A gardening charity is asking people to adopt at-risk heritage seeds to make sure they continue to bloom for future generations.
The Heritage Seed Library, run by sustainable gardening charity Garden Organic, holds the National Collection of Heritage Vegetables and works tirelessly to grow precious heirloom vegetables that due to commercial growing practices may be lost forever.
Now it’s asking the public to help keep vegetables, such as French bean ‘Angel’ and ‘Ukrainian Comrade’ in circulation. Climbing French bean Angel gets its name from the pattern on the seeds, which resembles an angel with wings spread. The legend suggests that during World War One a French pastor planted beans above his buried artefacts to prevent their discovery, and the beans produced these unusual marks.
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Dwarf French bean ‘Ukrainian Comrades’ is not one, but two varieties of beans grown together, hence ‘Comrades’. It’s thought to have been taken to the USA by Peace Corp volunteers who had been working in Yalta, Ukraine, in the early 1990s – now currently under Russian control. Crop diversity is often at risk in times of conflict so it’s important the Heritage Seed Library hold this variety for safekeeping until stability in the region is established.
Growing emergency
Over the last century 75% of crop varieties globally have been lost – something Garden Organic describes as a global and national emergency.
Catrina Fenton, head of the Heritage Seed Library (HSL) explains: “Many people see the value of adopting an endangered animal to help protect it – but adopting endangered vegetables is going to be just as important as we think about ways to protect our future food supplies and ensure resilience in the face of climate change.
“We’re asking people to become Variety Champions to preserve new varieties, and fund urgently needed research into the seed varieties we already hold so we can better understand how climate change may affect growing them successfully in the future.”
The library currently conserves 800 vegetable varieties. Many of these have characteristics that make them ideally suited to their local environments and have qualities that make them resilient to our changing climate.
Variety Champions are being asked to make a monthly donation, and in return receive free seeds, regular updates and an exclusive event at the Heritage Seed Library. They will also be recognised as a Variety Champion on the HSL’s website and in its annual seed list.
Heritage seeds that need Champions
Variety Champions can choose from a list of 10 different varieties of vegetables including peas, beans, tomatoes and more. Some of the interesting varieties include:
Tomato ‘Marianna’s Peace’
Marianna was a Czechoslovakian farmer’s daughter, held captive by the Russians during World War Two. Against all odds, Marianna managed to escape by jumping from the truck that was transporting her to Siberia. Despite being shot in the leg, she eventually reached the safety of Bavaria. These tomato seeds were a gift from her father before he died.
Broad bean ‘Martock’
This was one of the first varieties accepted into the Heritage Seed Library, and one of the oldest it protects. Passed to the HSL in the 1970s, the earliest reference to the Martock broad bean is in the manorial account rolls of 1293-4.
Pea ‘Freer’s Mummy’
Peas fit for a lord, and possibly a pharaoh! Freer’s Mummy pea originates from the gardens of Lord Carnarvon at Highclere Castle – now known the world over as Downton Abbey. Some say the peas are reputed to be from Tutankhamun’s tomb as the 5th Earl of Carnarvon was best known as the financial backer of the search for, and excavation of the tomb.
To become a Variety Champion or give a subscription as a gift visit //gardenorganic.org.uk/variety-champion.
