Rare vegetable varieties are ignored by multinational seed companies and the supermarkets. But local enthusiasts are now using seed swaps to introduce people to the delights of Colonel Murphy beans and Afghan Purple carrots.
Matt Chittock
Any visitors familiar with the bongs'n'incense shops of Brighton and Hove won't be surprised to hear that there is a strong demand for packets of illicit seeds in the city. But for once, on a cold February Sunday, the trade near the seafront isn't in incapacitating super skunk, but something a lot more innocent.
It's around midday at Seedy Sunday's seventh community seed swap and on a dozen or so tables inside Hove town hall an unlikely mix of fresh-faced eco-activists, cloth-capped gardeners and children are sorting through boxes of hand-made seed packets, looking out for something that catches their eye.
All the seed has come from volunteers offering local, sometimes threatened varieties to share. Some are carefully labelled with specialist instructions, others have just a vague handwritten name ("John's Greens"). Continue reading on the Gaianicity webpage and then return to post your comments.
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