Collecting

Vegetable

Cultivar Seed in

the UKNeil Munro

Heritage Seed Library

Who we areHeritage Seed Library

Founder: Lawrence Hills6500 membersFormed in a response to National Listing (1973)Promoting seed saving‘Seed Guardians’ (195)

The Collection

Definitions:Heritage HeirloomEx-commercial

Only vegetables held800+ Varieties

Seed SourcesDonations

The main source of seedMembers‘Word-of-mouth’Media

ProjectsSeed Search (1998– 2000)

DETR FundedProactive searchMedia Assessed by Co-ordinator & volunteers200+ varieties70 accessions after assessment

ProjectsWorcestershire Allotments (2009)

In conjunction with University of BirminghamSurvey & Collection across 30 sites34 ‘landraces’ discovered+3 discontinued+4 fruit landraces

Projects‘Sowing New Seeds’ (2010 - 2014)

‘Exotic Crops’Collect, save, share & re-skill‘Seed Stewards’342 crops assessed

AssessmentProvenanceTrialCharacterisationContinuing assessment

The Knowledge (IK)

‘British Home Gardens’ - 2007-2010Simon Platten, University of Kent

Partners – Eden Project & KewFunded by Leverhulme TrustOne London Allotment site

- 29% exchanged or saved seed.Maintenance biological AND cultural.

The Knowledge (IK)Sowing New Seeds

Promotion of crops:

Knowledge of crops +93%Growing crops +89%Collecting seeds +70%Cooking crops +67%

Questions?

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