Ecologist and gardener Becky Searle shares her thoughts on the importance of heirloom seeds and seed saving:
Deep in the arctic circle, on the island of Svalbard, a thousand kilometres from the coast of Norway, under hundreds of meters of rock lies the Doomsday Vault. In one of the securest locations on earth and fastidiously maintained by thousands of farmers and growers from around the world this vault contains just one thing: seeds. 642 million seeds to be precise (at last estimate).
These represent 1.3 million different varieties of edible and ornamental plants from around the world including some 82 million rice seeds, 54 million wheat seeds and 19 million maize seeds. The seeds are kept fresh and updated regularly to ensure that they are fresh and ready to be used at any time.
This gargantuan global effort has been orchestrated to secure the future of humanity in the event of a global catastrophe. Obviously, none of us are hoping for any such disaster, but the very fact of this vault’s existence tells us a little bit about the value of seeds. And one category of seed in particular: heirloom seeds.
So, what is an heirloom seed? An heirloom seed is a seed that will grow a plant the same as the parent plant if you were to save the seeds and grow them in future years.
The beauty of heirloom seeds is fourfold; firstly, they allow you to grow food indefinitely without having to keep buying seed. Secondly, if you continue to grow and save seeds in your own garden they will adapt to your local environment and improve in their strength and vigour. Thirdly, heirloom seeds are important for their biodiversity value, and biodiversity equals resilience. And lastly, the seeds saved from heirloom varieties are generally saved because of their taste, or some other defining characteristic, like the pink stripes of the peppermint chard.
Let’s explore each of these factors in a little more detail, with a view to truly understanding the deep importance of heirloom seeds, and the powerful act that is seed saving.
Local Adaptation
One of the best things about heirloom seeds is that they get better and better over time. The more you grow something, the stronger it becomes. By saving seeds from the most vigorous plants in your garden, you select the individuals best suited to your conditions and pass those genes on to your next crop. Local adaptation is extremely important for the resilience of crops. It’s exciting to grow things that are exotic or new, but if your livelihood was dependent on these crops doing well, this would be hugely risky. These crops don’t often do very well in our gardens, unlike British varieties or seeds from your neighbour or local area.
Biodiversity and Resilience
When we think of endangered species we generally think of pandas, polar bears, tigers or even things like pole cats. But the truth is all biodiversity is important, because it contributes towards resilience, and the maintenance of ecosystems. The greater the biodiversity, the better that ecosystem will function, providing us with valuable services such as food clean water carbon storage shelter and a multitude of natural resources.
So, what does this have to do with heirloom fruits and vegetables? Our growing reliance on fewer varieties over the past century has narrowed our growing down to what you see in front of you when you stand at a seed rack in a garden centre. Many seeds that were once revered for their incredible taste aesthetic value or cultural value are sadly no longer grown.
Character and Taste
One of the reasons that heirloom vegetables are making a comeback is for the same reason we started saving the seeds in the first place: we like them. They might not be the most disease resistant or the most productive all the time, but they are reliable, adaptable, and generally extra tasty. If you really like something you may also want to share it with your family, friends, and neighbours, who might also like to try growing it. In this way, seeds are passed down through generations, we just need to remember to do so.
Learning more
It’s really simple to save seed, but if you’re interested in learning more about heritage and heirloom varieties, or you would like to get started with seed saving and learn some of the basic skills, my box, The Seed Collectors Kit is a helpful start. It is a beautifully illustrated set of 50 cards, each representing a different edible or ornamental plant. Each card tells you how to collect the seeds from that plant and give some pointers on sowing them the following year.
Sourcing seeds
If you don’t have any heritage varieties in your garden and want to get started with heirloom seeds you could go to –
• The Heritage Seed Library, Garden Organic | The Heritage Seed Library
• The Real Seed Company, Top Quality Vegetable Seed from The Real Seed Catalogue.
The role of good compost
If you are keen to get going with heirloom seeds, consider giving them a great start.
Dalefoot Composts are a perfect match:
- All Dalefoot Composts products are certified for organic growing by the Soil Association. The Soil Association audit each year, so Dalefoot customers can be confident to grow without chemicals.
- Dalefoot Composts use traditional ingredients that are available in the U.K. - bracken, sheeps wool and comfrey.
- There is no need to add feed later in the season. Our combination of ingredients supplies plants with nitrogen and potash throughout the growing season and beyond. The compost continues to slow-release nutrients as it gently breaks down, keeping you plants productive.
Becky
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About me:
Becky Searle is an ecologist and gardener best known for her Instagram account @sow_much_more. Her new book Grow a New Garden takes an ecological approach to planning, designing and creating a garden from scratch, or transforming your existing space. With a whole chapter on soil, and lots of information on balancing your garden ecosystem, this book is a mine of information for new and experienced gardeners alike.