Spuds are just the start!
Posted Tuesday 21st November 2006
Come and join the fun!
Spuds will be just the start at Garden Organic’s Potato Day this year – with visitors being introduced to all aspects of organic growing and living.
More than 1,000 visitors are expected to come along to Potato Day, sponsored by Thompson & Morgan, at Garden Organic Ryton, Warwickshire, on Sunday, January 28, from 9.30am to 5pm (There is a Members-only Potato Day on Saturday 27th January). As ever, they will be able to choose from up to 100 varieties of seed potatoes, but this year there will be so much more on offer.
Events Manager Vivienne Roach, says: "We have been holding Potato Day since 1993 and it's wonderful to see how much interest in organic issues has flourished during that time. This event originally attracted mainly gardeners and allotment-holders, but now it draws visitors from all walks of life."
Visitors will be able to enjoy fascinating talks on organic lifestyles and parenting at this year's Potato Day. They will also be able to watch organic cookery demonstrations by Clive Seal, from Henley College, and entertain their children with fun potato-themed activities.
Of course, gardeners will still be able to take their pick from up to 100 varieties of seed potatoes, including many organic and Sarpo tubers, supplied by Thompson & Morgan. But this year, they will also be watch practical demonstrations on how to plant their potatoes perfectly.
See the list of potato varieties ordered for Potato Day here.
Keen growers will also be able to take part in a new seed swap ** [see notes below] for all vegetable
and ornamental varieties, run by Garden Organic's Heritage Seed Library.
And they can round off the day by attending the Hot Potato debate, discussing
the merits of copper sprays versus GM blight-resistant potatoes, and a Gardeners' Question
Time.
Visitors will be able to enjoy the public Potato Day* for the regular admission
at Ryton: adults £5, concessions £4.50 and children £2.50.
This includes access to all of the usual attractions at Ryton, including
its beautiful display gardens, the fun Vegetable Kingdom, award-winning organic
restaurant, café, shop and plant sales area.
** Seed swap
Please bring along a packet or more of home-saved seed labelled with the name of the seeds and the year of harvest, cultivation advice is optional. Please put reasonable numbers of seed in each, e.g. 10 beans or 50 lettuce. Commercial seed packets are also accepted.
You can then swap with other packets in the seed-swap.
No lists are issued of what will be available as we are largely dependant on what people bring with them. You do not need to list what you are bringing. Visitors rummage through boxes of seeds set out to see what they would like, hopefully finding something to interest them. There will be some Heritage Seed Library seed varieties available as well.
Be sure to come back later in the day too, to see what else has turned up in the boxes!
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