Topic: Heritage seed rules relaxed

[Flighty]

This is good news!

http://www.hortweek.com/news/bulletin/dailybulletin/article/987502/?DCMP=EMC-HorticultureWeekDaily

[Robert_Brenchley]

About time too! God only knows how many old varieties have been lost thanks to this moronic legislation.

[saddad]

Can only be good news...
unless it undermines the work done by organisations like HDRA Seed Library..

 :-X

[tonybloke]

yes, and on the front page of the magazine as well, it must be important!

[Digeroo]

I hope it will help the heritage seed libary because they will be able to introduce interesting varieties back into the market place.  I certain have not been disappointed by the heritage varieties I have grown.  As with commercial seeds some have done better than others. 

I think that the results you get depend on the soil and growing conditions.  I feel that I want to choose the varieties I grow and not have this dictated by a huge registration fee. 

Large commercial growers have different criterion for choice.  For example they want all their peas dwarf and to ripen at the same time so they can be harvested in one go.  I want my peas a few at a time over a long growing period.  I want a few as mangetout, a few to graze from the plants a few to boil and a few to freeze and throw into soups.  And if they have pretty flowers then they are the ones for me!!! 

[Robert_Brenchley]

When it comes to peas, I wonder why any gardener with the space would bother growing short peas in these days of freezers! The more tall ones getting resurrected, the better for us.

But peas are easy to save seeds from; all you do is dry some pods. There won't be so many survivors from outbreeding veg like the brassicas.

[goodlife]

"But Westland head of horticulture Dr Mark Fletcher said consumers wanted reliable seeds rather than older, often poorer varieties."

How does he know what thousands of growers want? Why there is such a demand  and collecting going on with unusual chillies, toms , peppers....etc.
Isn't it that we want change from the usual boring stuff in cataloques?
...reliable..my a..., average "consumers"don't grow acres of same stuff, if I can get half of the seed to germinate, I'll do for me...
I save most of my seed anyway and as I do this yearly, germination is as good as from commercial packets if not even better...
New hybrid varieties are not necessary any superior >:( ::)
Get's my blood boiling....

[Robert_Brenchley]

Why would seed of heritage varieties be any less reliable (not that packet seed can always be relied on that much!), or the crop be any poorer?

[saddad]

"But Westland head of horticulture Dr Mark Fletcher said consumers wanted reliable seeds rather than older, often poorer varieties."

If you can find me a modern pea that compares to Magnum Bonum I'll reconsider his opinion...
Modern varieties are developed for machine farming and commercial growers not gardeners...   :-X

[Robert_Brenchley]

Magnum Bonum is my favourite as well, though peas aren't the best of examples since so many of the standard commercial varieties, at least the ones gardeners buy, are pretty old themselves.

[Digeroo]

I was the high germination rate and the vigour of the seed from HSL which inspired my enthusiasm for heritage varieties.   I grew some heritage kale next to commercial kale and the slugs eat all the commercial seedlings and did not touch the heritage ones even though they were only six inches apart.  I have had the same thing happen with beans.

No commercial climbing bean can match Mrs Lewis's Purple podded.  Also I have discovered fresh shelled beans which are delicious.  We eat broad beans as fresh shelled but somehow forgotten about french beans done the same way.