March 2026 Newsletter
Dear Wales Seed Hub community,
After one of the wettest winters on record, the daffodils are blooming which means we’ve made it to March where the growing season kicks off in earnest. Spells of extreme weather are increasingly becoming the norm, with last summer‘s drought still lingering in my memory. Whatever Mother Nature has in store for us this year, adaptability is key.
At the Wales Seed Hub we grow and sell seed that is adapted to grow in the Welsh Climate – the ‘Oceanic’ climate of the Western half of the British Isles – high rainfall(!) being the really obvious component.
I currently have two overwintering biennial seed crops growing outdoors – the Land Cress has taken it all in its stride, while the ‘Erbette’ leaf beets are displaying high variability with how well they’ve coped in the adverse conditions; the ailing plants will be “rogued out” while the strong, true-to-type individuals will be grown on for seed production.
Tomatoes, chillies and sweet peppers all need sowing this month if you haven’t already, while early sowings of spinach, lettuce, peas and more can be made – but don’t worry if you haven’t got your seeds yet, there’s still time to order.
Wishing you all a successful and abundant season,
Simon Powell
Wales Seed Hub member
More about Simon…
Simon and his partner Helen have been running their small seed nursery, Gower Seeds, on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales since 2023. This year is their third year growing seeds as members of the Wales Seed Hub, and now produce a mix of varieties including ‘Super Aquadulce’ broad beans (proudly pictured above), chillis, tomatoes and peas. You can find out more about Simon in this month’s ‘Meet the Grower’ Instagram post here, and browse his seeds on the website here.
What to sow this month
Tomatoes
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.
🍅 Sow them in modules or a seed tray with some seed compost any time between mid Feb and the end of March.
🍅 Keep them in a propagator between 18 to 22 degrees, then, once germinated (usually within 14 days), move them somewhere nice and light to stop them getting thin and leggy, but still indoors where it’s warm.
🍅 Pot them on when they get a bit bigger, then plant them out once the weather’s warmer – normally at the end of April, but this will depend on local conditions, and whether they’re going in a greenhouse, or outside.
🍅 Dig in plenty of organic matter initially, and feed and water regularly throughout the season.
Why not try:
‘Tangella’Tomato
Grower: Simon
A rare English heritage variety, exclusive to the Wales Seed Hub in the UK. Vigorous plants produce large trusses of juicy, flavoursome orange fruits. High in Tetra-cis-lycopene, a potent antioxidant with reputed anti-cancer properties.
‘Lulu’s Best Ever’ Beef Steak Tomato
Grower: Peni
This tomato really is the best ever beef steak tomato! The taste is incredible and they have few seeds around the edge of the tomato, meaning you have pure flesh to eat without lots of seeds and gloop. Great for salads, fermenting and cooking.
‘Burmese Sour‘ Tomato
Grower: Maggie
A heritage variety native to Myanmar. These strong-growing large and deeply ribbed bright red tomatoes have a really interesting tangy flavour when cooked with spices and add a really bright quality to the finished dishes.
‘Graham’s Tom Thumb’ Cherry Tomato
Grower: Chris
This is a bit of a Welsh heirloom variety, grown in Cardiff for many decades! A vigorous vine tomato with exceptionally long double trusses of larger than average cherry tomatoes. Can be grown outside but best under cover.
We’re a cooperative of individual growers
– but why is this so important?
Back in 2024 Wales Seed Hub member Katie Hastings wrote an article for the online educational platform Earthed, entitled “Seeds Breed Cooperation: The Power of Seed Sovereignty”. The article did a beautiful job of explaining why seed production relies on us working together, and why cooperative working is so conducive to producing high-quality open-pollinated seeds. We recently adapted Katie’s article into a series of graphics (below), which we posted to our Instagram. You can read the original article here.
New stockist: C&M Organics
We’re happy to announce that you can now buy our seeds at C&M Organic’s farm shop (aka ‘The Veg Shed’) near Hebron on the Carmarthenshire/ Pembrokeshire border. C&M Organics have been growing and sourcing organic veg for over 40 years, and run a brilliant veg box scheme as well as a farm shop to make fresh produce more accessible to their local community. You can find out more about C&M Organics and their ‘Veg Shed’’ here.
Proud to be part of the ‘Future of Food’
One of our seed packets is currently on display at the Science Museum as part of the ‘Future of Food’ exhibition, which explores why and how our food systems need to change to protect our planet’s living systems. We’re thrilled to be included, alongside Exeter Seed Bank, Seeds of Scotland, Grow Scarborough and other fantastic and inspiring seed groups. The exhibition is running until September 1st – so if you’re in London, go check it out and send us a picture!
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
Stalls and events in March
We’ll have a stall at the Aberystwyth Spring Fair on March 14th.
We’ll also be at the Llendoilo Spring Fair the following Saturday March 21st.
One of our members Peni is hosting Day 1 of her Growing for Self-Sufficiency course on March 28th at her One Planet Development smallholding in Carmarthenshire. More info and booking here.
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!
Here’s a photo of our member Sue representing the Wales Seed Hub at the Shropshire Organic Gardeners’ Potato Day last month – thanks to everyone who swung by for a chat and to buy our seeds.
Don’t forget to follow us on social media for photos, events, updates and growing tips throughout the year.