Plant market in Böhl: Discover the variety of old varieties!

Plant market in Böhl: Discover the variety of old varieties!

On Saturday, April 26th, the annual plant market will take place in the schoolyard of the Johannes-Fink primary school in Böhl from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Under the motto "Old varieties - rediscovered", the event is organized by the "Ecology and Local Development" working group of the local agenda 21 in cooperation with the municipality. 20 exhibitors are expected from the village, the Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg, which present a diverse range of plants and garden accessories.

The new exhibitors include Gerd Metz from Meckenheim, who offers self -made rust figures for gardens, and Herbert Hagmann from Karlsruhe, who has container plants for balcony and terrace in its range. In addition to these newcomers, long -standing exhibitors are also represented. Ruth Drumm from Hanhofen brings a wide variety of perennials, while Peter Schmid from Mother City sells chili plants in various degrees of sharpness. The elementary school support association, which is also responsible for snacks and drinks, takes care of the physical well -being of the guests.

The importance of old varieties

In the context of the plant market, the preservation of old crops is becoming increasingly important. The association for the preservation of crop variety (Ven) was founded in 1986 and has since increased over 1,000 old varieties in private gardens. These varieties are often less profitable and for this reason they are not widespread in agriculture. Your seed list is now accessible as a database on the website www.nutzpflanzen Vielfalt.de, which makes garden friends easier to research and order seeds, since old varieties can also be supported. This information is available from Gartenfreunde

The variety of fruit and vegetable varieties is not only part of the cultural heritage, but also crucial for nutritional security. According to the FAO, 75% of crops have disappeared worldwide in the past 100 years and 90% in the EU. This means that only nine plant species are still 75% of the global harvest. Old varieties in particular often have valuable ingredients and are more resistant. Numerous gene banks and maintenance initiatives are committed to their preservation. These initiatives have collected numerous old varieties, whereby the interest in them has grown particularly in recent years.

a look into the past

The variety of crops of cultural plants was created through a thousand it was selected and migration. Already 7,000 years ago, people brought lens, pea, Emmer and Einkorn from the Middle East to Central Europe. New plant species were also introduced during modern times. Old fruit and vegetable varieties such as the tomato `Berner Rose´ or the parsnip are rare these days and are increasingly being replaced by modern varieties that are better transportable. This development is an inheritance of industrialization and led to a specialization in agriculture.

The increasing demand for old varieties at weekly markets and among the population shows that a rethink in dealing with food takes place. The use and purchase of seasonal and regional food support biodiversity. rekindle and use of old cultural plants is an important step in order to obtain diversity in diet in the long term. The plant market in Böhl is therefore not only for the exchange of plants, but also for a forum for the preservation of our cultural and agricultural traditions.