SOME of the top minds in gardening will be offering their expertise as the team from Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time come to the city's premier horticultural event.

Seedy Sunday is the country's biggest community seed swap which sees gardeners trading seeds they saved from last year with their green fingered peers at the event in Brighton.

Gardeners' Question Time has been giving growers and horticulturists advice for nearly 70 years and will be a special guest at the event which is expected to draw a crowd of 3,000.

Visitors will be to pick gardening experts' brains at the special recording which will be broadcast to an audience of two million on Radio 4 the following week.

The panel will feature television gardener Christine Walkden, known for The One Show and her own BBC series Christine's Garden, organic gardener and radio presenter Bob Flowerdew, and James Wong known for his documentary series Grow Your Own Drugs.

Seedy Sunday is based around a central swapping table which last year saw 10,000 packets exchanged - along with 60 stalls from community groups, food and gardening businesses, cooking demonstrations, and children's activities.

The event is sponsored by the Infinity Foods Kitchen.

Event chairman Victoria Benson said: “Seedy Sunday has blazed the trail for UK seed swaps over the past 15 years it is the must go to event for seed swappers from all parts of the country.

"It exudes innovation, creativity and common sense. In this time of climate change we need to preserve the diversity of uncontaminated plants for future food security.

"Seedy Sunday builds solidarity among all of us who respect our collective rights to save, sow and swap seeds grown in our gardens and allotments."

Other speakers on the day include Robert Hill-Snook, header gardener of the Pavilion Gardens, Dr Mike Allen, environmental archaeologist, Dr Dave Goulson, from the Butterfly Conservation Trust, and Nick Mole, from the Pesticide Action Network.

Tickets for the 80 seats at the Gardeners' Question Time are being distributed on a first come first serve basis and priced at £4.

Seedy Sunday will be this Sunday at the Brighton Dome Corn Exchange on Church Road from 10.30am to 4.30pm with £3 entry and free entry for children under 16.