Seedy Saturday, at Lewes Town Hall, is a date with springtime and the biggest community seed swap in the country. Usually held on the first Saturday in February, it coincides with Candlemas, when the holly and other greenery ‘decking the halls’ must be taken down.
But celebrating the Spring goes back much further and the festival of Imbolc which is held on 1 February is one of the four Gaelic seasonal celebrations, linked to the lambing season and the Goddess Brigid. Ireland has given it Christian resonance as St Brigid’s Feast Day, with Holy Wells visited and Brigid’s woven crosses hung over doors and windows to ward off evil.
Whilst there were no Brigid’s crosses hanging in the public rooms, it was nevertheless a festival of fertility and life – a cornucopia of nature’s bounty, human creativity, hope and resilience in the face of the existential threats to our environment.
Preserving local varieties
Wandering through the rooms, keeping my eyes resolutely averted from the delicious cake and coffees provided by the Barcombe School PTA, there was so much to enjoy and appreciate. The heart of a Seedy Saturday is the swapping and sale of seeds or other propagation material in order to preserve a wealth of local varieties, more able to resist pests and disease.
The laws that regulate seed sale do not apply to domestic gardeners and anyway the big seed companies tend to produce only popular varieties, plus a selection of hybrid seeds which often produce plants whose seeds are sterile and cannot be planted for the following year. So seed swapping saves money, protects biodiversity, encourages interesting conversations and on yet another cold and rainy February day, engenders a wonderful sense of contentment and peace.
The seed swap stand dominated one room and it was exciting to see how busy it was with seeds supplied by local seed merchants and keen gardeners. It proved difficult to get near, but manners prevailed in Lewes with nothing more than some polite jostling for position. Other stalls were less crowded but no less enticing.
Mostly packed in modest brown paper envelopes, these heritage or heirloom seeds might not seem instantly tempting but the labels and descriptions read like poetry. Who could resist the Half Long Guernsey Parsnip or the Golden Bantam heritage sweetcorn? Or a Black Ball cornflower that “blooms enthusiastically and tirelessly”?
Protecting wildlife
Away from the seeds, the rooms were packed with local, national and international organisations concerned with protecting wildlife in Sussex and beyond, preserving our insects and our birds, re-wilding and conserving our wild places.
Well-being merged with nature and natural resources on many stalls. Lewes House, the Grange Gardens, the Railway Lands, Ringmer Community Orchard and the Lewes Priory Trust were amongst the many organisations encouraging people to join in and care for our own open spaces in Lewes.
There were also chances to learn, with talks on ‘Future gardening challenges’ by Andrew Gaunt and ‘Planting for moths’ by Sarah Mayfield. Marianne Angeloni-van Niekerken of Crafty Basketry ran willow weaving workshops, producing obelisks and cloches. Nearby, the Lewes Men’s Shed showcased some of their recent projects, encouraging men to join, learn some skills and enjoy companionship.
Improving our environment and our wellbeing
Three weeks on from Seedy Saturday and I can be found in the greenhouse inspecting what has already been planted and trying to find space for other hopefuls. The Green Mist Ammi has appeared above ground as have the Kaleidoscope Nasturtiums.
Cosmos Apricotta and Ivory Princess Marigold are definitely waiting for warmer days before joining the others! Having planted sweet peas in the autumn that are now looking almost ready to brave the great outdoors, I will do a second sowing with Charlie’s Angels found on another local stall.
Seedy Saturday is definitely a high point in the gardening year, an encouragement to get out into a garden or an allotment whether or not you own it, to produce home grown food, to experiment with old crop varieties, to allow space for wildlife, to share, to mend and re-use.
It is also a celebration of community, an opportunity to show how in simple, quiet ways we can improve our environment but also contribute to the wellbeing of everyone who lives here.
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