Collecting and storing

On a visit last year to Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank Project (MSBP), where seeds from around the world are collected and stored, my puny eff orts were well and truly put in the shade.  e scientists at the MSBP are striving to save some 60,000–100,000 plants on the edge of extinction.  ose that are collected are tested for viability and then stored on shelves in a gigantic cold store. Plants are the basis of ecosystems and seed banks such as this are providing an insurance policy for the future.

Commercial seed producers also need to ensure the viability of the seeds they sell.  ompson & Morgan’s horticultural manager, Andrew Tokely, described the process: “We have our own plant breeding programme and once a new plant is bred it then goes for seed production. Certain crops are harvested by hand, larger species with a combine harvester, and crops such as marigolds are harvested using what is eff ectively a giant vacuum.

“Once harvested, seeds are cleaned and then tested in the laboratory – as are the seeds we buy in from other producers. Afterwards they are stored in a cold, dry environment before being packed by machine.”

At home you can simply shake the seed heads into a plastic bag to collect seeds, but always store them in paper envelopes, in a cool place where mice can’t get at them. A biscuit tin makes a safe, dampproof seed container.

Seeds don’t like variations in temperature, so rather than keep the tin in your shed or greenhouse, store it in an unheated utility room or garage. For this reason, too, it is better to buy your seeds by mail order direct from the seed companies rather than from a garden centre or shop where temperature and humidity may fl uctuate.

Seeds such as nasturtiums are big and easy to handle, but if you have dexterity problems, smaller seeds can be impossible to distribute evenly in a seed tray. Mixing them with clean dry sand is helpful. For a few varieties such as lettuce and herbs, you can buy seed tapes or mats that have seed embedded at even intervals, and can simply be applied to the soil and thinly covered.

A handy, inexpensive gadget called an auto-seeder helps you distribute accurately small, even-shaped seeds into pots or trays. Accurate sowing means less crowding, damping off and waste when the seedlings come up.

Garden tools you’ll love to handle

The OXO Good Grips range of kitchen tools – so ergonomically comfortable to hold, especially if your hands are weak or affected by arthritis – has recently expanded into the garden. Woman’s World has tested them and we think they’re super – so easy to hold, good-looking and not over-priced. With the adjustable hand rake (£12) and Gel-e Weeder (£10), for example, taking care of a raised flower or vegetable bed is easy. The Gel-e Scoop (£12) holds so much more compost than a trowel when you’re filling large pots, while the quick release bulb planter (£10) has a unique mechanism that takes some of the work out of this autumn chore. A fork, two trowels, garden scissors, hand shears and loppers complete the range, which is available in Lakeland stores and online at www.lakeland.co.uk or call 0114 290 1455 for other stockists.