Page 46 - ALG Issue 3 2023

Northern
Seed Social
Hello! I’m Mike, from North Tyneside.
I have been growing my own produce for 15 years, and proud owner of an allotment for 10 years. Each year I have added something new to the allotment and expanded my knowledge.
One of the consistent issues I have encountered is the Northeast climate: we Geordies may walk around in a t-shirt in winter, but those seed-grown cucumbers and beans tend not to be so hardy.
This started a journey into looking for elusive and hardier seed varieties to suit my local climate. Armed with a packet of Purple Podded Peas with which I
had decent success the season before, I grew extra to save. I left lots of pods on the plants to open pollinate – when they turned papery, I collected them and stored them away. The following spring, my own saved seeds were the first to come up and the strongest growers. Once outside, they were just as impressive – the best peas I’d ever grown.
Keen to swap my surplus of saved seeds, I found a few small swaps locally, but there was an absence of seed saving. I travelled to Brighton and volunteered at the famous Seedy Saturday event attended by thousands and was blown away at the range and variety of heirloom and locally saved seeds on offer. I went to Seedy Sunday in Lewes the next day with similar results. I was chuffed to have been
involved, but still there was nothing comparative near me, so I decided to set up my own. Seed Social was born.
Over the next year, I developed the
idea. I received a grant to host an event and established UK seed companies generously donated heirloom varieties. I contributed lots of my own saved seeds and propagated some Taunton Kale and fruit bushes to sell. I visited community gardens and green spaces to promote the event. The inaugural seed swap came and 200 people attended. I was thrilled. It was a wonderful day!
The seed swap will be an annual event, growing each year and becoming
a comprehensive offering for the Northeast, comparable with the larger events throughout the UK – a highlight in the Northeast grower’s calendar.
We will establish a Seed Bank, another resource for growers to be able to access locally grown and heirloom seeds and share their own in return.
We will collaborate with community gardens to establish seed-saving spaces. They can utilise the high-quality seeds and put some into the seed bank and swap. Longer term plans involve establishing a Seed Social Hub – home for the growing seed bank; space to process, propagate and trial seeds;
a place to improve local community access to equipment, workshops and courses – hopefully, an outdoor space too!
Do you save your seeds? Please do consider it.
Do you save your seeds? Please do consider it. Try it for yourself and enjoy the benefits next year. Swap seeds locally and beyond. Support your local seed swaps – you’d be very welcome at ours! There’s nothing better than sharing stories, growing tips and seed-saving successes. The 2024 seed swap will be Saturday, February 24th at Whitley Bay Big Local. Doors open at 10am. Be there sharp as the best seeds are snapped up fast. If you’d like to get involved, email seedsocialmike@gmail. com.
Bug hotel in Blyth
We are proud tenants up in chilly Blyth, Northumberland.
This is our 4th year of allotment growing and we are always coming up with new projects to keep us busy. We have won silver gilt in our local Blyth in Bloom competition allotment section for the past two years – striving for gold! This winter we built our bug hotel from old pallet wood. Happy gardening everybody.
Julie & Michael Boyd
46 Allotment and Leisure Gardener