To mark the Heritage Seed Library's (HSL) half century of seed saving, we're launching a unique ‘seed relay’, in October - which will see precious heritage vegetable seeds shared, sown and saved across the country.

The Library, based at our headquarters in Ryton, Coventry, holds the National Collection of Heritage Vegetables and is marking its 50th anniversary to draw attention to community seed saving and sharing, and the vital work of the Library in safeguarding food security and genetic diversity.

A changing climate and decline in insects, including pollinators, is making our food security more precarious. We need to conserve the widest variety of vegetable seeds as possible to ensure the survival of homegrown food crops. Add to this worldwide food shocks caused by pandemics, wars and disrupted trade routes and the urgent need to save our precious seed becomes a race against time.

What is a seed relay?

The relay will have three parts: in England in 2025, Scotland and Wales in 2026, and a special celebration will take place in Ireland. The first leg of the Seed Relay will start from Bocking, Essex, where the seed of the HSL was first sown, and where Garden Organic founder Lawrence D Hills began his groundbreaking organic gardening and conservation work.

During the giant 50th birthday ‘pass-the-parcel’ event, the precious heritage seeds will travel more than 200 miles to be shared among key individuals, organisations and communities across England, before finishing at Garden Organic.

At each stop-off point, supporting ‘seed champions’ will take a packet of seed from the golden anniversary parcel to grow (and eventually harvest and save), and pass the rest of the seeds onto the next destination.

What is the Heritage Seed Library?

The HSL is the only living library of heritage vegetables in the UK, and the only seed library that conserves food by sharing precious heritage seeds with gardeners and communities so they can help preserve them. By sharing and ‘growing out’ the seeds with community partners across the UK, the seeds become more resilient and better adapted to climate change and local conditions.

Fiona Taylor, CEO of Garden Organic says: “The Heritage Seed Library conserves seed by sharing it, and this work is a continual relay between places and generations to ensure the survival of heritage vegetables. Passing seed on to be grown by friends, neighbours and future generations is a simple action that gardeners and growers can take to ensure our food crops adapt to climate change.

“Seed is a precious natural resource, and open pollinated seed continually adapts to the conditions in which it is sown. This means by passing seed on and sowing it in a variety of places, we are allowing it to survive and thrive.”

We'll be updating you on the journey of the seed over the coming anniversary year. Please follow us on social media @gardenorganicuk to check on its progress.

To find out more about the Heritage Seed Library and it's work - and learn how to support this special part of our charity - go to gardenorganic.org.uk/hsl.