Broad Bean Meet-up

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Theatre Alibi for our annual Exeter Broad Bean meet-up. We’re now 40+ people strong, with new and returning growers. A big thank you to Dan Fox from Two Arce Farm, whose visit was supported by the Gaia Foundation’s Seed Sovereignty Programme, for sharing his knowledge and guiding our discussions.

We explored what it means to select seed and what we might want to select our seeds for, with taste and diversity at the heart of the conversation. We then sorted our collective 2026 harvest, separating viable from some damaged seed before re-sharing it for autumn and spring planting in gardens, allotments and community spaces across the city.

Reflecting on the purpose: to develop a diverse, resilient population of broad beans, adapted to Exeter’s growing conditions and a changing climate. Dan introduced the group to the concept of epigenetics, exploring how environmental stresses, such as heat and disease, can influence how genes are expressed and potentially how some traits are passed on through generations. Alongside the genetic diversity created through cross-pollination, it gave us another perspective to consider as we work towards a more resilient flock of beans.

This year, we will also grow a separate ‘Bad Beans’ flock: beans that have survived rather than succumbed to pests or disease and we selected out during the session. Often characterised by smaller, bug damaged and visible mottling from poor environmental conditions. We’ll grow these separately and reintroduce viable seed into the flock next year, giving their potential resilience a chance to contribute to future generations.

We’ll have seed packets available at our next Exeter Seed Swap 2027, with a special label celebrating our 40+ strong community of growers.

We also explored the idea of growing a second flock potentially a drying / storing bush bean mix. We’re looking for 10 people interested in getting involved, if that’s you, please do email or reach out to us.

Kale Update

Neil and Kat would love to invite people to help harvest the Kale flock at the University of Exeter in spring 2027. We’ll share more details nearer the time, and everyone who takes part will receive a gift of flock Kale seed.