Category: Seed Pantry News

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Seed Pantry teams up with Organix and the Goodies Explore Tour!

Explorer Pack - BadgeWe have teamed up with Organix and on their exciting Goodies Explore Tour this summer!

The tour will highlight nature, arts and crafts, and storytime events as well as food and grow your own activities, featuring our very own Seed Pantry products!

Look out for the tour coming to a town near you and bring your little ones along to plant carrots, runner beans and lettuce in their own pot to take home.

In addition, we’re giving away ten Goodies Organix tins packed with healthy, tasty snacks including crunchy carrot sticks, mini oaty bites, mini cheese crackers, animal biscuits, sweetcorn salsa snappy crocks and delicious raspberry and apple fruit moos! Look out for the giveaways running on our Facebook and Twitter pages or email us with your name, address and contact number to be entered into the draw to win a tin of Goodies Organix snacks for your little ones. Email:

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Appy times for Seed Pantry

Seed Pantry® App Crop Clock® ScreenThis month, we’re launching a fantastic new Seed Pantry app – a brilliant new way to monitor and keep track of home-grown vegetables, herbs and salads.

Featuring a handy ‘crop clock’, the app lets you set a timer that will guide you through the growing process, from sow dates through to harvesting. Whether it’s for basil and beetroot or snap peas and sweet corn, the smart timer allows you to set a sow date and monitor progress of seedlings and receive alerts as reminders of key dates for transplanting and harvesting.

The app also offers growing tips and techniques and is packed with illustrated veg growing information. It provides instant access to the unique Seed Pantry range of seed kits, plants and equipment and to the Seed Pantry ask a question service using Twitter, just tap the share icon to post what you’re growing or go to ask a question for our experts to answer.

The app is available to download for free from the Apple app store with an Android version to follow soon.

Click on the link below or search for Seed Pantry in your app store.

free-app-download

Appy growing!

Seed Pantry® App Splash

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Waitrose chooses Seed Pantry for flagship ‘Grow and Sell’ scheme

Waitrose has re-launched its flagship national ‘Grow and Sell’ scheme to get school children growing their own fruit and veg and has chosen Seed Pantry as its long term partner to supply seed kits and an educational mobile app.

The scheme, which has trebled in size since last year, was so succesful in many communities around the country that it will run again over the Spring and Summer seasons.

Following the successful pilot Seed Pantry will provide the ‘Grow and Sell’ seed kits for schools across the UK to set up and maintain their own vegetable patches. They contain seeds for the children to plant and grow vegetables such as lettuces, beetroots, basil, courgettes, snap peas and all the pots, compost, dibbers and equipment they need as well as step-by-step instructions. The new kit features the addition of wild flower seeds, which will help boost the number of bees, butterflies and other pollinators in school hedgerows.

Also new to this year is an educational mobile app that teachers, children and parents can download to access information on where food comes from, and understand how it’s produced. The app features a crop timer that is set when seeds are sown and reminds you via alerts what to do when and when your plants will be ready to harvest and sell at Waitrose.

For 7 – 11 year olds in primary schools, the initiative aims to inspire over 100,000 children to grow their own produce this season. Children will learn about where food comes from, the impact and importance of the seasons and develop entrepreneurial skills by selling their produce directly to Waitrose shoppers.

Neil Whitehead, founder of Seed Pantry says: “Due to last year’s success we’re delighted that Waitrose has re-launched Grow and Sell and chosen Seed Pantry as their partner to supply the seed kits and app technology. It is a fantastic project for us to be involved with and is testament to our brand and product range that is already in thousands of homes across the UK, inspiring a new generation of food lovers to grow their own healthy produce. By working with Waitrose it really helps to grow our business and employ people to support the ongoing scheme.

Growing food locally is something we are passionate about and want to encourage among people of all ages.”

Tina Varns, Sustainability and Ethical Sourcing Manager at Waitrose said: “Having seen the success of last year’s project, it brings us immense pleasure to re-launch the ‘Grow and Sell’ scheme and support a small entrepreneurial business, which fits very well with the ethos of our business. We hope it will encourage children to choose to eat well, and inspire entrepreneurial minds to flourish, which I know is something Seed Pantry is passionate about too.”

More details are available on the Waitrose website: Waitrose press centre.

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New products from seed pantry

Seasonal stocking fillers from Seed Pantry

Wild flower seed gift sets from Seed Pantry.

Just in time for Christmas, Seed Pantry has launched three delightful newwild flower seed growing kits, perfect for budding growers and green-fingered friends.

Mum and Me Flowers and Veg Starter Pack

The perfect present for Mums and their little one, the Mum and Me Flowers and Veg Seed Starter Pack is a great way to get the whole family involved in growing wild flowers, veg, herbs and salads.

The Mum Pack contains seeds to grow five different types of wild flowers: field poppies, yarrow, musk mallow, chamomile and wallflowers. The seeds grow into some of Britain’s wonderful native flora in your own outdoor space and are especially attractive to bees, butterflies, hoverflies, beetles and other wildlife, thanks to their vibrant colours. Wildflowers make great companion plants too, for vegetables and fruit trees and can be grown in even the smallest of spaces, giving Mum a real joy over the summer season.

