What did Granny Grow?
Forget the attic, look outside for family heirlooms.

Dyfi Valley Seed Savers are holding the third annual seed swap on Sunday 25th February and they are looking for varieties that grow well in our wonderful West Wales climate.

Do you remember that old runner bean that Uncle David used to grow? Or maybe Great Aunty Ivy had a special type of leek that she treasured? If you were lucky enough to get hold of some of these seeds, we’d like to hear from you!

The swap will bring together fantastic opportunities to swap seeds and stories, browse stalls and tuck into some hearty local food (and cake!) there will be scrap store and toy library entertainment for the children, interesting discussions and speakers for the adults. We have a special guest appearance from The Gaia Co-operative who present ‘The Money Game’, a performance exploration of exactly what happens to our money as it travels through the system on its way to lining the corporate pocket and a creative look at what we can do to strengthen our local economy. The food we eat and where it comes from is potentially a great part of the local economy.

The idea behind swapping home saved seeds is that plants ‘acclimatise’. That means that the longer a variety is grown in the area, the more it will adapt to local conditions and the better it will grow. So, if you sow seeds from Aunty Sylvia’s spinach they should sprout splendidly.

We would love to gather stories of Dyfi Valley vegetable varieties and share the seeds so that they can be grown and safeguarded by the hands of the whole community. So if you have any seeds or stories, please come along.

As usual the event will be held in Machynlleth’s Community Hall on the 25th of February and will run from 10.30am til 4pm. Details of speakers are yet to be confirmed. Please contact Imogen on 01654 703965 or  seedsavers@machynlleth.biz or see our website for more information: www.seedsavers.machynlleth.biz

Notes:

Gaia Co-operative:
Author and photographer Elaine Brook is Gaia Partnership's eco- footprinting coach - she works with organisations and individuals to facilitate an understanding of their ecological footprint in an accessible and enjoyable way. They bring us ‘The Money Game’, a fun educational workshop designed to stimulate discussion about economies and corporations.
www.thegaiacooperative.org  Elaine@gaiapartnership.org 0845 458 4718

Ecodyfi:
Ecodyfi is the Community Regeneration partnership for the Bro Ddyfi area. Their vision is for the Dyfi valley to be a thriving bilingual community with a reputation for sustainability and their mission is “to foster sustainable community regeneration in the Dyfi valley" as local needs must be met within a long-term vision. This implies attention to global as well as local environmental sustainability, to the robustness of the local economy and to the capacity of local people to take responsibility. Ecodyfi believes seed saving and local food to be an important part of this process and have been supporting DVSS for the past two years.
www.ecodyfi.org.uk  enquiries@ecodyfi.org.uk 01654 703965

DVSS & Heritage crops:
Dvss believe local communities and small-scale growers have the ability to make an impact on some of the biggest issues facing society in the 21st Century.

Food and food business – the way food is grown, where it is delivered and the way seeds are saved – affects us all. Today a small number of multinational agri-businesses have a stranglehold on the food we eat, the seed it started from and the environments exploited to grow it. This situation threatens our landscape and biodiversity, our environment and wildlife, our health and our ability to choose what is best for us.

Saving seeds is a way for you as an individual, and for the local community of growers as a whole, to alleviate the impacts of leaving seeds in the hands of big business. Gardening is not only good for your wellbeing but you will produce some of the tastiest, most affordable and least travelled food you’ve ever eaten – because you grew it! Saving the seeds of your plants that have grown well is one way to strengthen your crop and protect different varieties. It also means you don’t have to use F1 hybrid seeds from the shops that are more suitable for large-scale, commercial agriculture that relies on chemicals. Sharing them with fellow gardeners follows and the events that the Dyfi Valley Seed Savers set up aim to encourage gardeners of all levels to share their knowledge and exchange their seeds.

The Seed Bank Myth:
Seed banks that freeze seeds in order to maintain them over years and years don’t work. They don’t harm either, but the only way to keep a seed viable is to grow it and save the new seed regularly. Seeds either die in the freeze or they change – only those that can survive being frozen for many years will remain viable.