Articles and Information

I was raised surrounded by the forest of the Blue Mountains National Park, wearing clothes when only in society. I spent my early years frolicking in the woods, climbing trees, and crossing fallen log bridges over streams. I stopped wearing shoes when I was at University. I got bored with University and began learning survival skills. Reading books, talking with elders, watching videos and practising. A series of events left me homeless and I realised if I did nothing my situation would remain the same. However, if I planted seeds, then in 3 months or less, I could have a free meal...

Site selectionRoots from adjoining trees and shrubs will thrive when the garden is watered and fertilised to the detriment of your vegetables.So a site must be free of invading roots.Vegetables thrive in sunshine. Only green leafy vegetables can best be grown under various levels of shade though it will alter their growth and flavour so a gardener ha to decide if this is beneficial. Consideration of roots and sunshine are crucial in the planning stage...

Working to keep Australia GE-freeThe Gene Ethics Network was founded in 1988. This was done to promote critical community discussion and debate on the economic, market, environmental, social and ethical impacts of genetic engineering (GE) technologies. The Network campaigns for the precautionary principle to be rigorously applied to all uses of GE. We also promote...

Traditional or Modern varieties of fruits and vegetables?Amy Glastonbury,The Seed Savers Network, 19th July 2004. It is our belief at Seed Savers that older varieties of fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than modern varieties. Over the last century plant breeders have focused their efforts on breeding plants that have high yields, are easily transportable, have a long storage life and are pest and disease resistant. Until the last few years, little or no attention has been directed towards breeding plants that are tasty and more nutritious. This has resulted in a selection of fruit and vegetables in our supermarkets that are bland, uniform and of little nutritional value.

Eden Seeds continues to make available by mail order the widest range of old traditional open pollinated seed.This reflects not only our interest in making available a wide range of traditional varieties but the growing awareness of many gardeners and cottage industry growers of the need to contribute something toward the preservation of our food heritage and the desire to learn the skills needed for seed production and storage.

Recently while travelling to Victoria some interesting situations at the Airport showed how far changes have come for consumers and to me how much more we can still do.Eden Seeds was started 26 years ago to give home gardeners the choice of being able to obtain the old traditional open pollinated varieties of vegetable seed in addition to growing organically.My old property in Gympie was the first NASAA certified property in Queensland. The present property is registered Demeter. In the 1980’s we dreamt of a local store selling organic produce. Now there are so many retail outlets and farmers markets that the supermarkets are now taking interest as well.

2010 Field Day, Bio-Dynamic Agricultural Association of Australiaby Alex Podolinsky. Monday 26/04/2010Condensed from tape. AGM 2010 Monday, farm field day opened to conventional farmers of Victoria’s mid western district on a well developed large Bio-Dynamic farm (grazing, sheep, modern flour mill). Estimated 200 farmers came, some 50 experienced Bio-Dynamic farmers present to answer question etc. after introductory lecture and after my departure. Not just a lecture by an individual, but a confrontation of the conventional farming system, which is based on Justin Von Liebig’s discovery that plants can take in only water soluble elements, which lead to the conventional system being increasingly hydroponic; almost totally disregarding soil and Nature’s organization.

Thank-you for your interest in the old traditional vegetable varieties. It has now been over 30 years since the hobby of saving our endangered food heritage became a registered business as Eden Seeds. In the late 1980's plant variety right legislation brought Australia in line with other Western nations to enable greater patenting of newly bred varieties for those who could afford it and had an interest in new hybrids.In that time an estimated 60% of open pollinated varieties have disappeared from

Whilst the work done by many seed savers to save the heirloom vegetable varieties has slowed down the ever continuing loss of excellent old traditional vegetables it is very sad when I think of the fruits I used to eat compared to the varieties offered today. I grew up in an irrigation area in northern Victoria where there were three fruit preserving canneries nearby. Whilst some fruit for canning were used for cooking there were many tasty and delicious fresh fruits on offer in season.

Tree Lucerne is often called Tagasaste. It is a stock food and good windbreak to 4m tall. Pruning may keep it to 2m for easy access. As a highly nutritious legume it can be cut and fed to stock and is good all-round with poultry and winter bee fodder. Tagasaste is frost tolerant evergreen when mature and prefers well drained slightly alkaline soils but is hardy in other situations once established. Mature plants tolerate drought and frost. It is thought of as the temperate equivalent of leucaena.