means you do not have to spend your money to buy seeds
- P saving seeds and growing different food plants in your garden provides you with vegetables for a mixed family diet
- a mixed diet improves your family’s health and helps your children grow strong and healthy
- saving seeds means you can grow food for your family during crisis or disaster
- saving seeds and exchanging them with other farmers makes Solomon Island communities more self-reliant.
The Solomon Islands Planting Material Network (PMN) is for:
- farmers
- non-government organisations
- government extension workers
- schools
- other people who want to look after the crop biodiversity of the Solomon Islands.
Members receive:
- free seeds from the Planting Material Network seed bank
- training, information and contacts.
You can join the Planting Material Network by filling out and posting the form on the other side. Or send the information on the form on WhatsApp to +677 7986883.
The PMN
- encourages saving and sharing seeds with farmers
- produces seed for distribution among members.
You can get seeds
If you want seeds of food plants you should join the Solomon Islands PMN.
How to join the Network
You can join PMN by:
- filling out and posting the form below
- bring the form from the brochure it to Burns Creek or
- send the infomration on the form on WhatsApp to +677 7986883.
If you would like us to call, send an SMS or make a missed call to the same phone number and KGA will get back to you.
If you are already a PMN member please also send a message to WhatsApp, SMS or missed call so that we can update your member records with your current mobile phone number. Then we will be able to keep you informate of new seeds and activities in your area.
….++++ add this form
I want to join the Planting Material Network
Name:
Postal Address:
I want to join the Network by:
- posting $15 with this form as my membership for one year
- ending some dried seeds as my membership for one year
- Providing volunteer work to the Network to earn my membership
Post this membership form to:
Coordinator
Planting Material Network?
PO Box 742
Honiara
Solomon Islands