Anyone Can Breed Plants

An introduction to to plant breeding for both climate resilience and taste, suitable to home gardeners. Welcome to an introduction to plant breeding. Any keen gardener can learn to breed their own varieties and populations of plants. This workshop will be lead by Justin, founder of the Crop Breeding & Seed Research Project at Bowden Pillars and member of the Bowden Farm Collective. Justin focuses on adapting crops to local conditions, and he has been specialising in tomatoes over many years but is now expanding his research to other crops including peppers, cucumber, potatoes and beans. He will discuss the basic principles of how to cross pollinate, how to select plants for their traits, working with disease resistance and climate conditions, and the importance of genetic diversity, as well as short and long term strategies for breeding. During the workshop you will get the opportunity to spend time up at his Breeding Station looking at his tomato and pepper populations, all growing outdoors, as an example of this work in action. Whether you are wishing to learn to breed plants yourself, or are interested in just learning more about it, you are most welcome. With thanks to South Devon National Landscapes and the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme for supporting this event.