Sowing the seeds for growing success

IT may be hard to envision, but once upon a time, when packaged commercial seeds did not exist or were not readily available or affordable, next year’s garden depended solely on the successful harvest of seeds from this years crops.

A scary prospect in light of this year’s growing season. More often than not, as home growers cultivate their gardening skills and familiarise themselves with the plants and vegetables they grow, their curiosity increases as does their yields.

Even though today’s seed racks and catalogues are ubiquitous, there are still plenty of compelling reasons for saving your own seed allows you to preserve scarce heirloom varieties that are being dropped by seed merchants; increases your self-sufficiency; it can save you money and it allows plants to adapt to the local climate and soil conditions in Ireland and particularly in your own garden.