At the dawn of agriculture, 11,000 years ago, the practice of seed saving was inseparable from the act of farming. If you didn’t save seed, you wouldn’t have any crops to grow next year – it was as simple as that. It wasn’t until very recently that farmers stopped producing seed in the UK, leaving […]
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In July’s abundant installment Jason grapples with garlic, rattles Red Mustard, picks a peck of peas and revels in some riotous ripening… Heavy rain over the first few days of July has topped up any soil moisture deficit that had accumulated during a relatively dry June. Outdoor crops got a boost and the last green […]
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Join us for a day long workshop learning everything there is to know about Brassica Seed Production! In collaboration with the South West Seed Savers and The Real Seed Catalogue, we’re running a workshop led by Kate McEnvoy of Real Seeds, focussing on how to grow, select and process Brassica seed crops. As well as […]
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The Organic Growers Alliance is a network of growers, farmers and horticulturalists. This article by Katie Hastings was originally published in their Organic Grower No 55 Summer 2021 Newsletter. https://organicgrowersalliance.co.uk/ The journey from producing your first seed crop to selling it is not so much a straight road as a labyrinth. While growing […]
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It’s cold, wet and muddy and the plants in the garden look as though they’ve all but gone to sleep. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is a time of rest for growers in the UK. But while the garden lays dormant over winter, growers begin a different phase of their annual cycle – […]
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In September’s penultimate installment Jason is threshing, drying, picking and processing a plentiful supply of seeds in a seasonal sprint to outwit the changing weather… Its all starting to come together now, literally and metaphorically. Apart from the Cucurbits most of the seed crops are either harvested or at least starting to be harvested. All […]
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