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New Garden Organic Seed Project

The latest initiative from Garden organic, "Sowing New Seeds", funded by the Big Lottery Local Food Fund, will directly enable many more gardeners in the East and West Midlands to grow non-traditional crops, while also documenting how to grow them based on the experiences of the region’s diverse communities.

Garden Organic, which also runs the UK’s famous Heritage Seed Library dedicated to conserving the genetic diversity of vegetables, hopes that the project will unearth lots of interesting edible plants.

Sally Cunningham of the Sowing New Seeds project, said,

“The UK's population has changed dramatically in the past 40 years and so have our eating habits. People from all over the world have settled here and 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.”

Share your seeds and experience
To get the project off the ground, Garden Organic is calling for anyone that grows exotic vegetables to come forward to share seeds and information.

The project’s aim is to give many more people in the East and West Midlands the chance to access and grow exotic seeds that have been grown under local conditions. Some of the varieties will also enter Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library, to be safeguarded and conserved for future generations.

The project will also produce vital fact sheets on how to grow the non-traditional crops, as well as events to demonstrate crop cultivation, seed saving, storage and cooking.

Garden Organic will also set up a brand new exotic crop garden at its flagship site, Ryton Gardens in Warwickshire.

To find out more and to get involved, visit the Garden Organic website where all contact information is availabe.

Sowing New Seeds also works with the following project partners:

• Women’s Environmental Network (WEN),
• Black Environment Network (BEN)
• Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens,
• National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardeners,
• Groundwork Midlands,
• Soil Association CSA programme

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Old Varieties v New

Over the last three years we have been growing heritage vegetables as well as more modern varieties and whilst we have not been conducting a scientific experiment, the outcome is interesting.

We trialled heritage varieties of Tomato (San Marzano Di Lampadina) and French Bean (Blauhilde).

Both varieties were grown under the same conditions as the modern varieties; Tomato (Gardener's delight) & French bean (Pantheon)

Firstly the French beans - The heritage variety (Blauhilde) really did struggle, with generally weaker plants succumbing very easily to slug damage and mildew.

Out of the total crop sown, around 70% succeeded to seedling stage but only 25% of the plants made it to cropping stage of which crops were generally poor.

Tomato San Marzano Di Lampadina did very well as seedlings (probably due to the lovely warm spring).

They produced quite strong plants with a fair crop of medium sized fruits.  However, the time taken to ripening seemed to exceed the amount of sunlight hours available in the North of England and fruits struggled to ripen.

A batch of Green tomato chutney put them to good use.

We have also grown other old varieties of vegetable including brassicas and shallots and in general, the results have been much the same with plants struggling through the wet summer and producing less yield with a constant fight against disease.

Although heritage varieties are worth growing for their different flavours and textures, we found that we have had to nurse them to production stage with a great deal of loss.

Worth mentioning, is the simple fact that our Cumbrian summers over the last three years have been rubbish, to say the least.  Extremely wet, dark and with very little strong sunlight.

We are interested to hear what other growers of heritage vegetables have experienced around Britain and we certainly still advocate growing the older varieties, although we do suggest researching the varieties well to see if they will be suited to prevailing conditions.

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Snakes Head Fritillaria

Fritillaria meleagris or Snake's Head Fritillary as it is more commonly known, is a native of Europe, found growing in damp grassland and near rivers.

Apart from it's original English name of Snake's Head fritillary, It has many local name variations such as Simple Fritillary, Checkered Daffodil, Frog-cup, Chess Flower, Guinea-hen Flower and Leper Lily,

The flowers are nodding, dainty, six petaled bells, hang from slender stems about 15 to 30cm in height.  They range from white to various shades of purple and bear a unique, chequered patterning which is quite obvious on the purple flowers but more of a feint "water mark" on the white flowers.

Fritillaria meleagris flowers from March to May from a small bulb, about 2 cm in diameter, commonly found growing in grasslands in damp soils and river meadows.

It is the only species of Fritillary native to Britain, but is now quite rare in the wild due to modern farming and land cultivation techniques.