The Me Seeds Pack lets younger gardeners grow four varieties of vegetables and herbs – sweetcorn, cress, pumpkins and sunflowers.

The whole kit contains all the equipment you need to get started, including bio-degradable rice husk pots, coir seed trays, organic compost (3L bag), and an FSC oak dibblet.

The Mum and Me packs arrive in stylish Seed Pantry gift boxes, made using recycled packaging and printed with vegetable inks, including easy-to-follow illustrated instructions and a handy notes pencil for Mum.

The carefully selected seed varieties grow well in pots, containers, the garden veg patch or flowerbed in sheltered, bright positions and can be planted indoors from March to July.

Priced at £40 including delivery the Mum and Me Flowers and Veg pack is a great Christmas present idea for those new to gardening and experienced growers alike.

Wild Flower Seed Starter Pack

The Wild Flower Seed Starter Pack contains seeds to grow seeds to grow wild flowers including field poppies, yarrow, musk mallow, chamomile and wallflowers. These vibrant flowers are easy to grow and tend to and attract a range of pollinating wildlife to your garden. Priced at £26, the starter pack contains everything you need to get started, detailed instructions and a handy notes pencil.

Wild Flower Seeds Box

Priced at £6.75, this box contains five packs of seeds to grow wild flowers in your garden.

Seed Pantry founder, Neil Whitehead says: “Our wild flower kits are a great Christmas gift idea for those new to gardening or for experienced growers. Wild flowers are perfect for attracting bees into your garden as well as other creatures and wildlife, and Spring is a key time of year for pollination. The Mum and Me kit will bring hours of enjoyment to mums and their little ones as they watch the seeds grow into beautiful flowers, and the veggies can be added to family favourite recipes and dishes within a matter of weeks!”

All kits are available now. Order by 17th December to guarantee delivery before Christmas. 

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Seed Pantry’s new addition to the patch!

Seed Pantry is delighted to welcome a new member to the team this month. Mike Thurlow (on the left in the pic!), renowned organic kitchen gardener and horticulturalist is joining our green-fingered team to help provide advice, tips and recommendations on growing your own flavoursome food.

He has over 30 years’ experience, early on as head gardener at Dyffryn Gardens (Vale of Glamorgan) and as horticultural director at Aberglasney Gardens in Carmarthenshire. From 1998 to 2012 he was Head Gardener of the Organic Walled Kitchen Garden at Audley End House, Saffron Walden where he oversaw the restoration of the Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden, combining Victorian and Soil Association standards to produce organic fruit and vegetables all year round.

His passion for growing organic heritage varieties of fruit, vegetables, salads and herbs has meant appearances in television programmes including Gardeners World, Great British Food Revival and British to the Core, along with writing of several books and columns in the gardening press.

Mike will be on hand to work with Seed Pantry’s founder, Neil Whitehead, on product development and will also be available to provide growing, sowing and planting tips to businesses and individuals interested in growing their own organic food.

Look out for new Seed Pantry products, advice and planting tips coming soon. Sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date.

Welcome on board Mike!

You can see his work here www.michaelthurlow.com

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Seed Pantry and Waitrose ‘Grow and Sell’ scheme hits stores now!

The ‘Grow and Sell’ initiative by Waitrose supermarkets to get school children growing their own fruit and veg goes live in stores across the country this month.

Shoppers at Waitrose supermarkets can choose to put their green token in the ‘Grow and Sell’ perspex box, as part of the store’s Community Matters project.

Seed Pantry has provided the ‘Grow and Sell’ seed kits for schools across the UK to set up and maintain their own vegetable patches. They contain seeds for the children to plant and grow vegetables such as lettuces, beetroots, peppers, peas and courgettes, all the pots, dibbers and equipment they need to get started as well as step-by-step instructions.

Aimed at 7 – 11 year olds in primary schools, the initiative aims to inspire over 100,000 children to grow their own produce. Children will learn about where food comes from, the impact and importance of the seasons and develop entrepreneurial skills by selling their produce directly to Waitrose shoppers.

Neil Whitehead, founder of Seed Pantry says: “We’re encouraging Waitrose shoppers, Seed Pantry customers and grow your own fans to pop their Waitrose green tokens in the ‘Grow and Sell’ boxes in store. The more tokens that are donated, the more packs will be provided for local schools.

It is a fantastic project for us to be involved with, as growing your own is something we are very passionate about and want to encourage among children of all ages.”

The scheme is live in most Waitrose stores so look out for the Grow and Sell boxes in your local store.

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Seed Pantry’s support for new National Gardening Leave scheme

The New Economics Foundation has put together a proposal for a voluntary National Gardening Leave scheme – calling for a shorter working week, allowing us all to spend less time at the office and more time in the garden!

