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

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

Damp burlap laid directly on the surface of your seedbed helps preserve moisture — just be sure to keep a close eye and remove covering as soon as seedlings emerge.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 31, 2021

The trove became a seedbed for Dr. Blight’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 biography “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom.”

From New York Times • Jul. 3, 2020

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