Jay Hampton founded the Old Swan Seed Library, which plays an important role in saving heritage variety seeds that can be accessed at the Old Swan Library and planted at home. The project’s inception occurred during lockdown, when the council stopped spraying and mowing green spaces. “There was a little patch of wild poppies growing, and I could see them turning into seed pods. And I thought I’d try to get them before they mow them down. And I managed to grab them before [they mowed]” Hampton says. From there, she found neighbours showing an interest in wanting to grow the seeds.
This project has great significance with regards to cultivating the plant ecosystem with long-term benefits. “There’s a lot of eco-anxiety around at the minute and I totally get it, but this is a hands-on project that you can do that really starts to help your own resilience. So, if you started growing seeds and saving them in a few years time you will have locally adapted seeds that are going to be more robust” Hampton says. Planting seeds from the same plant every year will make the plants resilient compared to seeds that are planted from the packet. And if there is a seed shortage, similar to the one in lockdown, you will already have your seeds to grow, so it’s a project that keeps on giving.
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