THE SEED BANK & GARDENING COMPLEX
Seeds carry stories. Discover the cultures, traditions, and growing practices behind the plants around us.
THE SEED BANK & GARDENSLIVING HISTORY
Our gardening complex brings together community plots, a permaculture pathway, composting, and a greenhouse with an aquaponics system.
Seeds harvested here are stored at the Center for History and Culture for students to plant and learn from.
01 / SAVE & SHARE
Discover historical seed varieties, including Cherokee Trail of Tears beans grown in our gardens. Ask the team about seeds available to grow at home.
A seed conservation nonprofit sharing arid-adapted crops from the desert Southwest and Mexico, with seeds and growing resources to explore.
Cherokee Trail of Tears Bean SeedsExplore the seed variety grown in our garden through the source linked on our original website.
Our system was built by Kaben Smallwood of Symbiotic Aquaponic.
02 / LEARN BY GROWING
Explore the relationship between growing food and raising fish through the aquaponics system.
Learn About AquaponicsINSIDE THE GREENHOUSE
See the fish tank, planted grow bed,
and pipework inside the greenhouse.
GROWING OUR COLLECTION
Explore the seed bank, garden beds, and greenhouse.
Select a photo to take a closer look.
A Blue Queen butterfly pea seed packet.
Seed packet labeled “Pepper — Jimmy Nardello Italian.”
Three ears of multicolored corn shown with the seed-bank materials.
A packet labeled “Absinthe Wormwood Seeds.”
Cherokee Trail of Tears beans grown in the gardening complex.
Saved seeds in a container labeled “Persian Melon (small).”
The toothache plant in the gardens.
A Persian melon growing in the gardens.
Rosemary growing in the gardens.
Indian snake cucumbers in the gardens.
Plantings in the gardening complex.
A papaya tree with Thai basil inside the greenhouse.
An avocado plant inside the greenhouse.
The composting station at the gardens.
A planted path through the gardening complex.
A long, curved cucumber held beside the garden plants.
Plants and mulched soil in the gardening complex.
An evening view of the pond, with trees, grasses, and a white wading bird reflected in the water.
A white wading bird stands in the water among reflections and shoreline plants.
03 / RETURN TO THE SOIL
The Center provides take-home compost bins and composting classes. Ask how to participate in returning food and plant waste to the soil.
Ask about compostingTHERE’S A PLACE FOR YOU HERE
Read something unexpected. Start a conversation.
Help bring history to life.
