Monday 8 February 2016

Seed swap 2016

This weekend I managed to escape the kids for a few hours and attend the seed swap in Hereford. It was a very wet and windy day and I got drenched just walking from the car park to the theatre. I met a few friends there which always makes an event better. 
There are tables set up in a square with seeds arranged alphabetically according to vegetable. You drop off any seeds that you've brought (I'd sorted mine into envelopes) and then pick up what you fancy.
There were some people there that evidently really knew their stuff and were dolling out information and anecdotes along with their seeds! 

Here a just some of the packets I picked up

After a drink at the cafe, whilst being serenaded by a pianist (a bit loud) we had a bit of a chat to pass the time and then listened to a talk by an expert on saving seed. He had some basic info on the how to process seeds from various plants but his real talent lay on his descriptions of where and how he had gathered the various varieties. He's spent his life in a career making films and seems to have picked up obscure and unknown seeds from all sorts of people around the world whilst on location. I really enjoyed hearing the provenance of his collection. The only problem is you pick the seeds up before the talk and after having heard some of his stories it made me want to try planting more of his seeds.
Our aim this year is to concentrate on planting fewer different veg. I think with the building work being done and a new job I need to reduce the workload. This trip did not aid my good intentions though, I now have way more seeds than I started with and I want to plant them all.
If anyone's interested the speakers website is http://www.veggingoutwithadam.com

I also started my new job today, it was a weird day and I'll have to talk about it a bit later, I have to be careful what I say.


4 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great idea with the seed swap! I think I'd come home with lots more than I planned though haha! Hope the new job went ok, always a bit hard with a new place, new work, new people isn't it. I'm due to start a new job in a couple of weeks and I'm quite daunted by it. Hope you settle in ok though. Em x

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  2. Hope your day went well in new job, I'm sure it won't take you long to settle in.

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  3. I don't think we have seed swamps here in the South. I've never heard of one. I bet Dani in South Africa would be a good person to swap seeds with. She trades seeds with people from all over as I recall.

    I hope you are lucky at your new job and there are not any hateful people in the organization.

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  4. I hope you like your new job! And I hope you are working with nice people. The people make all the difference.

    Seed swap sounds great!

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