I have a passion for growing fruit and vegetables, which I have been doing since I was a little kid.

Not a year has passed since I was ten that I haven’t grown something to eat.

I ran a small market garden in the late seventies when growing organically unusual vegetables was considered very odd. Trying to sell red Brussels sprouts or yellow zucchini was not a profitable business then, so I returned to film-making to support my love of horticulture.

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My interest in discovering rare, endangered but above all, delicious vegetables from around the world began as the result of meeting a remarkable lady in a vegetable market in Donetsk, Ukraine in the late eighties whilst making a documentary series there.

So began a journey of discovery and learning about the social and cultural relationships we have with what we grow that I have been on for the best part of 35 years.

 I have a library of nearly 500 different varieties of vegetable seeds. Every year I grow up to 70 varieties from which to save seed.

Many are returned to the Heritage Seed Library. Other I keep to refresh my stocks to grow for the table and the rest I like to share.

Many are in my latest seed catalogue which is updated at the end of the year.

Seeds can remain viable for many years if looked after. I recommend that if you want to keep seeds for more than a year you should store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

I have some varieties that have been stored for more than 20 years and which continue to remain viable.