Julie Menier

Hi Hugo,

I wish I could join you in Croatia, it's going to be epic!

Finding a way to make seed sharing sustainable is a major issue for all (GTS programs, seed libraries etc). It's good to see different ways to deal with it.

Like you, I believe we need to stack different schemes.
Good seed diversity for seed savers, like the seed share or seed train, only for people who have seeds to contribute.
Surplus seeds as gifts for community projects, seed libraries, starter kits etc.  No pressure to return seeds.
Hopefully, some newbies will learn to save seeds and move into the seed saver group. But the whole thing doesn't depend on it!

Another issue is: is it scalable? Is it human sustainable? The easiest thing for the seed share is to have one hub but that might mean one person doing all the work. If you split up into several seed stewards (like the seed share US), then participants need to send several parcels and stewards need to send repackaged seeds to a central hub for final packing.

Not sure what the answer is... I'd love to know what comes out of the conversations in Croatia. Please keep us in the loop!

Hi Rachel, good luck establishing your garden!

What a beauty!

Yes, they are so strong and the mixes work so well. I'm loving the volunteers too!

What an amazing project AC, very inspiring!

Since taking on an extra plot at the allotment, I've been thinking about how to manage the workload without injuring myself or burning out.
Like you've mentioned already, direct seeding in the way to go. I'd also suggest going a step further and making scatter mixes of salad leaves, chard, herbs, flowers etc. Scatter on the bed before a good rainfall is forecast, rake it in if you feel like it (I usually don't...) and a few weeks later, come back to harvest.
Bonus points for keeping the weeds at bay, can be used between bigger crops like tomatoes, squash, climbing beans, corn etc.

Another area that I used to find back breaking was composting. Now, I compost everything in place (chop and drop) or compost in the pathways (but that's a trip hazard for a community garden). The only thing I remove is diseased material that could spread but there's very little of that.

I'm sure they are many more ways to cut un-necessary labour or concentrate the labour into community days like "potato harvest day" (promise of cake and coffee would help)... You've got this!

Fennel has been a mystery to me too... Last year, I left them in the ground (they never bulked up, went straight to seed as usual). Many came back and produced a bulb in the spring. I won't bother planting in rows anymore but simply scatter the seeds and let it do its thing!

Beautiful garden Nancy!

I can't wait to pull the carrots, they are so vigorous! Well, our seeds are, the commercial ones are meh, as usual...
I had enough last year to group them in colour clumps: whites/yellows, darks, oranges (twice as many carrots to have it in majority in the mix). The darks have always been pathetic for me but I got one to ripen seeds and a few more managed to flower (hopefully they contributed pollen).

This year has been tricky but the mixes have pulled through! Many seeds to share...

Thanks Nancy. I'm definitely sticking around! I'm on page 5 of the seeds and breeding threads, I want to plant an orchard from seed and create a community project like AC! Haha!
Several names I recognise from Going to Seed, nice!

Hi Nancy,

I've finally made it onto Permies!

Seed Share UK
I hope I've done it right, although I couldn't work out how to put it in both UK & Ireland and Seeds & breeding categories...

Hi everyone,

I am a member of the Going to Seed UK group and we have been working on a seed share project for the UK. After a successful pilot in the Spring, we have opened registrations for the next seed share, late Oct/early Nov 25.

Who is it for?

UK seed savers, hobby plant breeders, seed librarians
interested in growing special mixes for diverse, resilient crops and more relaxed seed saving


How does it work?

1. Send in between 5-10 packets of home saved seeds, along with a prepaid shipping label with your address (to return seeds).

2. When all the seeds have arrived, they get mixed for each crop type.

3. You will get an email with all the crops available. Choose the 5-10 packets you would like in return.

4-5 Receive your chosen seeds to grow and enjoy. You can select the plants that do best for you and start saving your own mix, adapted to your garden and goals.

There is no obligation to send seeds back at the end of the season, although we hope you will want to share them with your community or participate in a future seed share.


Email seedshareuk@gmail.com
to register interest, ask questions, share what crops you'd like to contribute.