Category: Garden Guides

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Become a Seed Pirate by Jenni Cresswell

Have you ever wondered what to do with all those packets of seed you have in the drawer, or tin, or other special place you keep your seeds? Perhaps, like me, you got over-excited and bought too many packets of tomato seeds? Or picked up a bargain bundle (which included parsnips that you hate and will never grow)? Certainly, a look in my tin will uncover some seedy secrets of what I’ve over-indulged on, inherited, or even collected myself; way more seed than I can ever grow.

Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

But surely, variety is great! Why not have five varieties of runner bean, and ten of sweet pea? Wait! Weren’t we trying to reduce our seed stashes?! There is another solution: Community Seed Swapping. This amazingly simple phenomenon has been taking place in towns and cities across the globe for many decades now. These events are often put together by local gardening organizations, charities, and keen growers, as a way of getting access to a wide variety of seed, without breaking the bank and ending up with more packets than is possible to grow.

Events like those in Brighton & Hove (the first community seed swap in the UK) are now huge event days with tables filled with heritage seeds & plants, natural health and beauty products, a program of speakers, activities for all ages and interests, and of course, tasty food. But at its heart is always the Community Seed Swap, where everyday gardeners can come and share their glut of seeds and pick up interesting alternatives. This is a great place to find seed which local gardeners have saved from plants which have done well during the year in their gardens and allotments, and which could, over time, adapt to the local growing conditions, creating exceedingly robust plants.

This sort of seed saving also means that there are more varieties of seed to choose from, outside the meagre few dozen registered with seed companies. Seed varieties need to be registered to be sold, and this can cost thousands of pounds, so companies stick to the same old seeds. Some varieties are good, but many older (often tastier), heritage varieties are on the verge of extinction. Swapping, rather than buying, gets around the registration loophole and allows every gardener to partake in some seed ‘piracy’. Saving your own seed can be very rewarding, and there are some great guides out there on how to go about it.

Community Seed Swaps don’t need to be a grand affair. River Gardeners Association are offering a space at their next coffee morning on Saturday 22 February, 10am, for anyone to come along to River Village Hall and donate unwanted (but in date and unopened) packets of seed in exchange for something they do want. If you don’t have any seeds to swap, no problem, just give a small donation for each pack you pick up.

Come along and help keep seed varieties alive and thriving in the hands of the people. What a relief to finally get rid of those parsnip seeds!

Coffee Morning & Seed Swap

Information for Editors

Further information on seed saving and how to do it:

https://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html

Seedy Sunday history and information

Gathering the Seed Community: A Conversation with Seedy Sunday

Brighton & Hove Seedy Sunday 2025

Seedy Sunday 2025

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Avocados

Avocados are millennials’ favourite fruit, and adored by the rest of us as accompaniments to Breakfasts and Many cuisines, such as Mexican. However, did you know the environmental cost of producing and transporting these valued fruits across the globe?

However, did you know the environmental cost of producing and transporting these valued fruits across the globe?

Carbon Footprint Ltd estimates that two small avocados in a packet has a CO2 footprint of 846.36 grams, which is almost twice the amount of a kilo of bananas! Avocados often travel thousands of miles from tropical climates to reach the UK Super-markets.

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Giant Redwood Trees

A Guide to growing giant Redwood Trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum)

Giant Redwoods are the tallest tree in the world, the largest of which are over 100 Meters tall. Giant Redwoods are native to the USA, but can be found and grown in the UK (albeit, with some help.)

Why?

These giants can live for 100s if not 1000s of years and grow to become the largest living thing on the planet. Their Colossal size allows them to store huge quantities of carbon from the atmosphere and lock it away for many, many years. Giant Redwoods also produce a large amount of Oxygen.

We also find them very majestic and beautiful trees, their sheer size alone leaves you in awe and wonder.

A Brief overview of this guide

This guide aims to explain how to successfully take a small seed and grow it into a giant. We will show methods to germinate the seeds as well as caring for the sapling. Read on for more information.

  1. Obtaining Seeds

    For the purposes of this guide, we obtained our seeds from a reputable online supplier. You could visit a specialist, perhaps a garden centre or find seed suppliers online as we did. If you are lucky enough to live near a Giant Redwood tree, you could even harvest your own seeds.

  2. Stratification

    Like many trees, Giant Redwood seeds need a period of coldness to break their dormancy. In nature, Winter would kick off this process.
    But, if you don’t wish to wait a whole year, you can easily imitate Winter by placing seeds in the fridge for around 1 month.
    To prepare for the fridge, our seeds were first placed into a Zip-lock bag, the seeds were scattered on top of a moist paper-towel and then spray with a fine mist of water. Vermiculite can be used in place of the Paper Towel, which may yield better results.

  3. Check on progress

    Check in on the seeds every once per week, ensuring there is still moisture in the zip-lock bag and that no mould has formed. It’s also important to ensure that there is not too much moisture build-up, the seeds and paper towel should be damp but not sitting in a pool of water.

  4. Germination

    After approximately 1 month, some seeds may have already begun to sprouted. These early risers should be carefully removed and potted in a suitably sized pot (we’d recommend one that is at least 1 foot deep.) For the remainder of the seeds, these can be placed in a pot, lightly covered with compost and placed in a sunny, warm spot.
    It is important to keep the seeds and seedlings protected from Frost – A sunny indoor window or a greenhouse works well here. After a further week or two, the remainder of the seeds should begin sprouting.

  5. Re-Potting

    As the seedlings begin to sprout and grow, it may be necessary to split and re-pot to ensure each seedling has enough growing room.

  6. Keeping them alive

    Keep seedlings watered well and slowly begin to acclimate them to outdoor temperatures, being careful not to expose them to freezing / frost, particularly whilst young.
    After a few years, they should have grown large enough to plant in the ground. (planting area should be chosen carefully, due to the enormity of adult trees.

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Infinite Basil

Basil is a very commonly used herb in many dishes and cuisines. Its easy to grow and is known for its pleasant aroma and fresh flavour.
The leaves are used fresh or dried to flavour meats, fish, salads, and sauces. Basil is a versatile annual herb, used in pasta dishes, pizzas, and Thai curries.

There are many types of Basil, differing in flavour and scent. Although Basil is widely available in super-markets, its so easy to grow why not try growing your own.

It can be cultivated from cuttings easily and with very little time or money needed. Read on for our easy method of propagating Basil. This method can be applied to other plants such as: Mint, Oregano, Thyme, Sage and Rosemary.

Basil propagation, showing roots starting to form
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