Back in the spring of 2009 the gardeners at Capparoe planted around 300 Bedford monarch parsnips and wanted to save the plants for seed production.
So the gardeners took away all those which didn’t look too great.
They took away [...]
Research
Bedford Monarch Parsnips- Selecting for seed production
Date:3 March 2010
Saving the Seeds-BRASSICACEAE Family
Date:24 November 2009
The brassicas are insect pollinated (bees love them). All the below need to be separated from other varieties of their species by 1,500m, except for rocket and radish, which only require a distance of 750m!
Broccolli from Brussel sprouts, [...]
Saving the Seeds-ALLIACEAE or AMARYLLIDACEAE Family
Date:24 November 2009
Allium flowers are pollinated by insects and varieties need to be separated by at least 1,5000m. All leeks (allium ampeloprasum) will cross with each other, but not with any other members of this family.
All onion varieties of the [...]
History and Origins-BRASSICACEAE Family
Date:24 November 2009
BRASSICACEAE Family
The “parent” of most common brassicas – cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprout, kohlrabi – is the wild cabbage, one species of which grows on the coast through southern England and western France down to N.W. Spain, [...]
History and Origins-ALLIACEAE or AMARYLLIDACEAE Family
Date:24 November 2009
ALLIACEAE or AMARYLLIDACEAE Family
The cultivated members of this family – Onions, Shallots, Leeks, Chives, and Garlic – all belong to the genus Allium. Onions, leeks and garlic are known to have been cultivated by the Ancient Egyptians as [...]
Why save seeds?
Date:24 November 2009
Why do seeds need safeguarding?
Imagine you are a small farmer, growing what you need to feed your family. Every year you plant seed from the grains and vegetables which your family have grown for generations. One day a [...]
How To Save Seeds
Date:24 November 2009
The notes that follow are the barest bones of seedsaving. If you have any emergencies, please don’t hesitate to contact us and, if you want to go into the subject in greater depth, we run seedsaving courses at [...]
Saving the seed: Europe’s challenge by Alvaro Toledo
Date:24 November 2009
The following article is reprinted from March 2002 issue of Seedling, the quarterly newsletter of Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN), an international non-governmental organisation based in Spain. GRAIN promotes the sustainable management and use of agricultural biodiversity. Contact [...]
Ten proposals to support agricultural biodiversity in Europe
Date:24 November 2009
Link on-farm practices and management with the development of local markets.
Facilitate networking and exchange of information between different NGOs and farmers. A special emphasis is [...]