How does your garden grow? By Alison Marshall

“What have you planted this year? Any signs of seedlings yet?  How would the last year have been if we couldn’t grow things?” A friend and I chatted as we headed home from the Community Allotment recently.

We’d really enjoyed the morning exercise in the fresh air, seeing signs of spring – and chatting! And we could eat the harvest of purple sprouting broccoli – without artificial fertilisers, pesticides, peat or packaging.

We can’t be completely organic on the allotment – but we can be low impact and wildlife friendly. We can make compost to nourish the soil, collect water in butts and use donated second hand tools. And support wildlife with plants that are good for pollinators, a pond and a bug hotel.

At the allotment, we are part of a community of growers. We share successes and failures, tips, seeds and seedlings. We may have talked on line recently, more than over shared tea breaks – but our blog explains how we’ve coped. (www.transitionhorsham.org.uk)

For 12 years, Transition Horsham has also offered an annual Seedy Saturday, with a Seed Swap, to a wide community of new and experienced growers. This has now become part of the Kinder Living Home Show.

At the Seed Swap, home and allotment growers swap pollinated seeds they have collected after last year’s vegetable, fruit and flower crops to preserve varieties that are suited to local conditions. Seed-swappers also share their tips and stories which went on-line this year.

We’re pleased to invite you to our real-life Seedling Swap on May 15th in Horsham Market! We will be easy to find – alongside the converted milk float which is Sussex Green Living’s Inspiration Station.

Why not sow extra seeds now, then come along and share your seedlings?

They can be grown from a packet bought last week or from seed saved from last year.  We challenge you to grow them with as little impact as possible, and with wildlife in mind, but the most important thing is to enjoy growing together!

Would you like more contact with other growers? Join the Horsham District Seed Circle. In a monthly email we share seeds, tips and news.  Our current focus is growing, with seed saving later, ready for Seed Swap 2022. You could also join the What’s App group.

Horsham District Council Climate Fund helps allotment volunteers to improve the plot this year and to run Seedling Saturday. For more information about the Community Allotment, Seedling Saturday or the Seed Circle (all free) email

For wildlife friendly gardening – www.sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/discover/in-your-garden

For low impact growing – www.realseeds.co.uk