"I love the story of dear Nonna Peppina daring to smuggle, in her bra strap, the seeds of a much loved tomato.

Her act proved no risk to Australian bio-security. Thank you, Nonna Peppina, for bringing this lovely heirloom to us."

“I’m supporting ‘Soldaki’ because it’s a precious heritage variety and more importantly a tomato. 

I have been a Diggers member since 2007 and some of my fondest memories as a child and young adult are of being able to pick and eat a warm tomato straight from my dad’s vines – a love my dad and I shared. Yum yum!”

As a member of The Diggers Club, I appreciate the importance of preserving heirloom seeds in Australia, so I am thrilled to be supporting the 'White Lady, Runner Bean' from Clive and Penny's personal collection. 

Being of Greek heritage, I grew up surrounded by family and friends in their veggie gardens, sharing tips, stories, seeds and cuttings (and garlic bulbs!). At the time, I didn’t understand the significance of this communal sharing; just that it was the right thing to do and oh, so very normal. 

Today, supporting Diggers’ Seed Program allows me to continue this tradition of preserving and sharing heirloom seeds. Thank you Diggers for the opportunity to give back.

- Frances

My late Dad was an avid grower of butternut pumpkins as it was his very favourite to eat and he would delight in having a home-grown supply!

 He was a healthy man however at work he was exposed to toxic horticultural products, which we believe caused the cancer that took his life. 

So, in honour of him, I would like to keep this organic variety in circulation and encourage Australians through the work of The Diggers Foundation to live as sustainably and organically as possible. 

- Rachel

Hello Diggers, Firstly, thank you for allowing me to donate funds to help save the ‘Ironbark’ Pumpkin. 

My love for gardening has been inherited from my father, Eric Clifford Reid, and my grandfather Herbert (Bertie) George Reid. 

Bertie Reid lived in George Street, Allora, Queensland, where he owned two large house blocks, one to live on and one to feed his large family with. He dug his own well for water, and turned the whole garden over without machinery, using only a fork and spade. 

As a young child, we were always welcome in the garden to help with planting, harvesting, weeding, and watering, depending on the season. Bertie grew onions, potatoes, leeks, beans and pumpkins seasonally. My father was a police officer, and my mother was a nurse, which saw our family living in many towns and climates throughout Queensland, where we had food and flower gardens along with chickens to feed the family.

My mother was an avid rose gardener and loved flowers that brought colour to the garden. Dad was the veggie Gardener, taking pride in growing his own produce from garden to plate. Dad had two favourite vegetables with every main meal, string beans and the ‘Ironbark’ Pumpkin.

As I grew up and left home, I have continued the path laid by my grandfather and parents and have a particular interest in the ‘Ironbark’ Pumpkin. As a seed saver and member of The Diggers Club, when I saw the opportunity to become a donor to save seed, I thought what a wonderful way to remember my grandfather and parents, by donating to The Diggers Foundation to help save heirloom seeds that have been pushed aside by commercial growers for profit rather than taste from your own home garden. 

I dedicate this donation to Herbert (Bertie) George Reid and his son, Eric Clifford Reid. 

Ian Reid - Townsville

There are a couple of reasons I've chosen to support this particular seed. First of all it's one I'd love to be able to have in my own garden, so providing some money to ensure that this will be possible makes sense (and I'm fortunate enough this year to be able to do so). The second reason is that my mum has always loved the flowers on peas, and if I manage to grow this one successfully, I'm planning to give a few seedlings to her so that she can take another step towards her dream of a biodiverse cottage garden.

 I'm new to the gardening scene, so I have much to learn, but being a member of Diggers has given me access to such valuable resources, and a welcoming, supportive community that is happy to share their own experiences of what has worked and what wasn't successful. Plus, you have such a fantastic range of seeds and plants to choose from! The Diggers Club is doing such important work in the environmental sphere, and I'm proud to be a part of that, however small.

Gabrielle

I'm delighted to support this bean, which was brought here from Italy, as I'm a migrant too. I remember the garden of my childhood where my father and grandmother competed in creating an abundance of food and flowers. I'm looking forward to growing 'Northeaster' and then, of course, having a bean feast to celebrate. Seeds are community, memory and nourishment in one small package of magic.

Fran

Our Dad loved his pumpkins and his garden. He was an avid seed gatherer and saver and we still enjoy laughing about how full his pockets would be after a bushwalk or a visit to a neighbours place. He loved Australian trees like the White Beech and Silky Oak in particular and would find himself involved in creek or bush restoration projects quite by accident. His motto was ‘sow, weed, water, wait’, though he always said the real secret was to talk to the seedlings. We’re still not sure if he was joking about that, but we do know for sure that he had a green thumb - so maybe he was onto something after all.

Supporting these seeds in honour of my sister, Meagan Anne, for a milestone birthday. For the future generations of gardeners, seed bandits and independent thinkers! 

With much love, Amy Leigh.