Fancy spending one day a week growing your own food? The NEF argues we would all reap the lifestyle, health and environmental benefits and that it would lead to a stonger, happier Britain.

It is also calling for the development of available outdoor spaces for gardening across Britain’s towns and cities.

It believes a four day working week, with one day dedicated to growing, sowing, planting and harvesting would leave people happier, healthier, and better equipped for these challenging times. As well as protecting the nation from external food price hikes it would also strengthen communities and give many disused outdoor areas a new useful lease of life.

Neil Whitehead, founder of Seed Pantry says: “This is a very interesting proposal and we look forward to hearing feedback from government bodies and ministers. We strongly support the idea that one day a week spent growing fruits, vegetables, salads and herbs would benefit people’s health, wellbeing and lifestyles, improve the physical suroundings of some areas of the country and strengthen communities. The proposal makes a very convincing case for a Gardening Leave scheme and we’ll watch the developments closely.”

For more information and to download the proposal, visit

http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/entry/national-gardening-leave

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Seed Pantry teams up with Waitrose to launch “Grow and Sell” scheme for schools

Seed Pantry is working with Waitrose supermarkets on a fantastic scheme to encourage schools to produce and sell home-grown food.

Aimed at 7 – 11 year olds in primary schools across the UK, the initiative aims to inspire over 100,000 children to grow their own produce over the summer months. Children will learn about where food comes from, the impact and importance of the seasons and develop entrepreneurial skills by selling their produce directly to Waitrose shoppers.

Seed Pantry has provided the “Grow and Sell Seed Kits” for schools to set up and maintain their own vegetable patches. They contain seeds for the children to plant and grow vegetables such as lettuces, beetroots, peppers, peas and courgettes, all the pots, dibbers and equipment they need as well as step-by-step instructions.

Alan Titchmarsh is also involved with the campaign and is helping to raise the profile of British agriculture and horticulture.

Neil Whitehead, founder of Seed Pantry says: “This is a fantastic project for us to be involved with and we are delighted to have been selected as the supplier for the school kits. Growing your own is something I am passionate about and this project is one that I am extremely proud of. I look forward to seeing the results over summer!

“It’s important to teach children from an early age where their food comes from, so they can appreciate the time and effort that goes into growing, maintaining and harvesting fresh produce. It also encourages children to eat well and to try a wider variety of foods, as well as giving them a huge sense of achievement when they watch their seeds grow lovely fresh, organic fruits, vegetables and herbs.”

The scheme is set to be rolled out across all 290 Waitrose stores and schools will be able to receive additional ‘Grow and Sell Seed Kits’ through the in-store Waitrose Community Matters scheme, where customers can support their local school by dropping a green token into the relevant perspex box.

More details are available on the Waitrose website: http://www.waitrose.com. For more information on Seed Pantry grow your own kits, visit www.seedpantry.co.uk.

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Seed Pantry sponsors Chelsea Fringe event – Edible Askew Road

With Seed Pantry’s headquarters based on Askew Road, Shepherds Bush, it made perfect sense for us to get involved with this year’s Edible Askew Road festival.

Organised by the Hammersmith Community Gardens Association (HCGA), the event is part of the Chelsea Fringe Festival and aims to create a river of fruit trees along the Askew Road. The trees will be under-planted with flowers and herbs to attract bees and butterflies to the area during the late Spring months – and also to make Askew Road a delightful, vibrant green area.

The festival also encourages locals to appreciate the value of locally produced food and the organisers have invited local shops, cafes, restaurants, pubs and other businesses to sponsor a fruit tree and plant it outside their premises from 18th May to 9th June.

Naturally, we have rolled up our sleeves and got involved! We are one of the main sponsors of the festival and have also donated prizes for the treasure trail for local schools on both Edible Askew Road and sister project Edible High Road Chiswick.

Neil Whitehead, founder of Seed Pantry says: “Edible Askew Road is a great community event, bringing people together to enjoy growing, planting and transforming the road. The aim is to plant blossoming apple, peach, pear and plum trees, under-planted with herbs to attract all kinds of pollinating insects. Everyone can get involved so why not come down to Askew Road to see the trees and plants growing for yourself.”

Activity runs until Friday 7th June and culminates in a music and wine tasting event at the Ravenscourt Glasshouses at 6.30pm.

More details are available on the HCGA website: http://hcga.org.uk

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Seed Pantry goes to Chelsea In Bloom

As part of the Chelsea Flower Show and Chelsea In Bloom Week, Seed Pantry will have a stall right in the middle of The Duke of York Square selling a wide range of food plants and herbs.

Pop down to see us from 20th – 25th May where we will be selling a great selection of seeds and plants to grow your own herbs, salads and vegetables at home.

We’ve got a fantastic selection of easy-to-grow seed kits and baby plants ready to be potted and planted at home. Have a look at our website to find out more: www.seedpantry.co.uk/plants

For more information on activities in Due of York Square, visit http://www.dukeofyorksquare.com/featured/chelsea-in-bloom-2013/

We look forward to seeing you there!