Worcester Community Garden joined the Heritage Seed Library (HSL) in October 2025. The HSL, run by Garden Organic, maintains the national collection of heritage and heirloom vegetables, holding more than 800 varieties of seeds, including rare varieties adapted to specific growing conditions, heirloom seed varieties saved over generations and varieties no longer available to buy.
The HSL is a vital resource to connect people with heritage and heirloom seed, keep these varieties alive and increase biodiversity. Much of our cultivated biodiversity – including vegetable seeds we grow to eat – has been in decline. Over the last century, we have lost many hundreds of local vegetable varieties, grown for generations by seed companies, families and communities. Factors adding to this decline include intensive production of a reduced number of species, industrialisation of agriculture and food processing, seed regulations and loss of open-pollinated, traditional varieties.
For 2026, we have chosen over 20 heritage seeds to grow. Each month we will share news about the heritage seeds we are growing and our partnership with the Heritage Seed Library.
Heritage Seed of the Month
September 2026 – Squash Zapallito de Tronco
This is a small, round summer squash native to Argentina and Uruguay. Looking like a tiny, dark-green pumpkin or globe zucchini, it features dense, creamy flesh and a delicate flavour often compared to a mix of zucchini and avocado.
This South American bush-type squash was first listed by James J H Gregory in 1885 and has been intermittently available since that time. In one season, a single plant can produce 15kg of tennis-ball sized fruits for summer or winter use.
Seedsman George B Roberts reintroduced it to his catalogue in 1967 suggesting that “They are delicious cooked and eaten cold, filled with summer vegetables mixed with mayonnaise, or with delicacies in the same manner as an avocado pear.”
(Information provided by the Heritage Seed Library)
