Exploring the Heritage Seed Library

Chris and Peter discover how the Garden Organic’s Seed Heritage Library is helping to ensure older, traditional seed varieties are maintained for future generations. We chat with Catrina Fenton, who is the Head of the Heritage Seed Library on it’s history, the fascinating processes of open pollination, seed capture, the work of the seed guardians and the workings of the library today in conserving and helping to protect varieties for the future.

Seed variety mentions:

190 varieties of Tomato are listed including ‘Golden Yellow Queen’, a thin-skinned variety with amazing flavour.

Broad (field) bean ‘Martock’ (Medieval variety).

Tomato ‘Histon Cropper’

Recommendations: Kale ‘Ragged Jacks’, a pre-1885 heirloom variety, known in Europe for centuries

Pea ‘Robinson’

Tomato ‘Marianna's Peace’. Named for Marianne Worschech Tibbetts (1927-2013).

Cabbage ‘Green Wonder’, germinated from seed stock 29 years old.

Catrina’s desert island castaway seed: Dudi, a bottle gourd, an heirloom variety named after Mo Sayed. This variety grows huge and could be used as a carrying vessel or even to create a craft to escape the mystical island!

Useful links

The Seed Heritage Library is a registered charity and conservation organisation. Around 800 vegetable varieties are listed with over 7,000 members.

The Seed Heritage Library is always on the lookout for ex-commercial (maybe pre-dates the 1970s) as well as more recent varieties that have been dropped from commerce.

Seed saving advice

About Lawrence Hills, founder of Garden Organics

Grow Your Own Fruit and Vegetables published by Faber & Faber in 1971. It rapidly became a bible for gardeners, self-sufficiency enthusiasts and commercial organic growers.

Gene editing

Millennium Seed Bank

The UK Plant Genetic Resources Group (UKPGRG) serves as the technical forum to discuss and implement the conservation and use of plant genetic resources in the UK

Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for the music.

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