Get Growing Scotland

Seed Stories- for a new year

Up and down the country, Scottish growers get through the difficult winter months planning the next big event, this year’s seed sowing. Seeds, these tiny parcels come packed and programmed to grow; primed to germinate as our days lengthen and the weather warms. The humble act of seed sowing represents our hopeful and practical commitment to a new growing season, our essential partnership with nature to feed ourselves. With our seasons changing and our climate increasingly less predictable, we have seen a rise in the importance of sowing seeds suited to our shorter seasons and able to adapt to our weather extremes.

Community gardeners can play an essential role in becoming centres of seed knowledge, saving and distribution. Many groups save some seed or distribute seed to others locally. If you aren’t yet involved in seed saving, why not start this year? If you are, please share your experience here for others.

To the uninitiated and novice grower, terms of ‘seed sovereignty’ and ‘open pollinated’ can seem scary and off-putting, but it’s easy when you know how and with every year that passes, your seed bank can grow to support more resilient local food growing with nature in your local area.

Looking for guidance and inspiration? See the Stories and Resource section below. If you’d like to share your seed saving stories with others, please get in touch.