Esiah Levy

Esiah Levy was the founder of SeedsShare. Alongside working full time for TFL and caring for his young family, Esiah was a brilliant gardener and seed-saver. With SeedsShare he sent organic heirloom seeds across the world from Japan, Peru, Germany and many more places. A passionate and artistic gardener, Esiah grew beautiful colourful varieties in his small forest garden in Purley, Croydon.

Image by Maria Bell

Talking about what drew him to gardening he says, “Growing food, you can say, is in my blood having a father who’s not too bad himself who grew food in Jamaica and after coming to live in Brixton, London in the 1950’s as part of the Windrush generation. What got me into gardening was actually the price of organic fruit/veg where I live and that the time wanting to make 100% vegan organic baby food for my son and the limited choice of fruit and veg which was available in the supermarkets and market stalls too”

Often we think of Black people as a urban population divorced from growing but Esiah and his father show that gardening is something that was carried over from both former colonies like Jamaica and before that Africa where his ancestors originated. Esiah would become a devotee of the no-dig method, making mulches from banana peel and cardboard, using DIY techniques such as using bags-for-life as grow bags for potatoes and more. He believed that “Growing food is every person’s right” seeing it as a solution for the impossible prices of certified organic food and the food deserts that limit access to quality produce. He observed that while there were “dope urban farms around and workshops now popping up which are really cool, but again this is in the ‘gentrified’ areas of London and in those not gentrified you’ll find it hard to find a community garden.” Discovering that he could collect 360 seeds from a Crown Prince Squash he decided he would share seeds with gardeners around the world.

Illustration for LWA 2020 Calendar, based off photo for Gaia Foundation

The LION Collective honours Esiah as a teacher and ancestor, his desire that “there should be one (urban garden) in every park…and the food and seeds grown within these spaces shared with the public”. We too share his dream for “as many urban gardens open to the public as there are betting shops and fast food chicken shops!”

We spoke with his sister, Syreeta Levy recently. Having spent lockdown growing on her balcony, she has found using his seeds as a way to help with her grief. Seeing that his seeds are still flourishing and that so many people are using his seeds has meant a lot to her and his family and now she too wants to continue growing and get an allotment so that his sons can visit and help out as they did with their father.

We are grateful for all that Esiah has given to this world and know that we will continue to honour him and his legacy.

Quotes from:

“Empire of Seeds” by Ruby Tandor

“Silent heroes: Interview with Esiah Levy” by Natasha Weddepohl

Thank you Syreeta for speaking with us.