Gardeners will be able to get a wealth of advice and inspiration for growing fruit and vegetables at the Wakehurst Seed Festival being held at Wakehurst Place, the country estate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, near Haywards Heath, West Sussex on Saturday September 28.
The festival, which takes place from 11am to 5pm and includes the Seed Swap, is being held at Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank* at Wakehurst, which holds the largest wild seed collection in the world.
The aim of the event is to encourage more people to grow fruit and vegetables and experiment with different varieties – particularly traditional heritage varieties that were once the mainstay of British gardens.
Seeds from allotment groups and specialist growers will be available for a small donation, and people can bring along seeds from plants they have grown at home to swap with other gardeners. (Image attached and others available, see details under notes to editors.)
There will be a programme of talks and demonstrations throughout the day, with experts giving practical displays on cleaning, drying and storing seeds. Speakers will include Oliver Whaley of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, Neil Munro from Garden Organic and horticulturist and plant hunter, Tom Hart Dyke from Lullingstone Castle in Kent.
Guided tours will provide an insight into conservation work being carried out in the Wakehurst nursery and at Kew’s UK Native Seed Hub seed production site, where British wildflowers are grown to provide supplies of seeds for conservation projects around the country to restore wildflower meadows and grasslands.
Visitors will also be able to find out about the vital work of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank and discover how Kew is helping to safeguard the world’s most endangered plants. Kew and its network of partners around the world have already collected and conserved seed from 10% of the world’s wild flowering plant species in the Seed Bank (around 30,000 species) and aim to conserve 25% by 2020.
Children’s craft activities will be taking place during the day and there will be stalls selling local food and produce.
Dr Paul Smith, Head of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, said: “We have held seed swaps here for the last two years and they have proved increasingly popular. We are building on these foundations and this year the event has a new name, the Wakehurst Seed Festival, to reflect the fact the event has something for everyone - not just those with seeds to swap.
“We hope people will come along and be encouraged by the displays, talks and stalls to grow something new – whether they are growing their own for the first time, or experimenting and trying different heritage varieties of fruit and vegetables.”
The event is supported by Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library and Seedy Sunday (Brighton and Hove). Admission: £2 entry to the Seed Festival (Garden entrance not included.) Admission is free to paying garden visitors. Further information 01444 894067 or visit http://www.kew.org/news/the-millennium-seed-bank-joins-seed-swap-events.htm
*Experts from the Millennium Seed Bank will be sharing their expertise on saving and storing seeds, but seeds from the Seed Bank will not be used in the seed swap.
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