Places to find Fritillaria meleagris in the wild:
The Meadow of Magdalen College, Oxford,
The village of Ducklington, Oxfordshire (which holds a Fritillary Sunday festival)
North Meadow National Nature Reserve, Wiltshire
Meadows in Kungsängen, just outside Uppsala, Sweden (also giving the flower its Swedish name, kungsängslilja).

Bulbs are available commercially and are extremely hardy.  Best placed in light shade and under deciduous trees and shrubs in free-draining soil, or naturalised in grass. Bulbs of the Fritilaria meleagris are poisonous.

Where to obtain the bulbs;
Thompson & Morgan - Plant, bulb and seed specialists
Fentongollan - Cornish bulb, plant and vegetable supplier
De Jager - Flower bulb specialists since 1868
The Wild Flower Shop - Specialists in British native flowers
Crocus - Plant and garden supplier

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Apple Day in Cumbria 2009

Counties all over the UK are preparing for their Apple Day events to be held throughout the month of October.

Britain has the largest apple heritage in the world, with only a handful of the varieties seen for sale today. Old varieties do exist all over the country with many special National Apple Day events taking place each year to promote these wonderful fruits.

The annual festival is aimed at raising awareness about the importance of preserving traditional apple varieties,

The 2009 Apple Day events in Cumbria will be held on:

28th September - 1st october 2009 - Sizergh Castle & Garden, Kendal, Cumbria.
Guided walks and apple identification. Juicing and tasting. (Identification of apples on Tuesday and Thursday).
Recipe cards and advice available.
Visit Sizergh Castle & Gardens website

Sunday 3rd October 2009 - Wordsworth House, Cockermouth, Cumbria.
Taste some of Cumbria's heritage apples such as the Keswick Codlin, Greenup Pippin and Carlisle Codlin.
Lots of apple games, baking and juicing demonstrations, fun and competitions.
Visit the Wordsworth House website.

Saturday 3rd October - Orchard Barn, 32 Briery Bank, Arnside.
Orchard walks, apple identification, cakes and jams, cookery demonstrations, story-telling, children’s games and much more. 10am - 4pm Organised by the Arnside and Silverdale AONB Partnership

Saturday October 17 &  Sunday 18th - Beetham Nurseries,  Pool Darkin Lane, Beetham CLA7 7AP
Meet Hilary Wilson ‘The Apple Lady’ on Saturday 17th October. Hilary’s  interest in apples, which began when she was a child, led her to research and source varieties suitable for the wet and cold conditions in this area, she is also an expert in the skill of grafting.
Hilary will be on hand to chat and answer your questions. She enjoys helping people to identify their apples.
Attractions to include: Wide selection of apple trees including some unusual varieties;  Enjoy apple tasting and delicious home made ‘fruity food’ in the Tea Room.
Expert advice on pollination, pruning, pests and diseases & tree selection; we will have many other types of fruit trees including: Peaches, Pears, Plums, Kiwis and Cherries. And on Sunday 18th October the Kendal Beekeepers’ Association will be present. They will bring along a glass observation hive with real bees, information on attracting bees into your garden, and a beehive containing photographs so people can see inside ‘safely’, and perhaps even honey to sell.
Visit Beetham Nurseries website.

Sunday 18th October 2009 - Acorn Bank, Temple Sowerby, Penrith, Cumbria.
Games and competitions, advice on growing apples, storytelling, Punch & Judy, Music, dance and pruning demonstrations with the Northern Fruit group, cookery demonstrations with Annette Gibbons. There will be a local food producers' market and country crafts.

Entertainment from Punch and Judy, Crook Morris, The Eden Valley Storytellers and The Eagle Bowmen.
A large number of different varieties of apple are available to buy and to sample, and you are welcome to bring your own apples to be identified (by prior arrangement).
Visit Acorn Bank website.

To find out about Apple Day events all over the country visit The Common ground website.

