Seed Share UK 2026-2027

[Julied]

Are you a UK seed saver, hobby plant breeder, adaptation gardener or seed librarian?

Would you like to grow diverse populations, save seeds more easily and help develop crops adapted to UK gardens and growing conditions?

Registration is now open for our next community seed share!

Email: seedshareUK@gmail.com

to register your interest, ask questions or let me know what crops you may be contributing.

Important:
This seed share is based on diversity of crops, not quantity of a single variety.

Please send 5-10 packets representing 5-10 different crops or populations.

Example:

• Broad bean
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Kale
• Parsnip

The aim is to maximise diversity and give participants as much choice as possible.

How it works:

1. Contribute diversity

Send 5-10 packets of home-saved seed, with each packet representing a different crop or population.

Please include a small contribution towards return postage (details will be provided when registering).

2. Seeds are combined

Seeds are grouped by crop and mixed together to create diverse populations.

3. Choose your seeds

In December, participants will receive a list of all available crops and can choose up to 10 populations they would like to receive.

4. Receive your seeds

Seed packets will be posted in January so they’re ready for the coming growing season.

5. Grow, select and save

Grow your new populations, save seeds from the plants that perform best for you and continue adapting them to your own garden and goals.

There is no obligation to return seeds at the end of the season, although we hope you’ll share seeds locally or join a future seed share.

Happy seed saving season!

Julie

Timeline

• Registration opens now
• Seeds to arrive by: 30 November
• Crop list sent: early December
• Choices submitted: December
• Seeds posted: January

[LINANDARA (Alexandra)]

Excellent. I definitely have peas, buckwheat, beans, white mustard and brown mustard, plus maybe a few others - after this growing season in Wales.

[Julied]

Hi Alexandra,

Welcome to the forum and to the seed share!

[Nancy (Nancy Reading)]

Hi Julie - well done for getting this started again. I’ve had mixed results after a cool damp summer (!) Tried to do too much and achieved little However I have a windowsill full of seed drying and should have tomatoes, TPS, Swede, Runner beans (mixed) and peas (mixed) at the least! The Calendula from last year were lovely! and I should have some seed from those to return :). I’m hopeful that I have leafbeet seed, I’m going to bring that in to dry this weekend. Not so much beetroot, but maybe enough to share. Not sure what else.

[Julied]

Hi Nancy,

it’s been a tough season for sure! Interesting to see we have different success stories. Looking forward to this year’s seed share!

[Marieke (Marieke de Jong)]

Jay! I love when seed season starts. Count me in!

The Seed Shed Sutherland that we started at work has some things to contribute. Not as much as hoped, my natural selection of sheer neglect worked very well in the sense that many seeds proved not up to the task… Mainly bought seeds, the fresh mixes mostly survived. Barely, but they’re biannuals so that’s good enough to make seeds next year.
There are also some local volunteer seed donors that contributed. Mostly people that heard about the seed shed and went “I have… That’s growing in my garden for years. Would you like some?” So the origins of the original seed are unknown, but they have been tested & self selected.
So this year’s parsnip, coriander, broadbean come from them. And Sutherland Kale the same but from last year.

Apart from that there’s mixed Chard and a purple leaved kale. Onions from a single batch of donated seed onions, which might be anything, but they set seed, so… Willing to mix it into mine, or grow it out again to test further before sharing.

Chilli mix, leek mix. I’m sure there’s more. Should go after some of the calendula and dahlia seeds one of these days.

It was remarkably dry in spring here, which killed quite some sowings. So there were quite some things that just never made it. After that we really had a pretty decent summer, reasonable rainfall and warm but not as crazy hot as some places.
Roots of any sort are generally difficult in most of our gardens and the dry spring made it worse so all of those look terrible at the moment. Good hopes for their offspring though!