The British daily newspaper, The Independent, today carried a two-page spread about seed saving. This is something I have been quite interested in since first visiting Ryton Organic Gardens near my home, which is also the HQ of the Heritage Seed Library. The Independent article is wonderful, packed with new information - I had no idea there were so many seed repositories around the world.
There are a variety of approaches to this seed saving thing. For a keen gardener, it can just be a way to return to the good crop of last year and save a little money. To the environmental activist, it can involve searching for, cultivating and preserving vanishing varieties and ensuring bio-diversity. For farmers in a traditional agricultural setting, it is a simple matter of survival. And that was why I was so alarmed by what I found next.
I always like to jazz up my postings with lots of extra links, so I did some web searches. Now honestly, I had no intention to get political, but right there on the first page of results, was a story that made my blood boil. You won't believe what went down in the corporate takeover of Iraq, back in 2004, long before the electricity and water supply was sorted out - only a law against any seed savings, supposedly in the name of "protecting species". I could go on about this, but this blog is meant to be a rant-free zone, so I won't.
I have yet to actually do any seed saving myself, except for the self-seeding of my rocket and chard which came back for two years running. Have any of my fellow Kitchen Gardeners any good seed-saving stories?