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Perry Pear – Blakeney Red

The Blakeney Red Perry Pear is named after the village of Blakeney in the Forest of Dean.  Also known as Red Pear, Circus Pear, Painted Lady, Painted Pear .

Known to have been in existence in 1600, some trees are over 300 years old and it is now the most common perry pear in the Gloucestershire and Herefordshire region.

The Blakeney Red is a greenish yellow perry pear with a red flush on the sunny side, an old favourite which was even considered a desert pear in the 1600's. which could also be stewed and used to dye soldiers' khaki uniforms.

This popular pear is renowned for perry making and is considered one of the best single perry varieties.

Many Cider companies still rely on this pear to produce quality cider.

A statuesque specimen can be found in the Acorn Bank Orchards at Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.

This tree towers above it's neighbouring Medlar's to some 40 or 50 feet.

A well shaped tree, the fruit glows red on the sunniest side and hangs in abundance, crammed onto the upward facing branches.

To find out more about Perry pears and Perry making visit the Three Counties Perry website.

You can find young trees at Cummins Nursery.

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18th Century Pear

We have had a request from Jamie who is trying to transcribe a letter of 1735, in which the writer seems to have given a variety of pear tree to the Duke of Atholl. He spells it as Lieuzeinsky, which may be Luzinsky.

If anybody is able to shed any light on this subject, please let us know so that we can assist Jamie with his transcription.

Jamie has kindly sent us the relevant part of the letter as someone may have a better interpretation.

The writer was chief of the Clan Donnachaidh, who spent a good 20 years in exile in France for treason for his support of the deposed Stuart dynasty. He had a known interest in gardens.

‘I have sent my Lady Jean a part of the first trails of my young standards of which the tree in the middle of the garden is one. I have wrapped them in paper that I may know if they be sweet as they are innocent like the person to be tempted. I am told the K of France has not a finer pair in his possession nor can he bestow them half so worthily & I have seen and can judge of both competitors for Birth and Beauty, without disparagement to the ?Lieuzenskys, I am to your Grace and family an eternal humble servant A ROBERTSON OF STROWAN’

Contact us using the comments section at the end of this post.

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Herdwick Sheep

The Herdwick sheep is the native breed of the central and western Cumbrian Lake District.

Thought to be introduced by Norse-Irish settlers in the 10th and 11th Centuries, there are tales of the breed also being brought here on a shipwrecked Spanish Armada. However the ancient norse for sheep farm was "Herd-Vic", making the first option the more plausible explanation.

Herdwick sheep were originally bred for their tough wiry wool, that can create garments which will repel rain and outlive many softer fabrics but is sheer purgatory for the hands of the knitter.

The word “Herdwyck”, means sheep pasture and can be found in documents dating back to the 12th century.

Extremely hardy, they are ideally suited to life on the highest of the Lake District peaks and 
are managed in a traditional way, grazing the rough and rocky lakeland fells.

Left out on their high grazing through the lean winters. The mothers are brought down to the lowland fields in April for lambing. Traditionally the sheep were clipped in July & August but today the wool is virtually worthless and many will be seen shedding their wool naturally on the fellside as clipping becomes an uneconomical burden to the farmer.

In September the Ewes are returned to the upper fells. First year lambs or Gimmers are grazed with their mothers in their own "heaf" or area to instill a knowledge of their grazing territory.  A region which can be inaccessible and hostile, often covering a wide area over  miles of mountainous terrain.

Sheep could stray for miles, these strays were looked after by the farmer onto whose land they had strayed and returned to their respective owners each year at the local agricultural shows.

Herdwick lambs are a dark brown colour, turning to their shabby grey/white as they grow. They are slow growing sheep and have a lower lambing output compared with lowland breeds.

Meat from the Herdwick has a strong quality due to it's slow growth and free range grazing.

The National Trust owns over 90 farms in the North West Lake District. Many have flocks of Herdwicks roaming their own heafs on the fells.

The Herdwick Sheep Breeders Association says:

The Herdwick’s hardiness and ability to graze over a wide area of fell is key to the maintenance of the Lake District landscape as we know it. By purchasing Herdwick products you are giving the farmers that manage this candidate World Heritage Site a sustainable future.

