Seeds of Love 2017

Merci Isabelle for the wonderful initiative. If you don’t know what Seeds of Love is, run here first.

I never had a blog, but the occasion is too beautiful to miss it.

I will participate with 3 varieties , all seeds have been collected in my garden in 2016. My garden is located about 10 km outside of Milan, Italy.

I didn’t expect o need the photos, so they are not that beautiful, but they give an idea.

1. Tagetes minuta

Rare type of tagetes, with very small flowers. The plant arrives to 2 m high, and blooms in October/November. The roots are quite shallow for a plant that high, so be careful if you live in a windy area. It is a very helpful plant in your garden, since each exemplar may keep an area of more tham 5mq nematodes-free.

I received the seeds February last year from Teodoro Margarita, pillar of Civiltà Contadina, one of the leading seed savers communities in Italy at the seed exchange event in Costa Volpino. Teodoro is a very interesting man and an exceptional seed saver. You may find Civiltà Contadina website here, and Teodoro blog here.

2. Agastache foeniculum

Aromatic plant with a anis smell. It may be used in teas or salad. 30-40 cm high. It is very very very appreciated by bees and other useful insects.

These seeds came too from the Costa Volpino event. If you are interested in this event (or other similar seed exchange meetings in Italy) it is useful to consult the Semi Rurali agenda.

3. Calendula officinalis

I don’t think this one requires explanations.

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And the winner is….

A note on the method: I used the site recommended by Isabelle.

At the end I had 28 requests, many more than I expected, next year I will be more prepared, I promise…

Of these, 5 will receive my seeds.  (20% winning chance, not bad actually).

And the winners are:

• 26 Marie-Claude
• 47 Eliane
• 75 Sylvie
• 80 Fany
• 141 Andrea

As soon as I receive the address from SOL I will send the packages. Thank you and see you next year.

25/1/2017 update: the letters are in the hands of Poste Italiane