The Cowley Club
12 London RoadJoin the popular programme of talks at Brighton's biggest gardening event - Seedy Sunday!
Our speakers for the day will be:
All full-price tickets include a free seed packet from our Seed Table at the Open Market - don't forget to pop along to claim yours.
Please note we have a new venue for our talks this year, the Cowley Club on London Road, just a few minutes walk from our main event venue at the Open Market. The Cowley Club has an accessible entrance and toilet facilities on site, however the access to the toilets is down a step/ around the back so please contact us if you have any mobility needs so we can make prior arrangements. The Cowley Club team will have hot drinks & refreshments on sale on the day. Find out more about this year's Seedy Sunday event.
Find out more about each speaker & their talk below:
10-11am, Caspar Dickinson - Syntropic Agroforestry: An innovative roadmap to abundance
Caspar has been working in Agroforestry around the world now for almost 10 years. Starting in India and then Sicily planting trees, to returning to the East Sussex to plant a Food Forest at the base of the Downs near Brighton. He'll share his innovative methods to enhance soil fertility and create edible harvests. Caspar became ever more obsessed with trees and how to grow and look after them, hearing about a type of Agroforesty pioneered by Ernst Gotsch in Brazil, Caspar had to go and learn more. Now after 3 months learning in Brazil, Caspar joins us at Seedy Sunday to share stories and wisdom from Ernst and his students and well as his own lessons from his farms in Sussex and Sicily
11.30am-12.30pm, Martha Swales of @marfskitchengarden - Give It a Grow: Edible Gardening for Everyone
Martha will take you on a journey through the wonderful world of growing your own food. Packed with ideas and inspiration, she’ll show how you can start growing in whatever space you have —even if that’s just a windowsill or a few pots on a balcony — introduce you to edible plants you may never have heard of, and give top tips on how to grow food all year round. Above all, this talk is an invitation to see gardening as an endlessly creative and rewarding process, one that can help us reconnect with ourselves and the natural world at a time when many of us feel overwhelmed and disconnected.
If you already love growing food, expect to be surprised with new ideas. And if you’ve never thought gardening was for you — or don’t know where to begin — come along and be inspired. Martha is a passionate urban gardener and author of Give it a Grow - bringing over a decade of experience cultivating greenery in small spaces, and having delighted millions on social media with her accessible and inspiring gardening and cooking tips.
1-2pm, Rachael Davies - Sharing the secrets of the Seed Bank
Seed germination specialist Rachael works at the Millennium Seed Bank, helping seeds grow by understanding how they wake up from dormancy and how long they stay alive in storage. Her work ensures that seeds from all over the world are kept in top condition so they can be used to restore habitats, support conservation, and help communities grow plants sustainably. Rachael will share how the same science used at the Seed Bank can be applied at home. You’ll learn simple, practical tips for storing your own seeds—whether from your garden, vegetables, or wildflowers—so they stay healthy and ready to grow when you need them. Discover how drying, packaging, and storing seeds properly can make a big difference, and how you can use household items to mimic professional techniques.
2.30-3.30pm, Connor Butler - Queer Ecology: How Societal Bias Shapes Nature
What’s natural or unnatural in nature might feel instinctive. But throughout history, societal biases have shaped our understanding of the natural world and sometimes warped our perceptions of nature. Queer ecology challenges this. Fluidity is everywhere in nature. From sex-changing plants, to gender-fluid woodlice and even fungi where some species have more than 23,000 sexes! Connor Butler is a nature guide and one of the leading figures in the queer ecology movement. He has worked to develop inclusive programmes with many of the UK’s conservation and cultural organisations, and over 2,500 people have joined his queer ecology walks to date. Join thousands of others who follow along at connor_the_ecologist on social media.
Feb 1, 2026 10:00 am-3:30 pm
The Cowley Club
12 London Road
We’re a non-profit organisation helping people learn to cook, eat a healthy diet, grow their own food and waste less food.
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