Seed Swaps Are The Future

Take back your power from the nature despots.

Today in The Guardian:

“seed swaps take place all over the UK; here, you can exchange your seeds for something new and benefit from the advice of other seed savers.”

See my previous article about seeds.

The article also mentions self seeders: here is the self-sown borage; the fox gloves were unbelievable this year and the Verbascum reached unprecedented heights over six feet tall.

I have been splitting and taking cuttings as we go along this year which is pleasing.

Rescuing the poor abandoned supermarket herbs/orphans is a staple, here is the Veg Trug: most of these started life in the reduced aisle at Tesco…

We have had a hitch with the compost this year, an enterprising little mouse has moved in with her gorgeous family, central heating provided, so we are a little reluctant to turn it over.

I did read a tip that I am hoping to try: roses in potatoes. Apparently if you take a rose cutting, and put it in a potato it can grow into a viable plant…to be tried asap. I often take the cut herbs from the shop and put them in water to encourage roots: most of the mint this year has been prorogated that way.

I could go on, but one thing I did find very useful was nettles when I had the most awful hives from head to toe. After failure by steroids, the phrase Urtica/Urticaria kept going around my head, so I duly made nettle tea and the stubborn rash disappeared withing 24 hours and the awful itching.

We forget perhaps that the Pharmaceutical Drugs are merely the equivalent of table sugar: white (often), refined and frequently deadly. Whole plants come synergistically and with the components needed to do the job of healing if properly applied.

We bring back seaweed from the seaside, ferment it in a bucket and then dilute before using. Organic and plant and animal friendly and full of trace minerals: it should be called the fertiliser that other fertilisers can’t reach! We also use nettles as food for the soil.

One word of warning, poisonous plants such as Solanum will be equally efficient at their job — not for nothing is the beautiful Belladonna the plant we warn our dogs and children about most:

https://medium.com/@pipblanc/seed-swaps-are-the-future-e909abf009