This Summer we are handing out 5000 Seeds of Eden Restoration Packs at festivals such as Give, One Tribe, Tribe of Doris and Positive Vibrations. Let us know if you would like to help us by handing out Packs.
Here are some clues as to what is in the pack
War and Peace
The history of man is littered with conflict. More often than not that has been down to the desire for a certain type of plant, or for a commodity that plants can provide. A part of your seed blend includes many of those species. Once you have the seed, you have abundance, now we can share it.
Plants for a Sustainable Future
There are plants that could bring down the plastic, petrol and poison peddling corporations of the World. For some reason the corporations aren’t shouting about them. Such alternatives are trickling into the market, but if we want to change anything we must all start using them. You’ll see some of these plants popping their heads up in your seed bed too.
The Birds and the Bees
We all know that the birds and the bees need a helping hand right now. Most of us also know that if the bees die out we die out very shortly after. This wildflower entry into the mix also brings a whole lot of beauty!
Famine and Feast
“Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread”
Ezekiel Around 540BCE
So who is this Ezekiel fellow!? He’s the the main man in the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity and Islamic Faith, Ezekiel is acknowledged as a prophet. What he was trying to tell the World is that wheat – the staff of bread – is going to start failing us, and unless we diversify our diet we’re all going to starve and die. Not wanting to give us a load of problems without any solutions he also left us with a handy recipe for a very nutritious seedy loaf.
Well guess what!? His prophecy just happens to be bang on. We’ve depleted our soils to the point that most of our wheat is not high enough in protein for human consumption, and now goes into animal feed. The wheat we do eat has been inbred and genetically modified to the point that millions of humans can’t digest it, and as if that wasn’t enough, we’ve covered a 3rd of the World’s land mass in a handful of such species, resulting in the mass extinction of both animal and plant species worldwide. Ezekiel’s little recipe doesn’t sound like such a bad idea now, so yup, they’re in the mix. Spread genetic diversity far and wide!
Coming Back to Life
In the beginning Earth had no organic matter for plants to grow in. With the past 20,000 years of ploughing, soil erosion is rapidly sending it back into that condition. So you might ask, how did plants ever get started? There are certain species that we call pioneers, they don’t need much organic matter to get going and gather nutrients in different ways. These plants are still around, and move in when soils are disturbed by landslides, fallen trees, human activity etc. These are the species that can take dead soil and bring it to life. We desperately need to regenerate our soils, so you’ll find some of those in the mix too.
How to Sow Your Seeds
Sow from March to May for best results.
Find a sunny patch of ground that measures approximately 4 square meters. If you don’t have your own spot to plant them in, take them out and about and do a little guerrilla gardening. Unmaintained spots that couldn’t be much worse are ideal for low input growing.
Remove any large weeds that might restrict light, this will also open up the surface of the soil for sowing. Sprinkle your seeds on the ground and throw over a little earth. Do a ceremonial shuffle up and down the bed and tread them gently into the surface. If its dry water them in.
Be sure to pop back every so often to see how they’re doing. Give them a little water if they’re desperate, and weed out anything that’s taking over too much. Be careful what you remove, and research any plants you don’t know. Don’t forget, you can always post questions and pictures on our facebook page.
