A little part of a big picture....

So today I took delivery of the results of one of the Seed Swap Circles that I am a contributor to.  This is year 2 of this particular circle; which is run through a popular allotment forum. 

72 bags of seed I received, the list is below. 

A decent photo will follow, once I've found the lead! For now though, the image was taken on my blackberry....

Now, I've not knowingly met any of the people in this community; and I know I've swapped with them informally, and perhaps some of the seeds that were shared were grown from seeds that I originally swapped with them, or from last year's circle. But the bigger picture here is that we are saving and swapping from seeds from all over the place, from HSL, from Real Seeds, from friends, family and overseas; and we are helping to save a little piece of our history in these lovely seeds. 

It's blooming marvelous, and I am hoping that the participant of my own circles will feel the same once their seeds are sent out in the New Year. 

And a very timely delivery, with tomorrow being the solstice, I'm going to get the Babington Leeks and Egyptian Walking Onions into soil first thing tomorrow. 

If you have never saved seeds, or if you do save and are not part of a circle, I heartily recommend it. Have a look at our Seed Saving in Schools document which may give you some ideas as to how to save your own seed and activities to get people interested in saving their own seeds....oh, and it also saves a fortune each year as 72 varieties from a seed catalogue would be about, well, probably about £140.

Here is the list:

Achocha Lady’s Slipper (cyclanthera pedata)

Alliums

Babington Leek (allium ampeloprasum babingtonii)                     

Stamme onions

Egyptian Walking onion Catawissa allium cepa proliferum

Broad Beans

Vitelotte 

Unknown Variety

French Beans

Major Cooke 

Bonne Bouche

Cherokee Trail of Tears

Succotash

Magpie

Madeira Maroon

Edamame

Swedish One Dot

Runner beans

Mrs Connell’s Black 

Corn

Painted Mountain

Herb

Borage

Dill 

Quillquiña = Bolivian Coriander

Rocket

Turkish Rocket (Bunias orientalis).

Lovage

Flat Leaved Parsley

Sorrel Belleville

Kale 

Siberian Kale

Nero di Toscana aka Black Kale

Lettuce

Grandpa Admire’s

Pommee Brune d’Hiver

Pink

Parsnip

Avon Resistor

Peas and Mangetout

Golden Sweet mangetout 

King Tut/Pran’s Pea 

Magnum Bonum

Paula

Salmon-Flowered Pea 

Skånsk Märgärt

Stephen’s Pea 

Suttons Purple Podded 

Pepper, Chilli

Alberto’s Locoto, a Rocoto pepper

Chilli de Cayenne 

Small Unnamed Chilli 

Anaheim Chilli

Pepper, Sweet

Napier Pointy Red

 Pumpkin/Squash

 Hungarian Zucchini

Georgia Candy Rooster Squash 

Waltham - butter nut squash

Zapallito Squash 

   

Tomato

Alpatieva 905A

Beijing Yellow

Delhi

Demidov

Dwarf Mr Snow  

Early Tanana

Eli

Green Bell Pepper

He-man rootstock,

Koralik 

Korol Rannikh  

Latah

Michael Pollan

Monkeys Ass

Plumpton King

Prairie Fire 

Yellow Out Red In

Red Pear

Slovienian Black

Tasmanian Chocolate Dwarf

T.C. Jones 

Vova Yellow 

True Potato Seed

Blue Belle TPS                            

Spring Cabbage Durham Early

Tzimbalo Solanum Caripense

Sweet Peas [mainly pink]

Helianthus Sungold

Here is the photo:

 and I'm off now, to prepare some seed trays for tomorrow. 

Happy Winter Solstice to you all for tomorrow, I'll have my head down sowing seeds and especially planting Garlic.