Make garden-altering decisions with the HSL
21.08.2023 - 12:03
/ theunconventionalgardener.com
/ Emma Doughty
Remember those heady days at school, when you were faced with choosing your subject options, or which courses – at which higher education establishments – to apply for? There were a lot of things to consider, lots of differing advice on hand, and the prospect of making decisions that would affect (you were told) the rest of your life.
If you’d like to recreate that excitement, year on year, then I can thoroughly recommend joining the Heritage Seed Library (HSL). Unlike regular seed catalogues, the HSL is a member’s club, serving up a smörgåsbord of unusual, old-fashioned seed varieties – the kind you can’t easily find elsewhere. They don’t offer their full range every year, adding a delightful touch of “when would I get the chance again?” to the whole process. You can’t even choose as many packets as you want – your membership entitles you to half a dozen, and you can choose several more as back-up options in case your chosen few have ‘sold’ out.
Here you will find an array of varieties for all of the popular vegetables, from peas and carrots through to turnips and tomatoes. You’ll be spoiled for choice, especially since these are all open-pollinated varieties, and they encourage you to save your own seed. You don’t need to select your favourites every year, you can dare to try something a little different.
And there are plenty of things here that are a little different. It was through the HSL that, years ago, I discovered achocha – one of the ‘Lost Crops of the Incas’, although the catalogue does note that such a vigorous climbing plant may have been lost on purpose! In fact, achocha has become a firm favourite for me, and I am looking forward to growing it again next year. If you’d like to join in the fun then have a look
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