Community gardeners enjoyed learning about seed saving during their first workshop funded by Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations.
The £2,898 award from PAVO allows BRACE to run training sessions for garden volunteers on subjects ranging from propagation to beekeeping to food preparation.
Horticulturist Alison Alexander shared knowledge gained at the Milennium Seedbank at Wakehurst Place and France’s national herbarium at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris at the session in the Public Institute in October.
Attendees learned how to plan for seed collection – to recognise plant relatives and keep them separate for seed purity by distance, staggering planting times or creating crop barriers.
They discussed how to process wet seeds and dry seeds, and which seeds need special treatments to germinate.
The award allowed the group to buy reference books on seed saving to be shared with the community.