There are a number of good reasons to grow plant species which are indigenous to the region where the garden is laid, but then: what actually are typical "regional" species? Not easy to define - this is what we also experienced when visiting the "Samengarten" in Eichstetten / Kaiserstuhl on invitation of the foundation "Kaiserstühler Garten".

This nursery garden project for the protection of regional plant biodiversity shows pretty well how many influences our gardens have experienced in the past, and many of the plants which we consider "regional" like tomatoes, cucumber, mangel etc. actually have been imported from overseas long time ago.

And we were amazed to experience once more how many varieties of "everyday vegetables" like tomatoes actually exist (well, on the shelves of the garden centres you really do not have much choice, other than between "beans or cucumber").

Good to know that the Samengarten nursery is growing and preserving such species many of which are threatened by extinction as the agricultural industry is controlling and homogenizing most of the seeds. And again we feel the commitment to support the idea and look around for rare species to grow in our gardens.

Great excursion, and we ended it with a picnic, enjoying a salad from the garden's tomatoe varieties. Not only rare, but yummy!