Are there any more seed guardians out there?

[pigletwillie]

We have just been sent the HSL orphans list and have chosen three varieties of climbing bean and pea to take care of.

Are any other grapes seed guardians?

[Paul Wagland]

I've been meaning to join up for ages - might do it tonight! Is being a seed guardian different to the wider HSL thing?

[allotmentlady]

What is a seed guardian?

[TonyF]

There are two 'categories' of membership in HSL, both of which are undertaken on a voluntary basis and are covered by the same membership fee. The first is the basic membership for which you get your seeds every year.

The Seed Guardians are gardeners who volunteer to grow seeds (I get the orphans list, unloved) and then return the resulting crop/seeds to HSL to pass on to other members. You get up to 3 varieties and you're asked to fill in a report on a number of aspects of their growth with the proviso that the HSL understands that sometimes crops fail.

Last year I had a load of Lancashire Lad peas over at the end of the year (not Guardian then) and having sown 100 of them in Rootrtainers this year, I returned 190 to the HSL to pass on, should they be wanted.

Apart from the problems with cross-pollination of two varieties of tomato, this years orphan's list are either self-pollinating climbing French beans, dwarf French beans, Peas and tomatoes.

I had only pea and bean seeds in my main selection this year and two are on the orphans list so I'll grow those to keep 50% here and return 50% to HSL.

I'm also concentrating on beans for the orphans list as well, mainly on the rare European varieties and apart from 10 kept here to grow on next year, all will go back to HSL.

Hope this helps ..........

[PAULW]

Our secretary is into this and had a load of seeds so I have adopted 3 Rattlesnake Beans which I intend to grow at home to prevent cross polination.

[seasprout]

Tell me..

So as i had purple podded pea from HSL last year and grew them only for seed, could i then have sent back to HSL for others to use the majority of those seeds even though i'm not a guardian..?

[TonyF]

Seasprout, the HSL basically survives on donations of money and seeds - if you have a surplus of their seeds, properly dried and stored, contact them via email to ask them whether they want them back - they'll probably say 'yes please'.

[JennieAtkinson]

What a lovely idea - I have never heard of it before.

[seasprout]

Cheers.

Thank you kind sir. Very interesting.

I actually took all my surplus's to the Potato and seed swap day begining of Feb, and put all my packets in to the swap so nowt went to waste.

The chap running the swap took several & let slip he had some Blaby Tomato seeds about his person...I almost mounted him with Joy.... It's been my Holy grail for a few years.

Anyhow the Toms are doing well and I will certainly save stuff and dry re: their instructions and send some back. (or perhaps I could deliver them in person..Hmm..)

Cheers Tony.

[seasprout]

What a lovely idea - I have never heard of it before.

Heritage Seed Library

Take a look at the official site.

[nerobot]

DO you have to be a member to be a gardian?

[pigletwillie]

Yes you do but its only £20 a year to join.

[nerobot]

So you have to pay to volunteer your services. Odd.

[TonyF]

So you have to pay to volunteer your services. Odd.

They also have traditional volunteers in HDRA who make a substantial contribution to their work.

The only way that HDRA can circulate seeds which are not on the Eurpean approved list is by doing it this way - and who else should pay for the postage of seeds, Seed news etc?

[pigletwillie]

Blimey, we got all three of our "orphan seed" choices.

We are now guardians of

Climbing French bean - Red and White.
Madeira Maroon.

Pea Gravedigger.

Hopefully we will get them started off in the next couple of weeks.