SEED SWAP
Seed swaps One way to reduce the cost of gardening is to swap seeds and seedlings. Kate meets a group of friends and a village community group who have done just that
Y
OU KNOW HOW it goes; as the days begin to warm up and we smell spring in the air, we rush out to the garden centre and buy packets and pac ets o seeds to grow our avourite flowers and vegetables. Then, once they’ve germinated, we end up with hundreds of seedlings of the same variety. And that’s not much fun. If you’re lucky, you have like-minded friends who you can swap your seeds with so end up with far more variety in your garden. I met local Ketton resident Annie Hall who had been inspired by the Oundle Waste Less group (Owl) who had set up a seed swap in Oundle. She immediately approached the Ketton Horticultural Society and Mary Cade, a parish councillor whose husband was involved In Ketton Green Spaces. They set up a village facebook group, Ketton Seed Swap, and in no time at all the news was buzzing around the village. ‘The trick,’ says Annie, ‘is to keep it free and simple.’ Ketton Green Spaces provided money for a large plastic storage box that is situated conveniently next to the village shop. Anyone who has seeds to spare can put them in the box which keeps them dry, with a label giving the plant’s name, growing tips and descriptions of height, spread, etc. Then people come and take what they want, hopefully leaving seeds in return. Gardeners with seedlings can leave their telephone number in the box or on the facebook page advising people where to collect them from.
Annie is particularly pleased that so many children come with their parents to choose the seeds they’d like to grow. ‘They get very excited and the box has become a focal point in the village. At Christmas we were lucky enough to have mistletoe to share from a tree in the village paddock owned by the Rutland and Leicestershire Wildlife Trust. And a local businessman, Tim Wade at Dynamics Environmental, donated so e unds which were spent on wildflower seeds These were bagged up and shared via the box at the end of the summer, giving instructions on how and where to sow them. We’re waiting for photos of the results with great e cite ent egetable and flower seeds are split airly evenly with runner beans being the most commonly shared seed last year.
March 2022 / theactivemag.com 35
28_39_flowersnotokKM.indd 35
21/02/2022 16:04