Find out more:

The Herdwick Sheep Breeder's Association

The Ruskin Museum, Conniston, Cumbria.

British Coloured Sheep Breeder's Association.

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New Name for NCCPG

'Plant Heritage' is the new name for The National Council for Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG).

 

They provide standards and a support network for professionals and individuals who are keen to keep a wide variety of plants in cultivation under their correct names.

 

Plant Heritage strive to secure the future of garden plants which are at risk of vanishing from commercial outlets.  They may be unfashionable, difficult to grow or propagate and can become commercially unviable.

Members form a network of local groups around the UK, from Cornwall to Scotland and are encouraged to grow rare and unusual plants.

Members have access to talks, workshops and demonstrations and visit gardens, nurseries and National Plant Collections.

Plant Heritage are also looking for members to become holders of National collections for plants which are not currently on the national Collection scheme, such as Achillea, Peruvian Lilies and Lobelia, among others.

Plant Heritage is a much easier name to remember and sounds less formal than the original long winded title, so maybe the change will bring them into the 21st Century and the recognition they deserve.

Find out more about Plant Heritage.

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Are Your Bluebells Native?

A few woodland areas in the UK will soon be carpeted in blue from the end of April to Mid May.

Our native British Bluebell is considered an endangered species and as such cannot be picked or uprooted from the wild.  Even the seed cannot be gathered without the consent of Natural England.

The Natural History Museum state:

"In recent years there has been growing concern that our native species is under threat by breeding with the cultivated bluebell. Hybridisation can alter a plant species’ genetic makeup and may result in a reduced ability to survive.

Until recently, this popular theory has been supported by little evidence, and the true status of bluebells in the UK and Ireland may be more complex.  Further study is needed to find out if the native bluebell is really under threat."

You can help take part in this study by logging onto to Natural History Museum Website and recording your bluebell findings.

An article in the April issue of Country Living magazine focuses on a couple who have become two of the first people in England to be granted permission to gather bluebell seeds from their farm woodland in Kent.  Barry and Karin of Farnell Farm carefully collect, preserve and sell their bluebell seed so that others can enjoy the beauty of this beautiful flower.

Thanks to their hard work and that of others, it is now easier to raise your own native bluebells from seed.

Places to see Bluebell woods:

• Muncaster Castle, Cumbria.
• High Hall Nurseries, Westward, nr Wigton, Cumbria.
• Arlington Bluebell walk and farm trail. East Sussex.
• Rode Hall. Cheshire
• Bluebell Woods in the Chilterns.

You may also be interested in:

BBC article and video
Offwell Woodland & Wildlife Trust. Feature and picture gallery.
Central Scotland Forest Trust. Atricle about bluebells under threat

To grow your own native British Bluebells, bulbs and seed can be obtained from the following suppliers;

Farnell Farm - Native Bluebell seeds for your garden or woodland. Ideal for cultivating large areas.
The Wild Flower Shop - Specialists in naive British plants.
Nicky's Nursery - Native British Bluebell wild flower seeds.

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Sweet Violets

From late February to May in shade at the edges of woodland or in hedgerows we can find clumps of sweet violet (viola odorata).

This is our native British plant, usually appearing with flowers of deep to pale lilac to the more rare white.

 

Leaves are heart shaped and bright green, forming a carpet of ground cover with delicate flowers nodding on short, hairy, pale green stems. The flower has a beautiful and unmistakable perfume, once prized by the Victorians and was the flower of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love.

Historically, the Sweet Violet has a long tradition of uses, including many medicinal applications. Crushed sweet violets were often strewn on cottage and church floors to mask odours.

The Native Sweet Violet can easily be grown in our gardens, as long as it is given a shaded or semi shaded area with good soil, it can thrive and self seed quite happily.

Seed and plants can be obtained from specialist nurseries such as the Devon Violet Nursery. and Grove Nurseries in West Dorset, where the  National collection of Sweet Violets can be found.

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