There will only be seed available to buy for the next few weeks, before the Spring flowers come on strong and the ground is ready to plant in. Take a look at what’s available on the Seed page which will be updated regularly. Some seeds will do best planted now e.g. sweetpeas while others need more light in mid Feb & March.

Email orders to address below and they can be delivered (or posted) to your door.

thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Why Homesown Seeds?

This has felt the longest January with the cold and wet almost relentless. Just now and then, the sun and early flowers have broken up the gloom. Luckily, in a quiet time for growing, I have been able to distract myself with seeds.

One of the most surprisingly dislocating aspects of the first Covid lockdown last year was how difficult it was to buy seeds and compost to sow them in. Of course, that is extremely minor in the whole experience, but it added to a sense of powerlessness. Research, patience and swapping with friends eventually sourced both, but it has made me think more about sustainability and waste and the millions of seeds and their potential which I have thrown on the compost heap without a thought.

During this lockdown I am learning a little more about the provenance of commercial seed and the way in which it has become a global enterprise with seed being produced, trialed and then packaged in different and distant countries, often China. Not only does this limit our choice as older varieties are lost, but it also means the seed we buy isn’t necessarily suited to our environment and local conditions. Much of the seeds we buy are F1 hybrids which means that seed does not come true the following year in the same way that open pollinated seed does. This means it is seed which can’t be reliably saved and so we need to buy it all over again every year instead of simply collecting and saving our own. So, in the light of this growing awareness, I have decided to save my own seed and sell it cheaply or ( when I can get back to the markets) swap it. No fancy packaging, but fresh, local seeds. Addicted to seed buying, I will also share some of the fresh seed bought this year from reputable companies – impossible (even for me) to use the thousands of seeds in some packets.

This lockdown too many of the seed companies I rely on, such as Seedaholic, are being overwhelmed with orders and are only accepting them at limited times. This seems another good reason to share seed around cheaply.

From seed to flowers and back again.

Saving seed is truly interesting aspect of growing to learn about and I can recommend the Vital Seed’s online course on seed saving as well as the advice on the Real Seeds website.

Cleaning, sorting, counting and packaging seed is also a healthy distraction from grey thoughts and reading about how to do it is too.