Sharing resources for growing exotic food in the Midlands by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Sowing New Seeds is a three year project, led by Garden Organic, and funded by the Big Lottery Fund's Local Food scheme.
Its aim is to directly enable and support gardeners, allotment holders, schools and community enterprises in the East and West Midlands to access, manage and grow exotic crops that are not traditionally grown in Britain.
Global and local changes are turning public interest to”grow your own” for food and the impacts of Climate Change and the growing public awareness of cultural diversity is turning public interest to growing exotic crop.
With this, the demand is increasing for exotic seeds and information on their cultivation and usage, yet relatively few varieties are commercially available.
Britain's population as well as its eating habits have changed dramatically over the past forty and more years.
During this time people from all over the world have settled in the United Kingdom and have grown their own vegetables in gardens and allotments throughout the Midlands (and not just the Midlands).
Those people who have settled here have grown vegetables from their native homes such as callaloo, white maize, Hamburg parsley, dudi, black-eye beans and water chestnuts. Many of these plants originate from Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America or the Caribbean, and may eventually become adapted successfully to local conditions here in the UK. It is those seeds that we need to save for future generations.
These, often ethnic growers, have imported or saved the seeds and adapted these varieties, yet, these growers are frequently isolated from traditional gardening networks.
As they grow older, they are less able to work in their gardens and there is the real risk that they and with it the wider gardening community also are losing both the special non-traditional crop seeds and the knowledge of how to grow them.
Through the Midlands networks of the National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardeners, Groundwork, Black Environment Network, Soil Association CSA network, Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, Women's Environmental Network and Garden Organic, BME “Seed Stewards” will be invited to share their locally-adapted varieties and knowledge.
These varieties will be evaluated and demonstrated to growers groups through sharing and training on 'best practice' management.
An Exotic Seed Collection and inspirational Exotic Urban Garden will maintain and make these resources available for long term usage throughout England.
© 2010