Sharing makes gardens grow...
I ALWAYS enjoy the packets of free seeds given away with AG. There is always that gap in the border that needs filling. However, I find there are always far too many seeds for my needs. Not to be wasteful, I grow them on in 3in (8cm) pots and give them away on this purpose-made stand behind our hedge. This, I hope, encourages others in these crazy times into gardening.
I ask for no money, but if folk would like to make a donation to the RNLI (saving lives at sea), that’s a bonus! So far the seeds, AG and I have raised £23. As they say, every little helps!
Stephen F High, Garvestone, Norfolk Wendy says:
Well done, Stephen!
I HAD the idea during the summer of
2019 to collect seeds to give out on Valentine’s Day to colleagues at work this year. I hoped that some would choose to grow these, and could enjoy the gift over the coming months… little did I know how things were about to change for all!
I chose easy-to-grow, cheerful and familiar flowers, and gave out more than
40 packets of seeds, nasturtium, sweet pea, sunflower and marigold seeds, all saved from my own plants. The only cost was the time to collect them and the envelopes. My gardening advice? Chuck them on the ground in March or April and they will grow’
During lockdown, I became aware that these little envelopes of seeds were taking on a life of their own. I received messages from colleagues about how much they were appreciating their plants. Sometimes, after a virtual meeting, I’d be proudly shown the burgeoning greenery through someone’s window. Then came cheerful flowers. Gradually, I realised that the seeds were reaching even further, as spare plants had been passed to neighbours and across families.
Now that summer has passed and the flowers are coming to an end, people are collecting their own seeds to pass on to others next spring. At a time when so many of us were feeling apart, these Valentine’s seeds have continued to make people feel connected.
Spurred on by all the positivity, I’ve been collecting even more seeds with a renewed energy. I’m sure this played a part in my decision to start ‘Bury St Edibles’ – a Facebook group on a mission to make edible plants available to people who will benefit from growing fresh food.
By Valentine’s Day 2021, I believe there will be a posse of us repeating this cycle of gifting seeds and enjoying all the good that comes from it!
Suzanne Stevenson, Facebook: Bury St Edibles