February 2026 Newsletter
Dear Wales Seed Hub community,
Happy new year, and happy Imbolc!
For me, this time of year is a time of reflection, rest, planning and dreaming for the season ahead. I find the cyclical nature of growing and seed saving so satisfying with its peaks and troughs of growth and activity, and having a break in January before we go again is very much appreciated! The polytunnel is now ready to spring into action, with all the beds mulched with manure and I’m excited to begin the cycle again with the first seed crops of mine to sow over the next few weeks – a variety of lettuces which should be ready to plant in March with the fluffy seed maturing by August.
It’s been so great to see the Wales Seed Hub grow over the last few years and it’s really encouraging to see our sales so far this season beating our total for the whole of last season so thanks to all of you who’ve bought some seed, spread the word and supported our work. We hope we’ll continue to go from strength to strength and grow even more seeds for you all this year – let’s hope for a good growing season!
Lauren Simpson
Wales Seed Hub member
More about Lauren…
Lauren is a new entrant landworker in West Wales, managing a market garden to provide ingredients for fermented foods business Parc y Dderwen. Alongside growing vegetables for fermenting, Lauren grows seeds for both the Wales Seed Hub and Real Seeds, and is also the membership secretary for the Landworkers’ Alliance – a grassroots union of farmers, foresters and landworkers working to improve the livelihoods of members and fight for better food and land use systems. You can find out more about Lauren in this month’s ‘Meet the Grower’ Instagram post here.
What to sow this month
‘Awyr Binc’ Poppy
Grower: Carolyn
Poppies can be rather fussy in terms of germination and their seeds may need a period of ‘winter’ before they know it’s spring and hence time to germinate. So now is a good time to get them in the ground!
Jalapeño Chilli Peppers
Grower: Peni
Chilli peppers can take a while to develop and produce fruit, so it’s better to get the seeds potted up indoors or in a warm spot earlier rather than later. These Jalapeños are early maturing and very productive chilli.
‘Yellow Clementine’ Cherry Tomatoes
Grower: Maggie
Because of our cool, short summers, all tomatoes need starting early, so they’ll have a chance to ripen before the weather gets too cold for them. This hugely floriferous tomato grows trusses with hundreds of flowers which produce tasty cherry tomatoes with a beautiful sweetness / acidity balance.
‘Cherry Belle’ Radish
Grower: Lauren
Now we’ve left the harsh winter temperatures behind, you can start succession sowing your radishes. This beautiful and delicious radish variety is bright red in colour with a crisp, fresh and mild mustard flavour. Sow from February through to August, and in 4-6 weeks from sowing the’y’ll be ready to eat.
Favourites now back in stock
Grab them before they sell out…again!
Due to amalgamating our stock we now have some of your favourites back in stock on the online shop:
There’s only a few packets of each though, so better hurry if you want some!
Watch our new film
Produced by our good friend Huw Richards
Over summer 2025, Huw Richards – a close friend of the Wales Seed Hub and a fellow grower – embarked on a road trip to interview Wales Seed Hub members Tilly, Carolyn (Moo) and Chris, to film them in their gardens, to capture the essence of how we work, and why we do what we do. We are absolutely delighted with how the film has turned out, and like Huw, we hope that it will inspire other growers and local groups to set up their own regional seed hubs. You can watch it now on YouTube, or by clicking play below.
Our current stockists
Llanarthney, Carmarthenshire
Wrights Food Emporium: shop.wrightsfood.co.uk
St Davids, Pembrokeshire
West Point Trading: www.instagram.com/westpointtrading
Machynlleth, Powys
Tymhorau Cymru: tymhorau.cymru/vegetable-seeds/
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion
Bwyd Dyfi Hub
(online farmers market): www.bwyddyfihub.co.uk/c/seeds-hadau
Online
Ian Sturrock: iansturrockandsons.co.uk/vegetable-seeds/
20% off on Wholesale Orders
Don’t forget that we are still offering discounts on wholesale orders! So if you have a retail business or are involved in a growers’ network or allotment society, then please feel free to get in touch. We offer a 20% discount on orders of over 100 packets or more. For wholesale enquiries please email: wholesale@seedhub.wales
February stalls and events
Come and say hello in person!
Thanks for your support
The Wales Seed Hub is a cooperatively run seed company formed by a group of Welsh growers. All our seed is produced in Wales using agroecological methods, and the varieties are open-pollinated and specially selected to thrive in Welsh climates. By buying our seed you are supporting our growers and the important work they do in caring for our land and our food system in Wales and beyond. Thank you!
