Conserving our seeds the homegrown way
Re Chris Smith's article (I don't want to die with a freezer full of seeds. Biodiversity and preservation need rethinking, 2 April), the Heritage Seed Library (HSL) based at Ryton Organic Gardens in Warwickshire has been encouraging its members to conserve seeds in their own gardens since the 1970s.
The HSL, set up by Lawrence D Hills, was ahead of its time and is still going strong with 800 varieties safely stored – either local or discontinued by seed firms – but also regularly grown. Each year its members can choose from 100 rare varieties, and HSL seed guardians grow larger amounts for seed to ensure there are stocks for the future. Local seeds adapt to local conditions and may be more resilient in our changing climate, as Smith points out.Judy SteeleRadford Semele, Warwickshire
Liz of Bury St Edmunds, who says her bush lily (Clivia miniata), acquired in 1987, 'has thrived but is very temperamental when it comes to flowering' ('The leaves fall off – but I think that's normal': the houseplants you just can't kill, 3 April), should try placing it in a cold, frost-free place for a couple of months in the middle of the winter, watering it very sparingly. This often triggers flowering when the plant is then returned to a warm room and watered regularly. This also applies to Hippeastrum, often known as amaryllis.Shirley NeishBookham, Surrey
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As the temperature climbed towards 30C the peril of turning off a system that could leave people with their heating stuck on full must have looked like an avoidable disaster. On Thursday ministers confirmed the 'widespread switch-off' of the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS), which controls an old type of electricity meter, 'will not happen' on 30 June. Instead the technology will be phased out more slowly. The first stage will involve a maximum of 600 households over a three-week period, and during this time the response times of suppliers to vulnerable consumers will be monitored closely. But campaign groups say they are waiting for details of the new timetable, and want assurances that customers will not end up paying more when they are forced to switch meters. Introduced in the 1980s, RTS was designed for people who also use electricity for their heating and hot water. 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Energy UK, the energy industry trade body, said there are now technical solutions for every home. If a customer has previously been told a replacement is not possible, they should recontact their supplier, it added. These solutions include a pre-programmed smart meter. After being contacted by the Guardian this is the solution being offered to the couple. It can be remotely switched to smart when signal strength improves. Ovo said: 'We have solutions in place for exceptional cases like this and remain committed to supporting them in scheduling an appointment to replace the meter.' Other consumers are worried about what the switch off could mean for their energy bill. The old-fashioned RTS systems often include panel heaters or immersion heaters in water tanks that charge overnight when electricity is cheaper. 'My advice to anyone with storage heaters contemplating a change to a smart meter would be: don't,' said Bryan Jones, who lives in Redruth in Cornwall. 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