{"id":427,"date":"2010-02-22T12:38:17","date_gmt":"2010-02-22T11:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oldvarieties.com\/contents1a\/?p=427"},"modified":"2010-08-10T17:45:48","modified_gmt":"2010-08-10T16:45:48","slug":"new-garden-organic-seed-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oldvarieties.com\/contents1a\/2010\/02\/new-garden-organic-seed-project\/","title":{"rendered":"New Garden Organic Seed Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

The latest initiative from Garden organic, “Sowing New Seeds<\/strong>“, funded by the Big Lottery Local Food Fund<\/a>,<\/strong> 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\u2019s diverse communities.<\/p>\n

\"Picture<\/a>
Growing diverse varieties can be very rewarding<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Garden Organic, which also runs the UK\u2019s famous Heritage Seed Library<\/strong><\/a> dedicated to conserving the genetic diversity of vegetables, hopes that the project will unearth lots of interesting edible plants.<\/p>\n

Sally Cunningham of the Sowing New Seeds project, said,<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n

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.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Share your seeds and experience<\/strong>
\nTo get the project off the ground, Garden Organic is calling for anyone that grows exotic vegetables to come forward to share seeds and information.<\/p>\n

The project\u2019s 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\u2019s Heritage Seed Library, to be safeguarded and conserved for future generations.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Garden Organic will also set up a brand new exotic crop garden at its flagship site, Ryton Gardens<\/strong> <\/a>in Warwickshire.<\/p>\n

To find out more and to get involved, visit the Garden Organic website<\/strong><\/a> where all contact information is availabe.<\/p>\n

Sowing New Seeds also works with the following project partners:<\/strong><\/p>\n