seedbed

American  

[seed-bed] / ˈsidˌbɛd /

noun

1. land prepared for seeding.

2. a plot of ground for seedlings.

3. a place of development; source.

---

seedbed British  

/ ˈsiːdˌbɛd /

noun

1. a plot of land in which seeds or seedlings are grown before being transplanted

2. the place where something develops

   the seedbed of discontent

---

Etymology

Origin of seedbed

First recorded in 1650–60; seed + bed

Example Sentences

“The idea that we have a seedbed under the 51 miles of the concrete of the L.A. River,” says Bon, “is a powerful imaginary for ecological regeneration.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2023

This is Rule No. 1 in the Lyle-Nickerson book: Character and situation come first, laying the seedbed for themes and big ideas.

From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2023

In a normal situation, a ground fire would spark the release of the seeds from those cones, at the same time providing a bare mineral-soil seedbed for the sequoia.

From Scientific American • Jul. 15, 2022

It’s a good idea to water the soil a bit before preparing the seedbed if the soil is very dry.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2021

There were straight rows of trees—colonnades—growing out of the seedbed of trees that had fallen two hundred years before and sunk and become the earth itself.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson