As part of the educational resources created by Vivienne Schadinsky around her residency and the exhibition Into the Seeds of Time, today we're delighted to share a fascinating interview with Vicky Chown, Head of Urban Growing at OmVed Gardens.
As we navigate the accelerating challenges of climate change, food security, and the loss of biodiversity, it becomes ever more urgent to return to the roots, literally and figuratively, of how we grow and share food. In this spirit, Vivienne sat down with Vicky to talk beans, biodiversity, and the radical act of saving seeds.
Vicky’s work at OmVed Gardens is as much about cultivation as it is about conservation. From rare heritage peas to nitrogen-fixing lablab beans, Vicky grows a vibrant array of legumes and vegetables that are disappearing from our shelves, and with them, a legacy of resilience. But beyond their flavours and nutritional value, these plants hold a deeper role: they anchor a living, breathing Seed Saving Network that stretches across community gardens and kitchen plots, slowly rebuilding a resilient and localised food system.
In their conversation, Vicky reflects on the challenges and triumphs of growing in the unpredictable climate of North London, the joys of sharing a sun-warmed sugar snap straight from the vine, and the philosophy behind OmVed’s living Seed Library, an ever-evolving archive of knowledge, adaptation, and care.
More than a technical guide to growing beans, this interview is a testament to the power of collaboration, observation, and returning to older, wiser ways of working with the land. Vicky’s reflections offer insight and inspiration on why how we grow matters as much as what we grow.
Watch or read the full interview below