Or Seedy Saturday? Or Seedy Tuesday Night, whenever the event is occurring in your area. It’s the start of the gardening season for me, and I love the event. So glad it’s back in full force after the pandemic shut down. It’s an opportunity for home gardeners to share or swap seeds they have saved. It’s a gathering of like-minded individuals who can trade information and knowledge.

What is Seedy Saturday? It’s a totally Canadian thing, first founded in 1990 by a Sharon Rempel, a member of Van Dusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver. She was looking for heritage seeds for a project and eventually turned to her community to find sources. She was kind enough to put the name into the public domain, so anyone can use it. Seeds of Diversity Canada has taken on the role of keeping the country informed of events. Check out the link for info on organizing an event, some pointers on what to take and do. It’s a February/March thing, which is when we want seeds that need to be started indoors.

What’s so fantastic? The events are totally local. Local gardeners swapping seeds. The seeds are appropriate for your area, you can get information from the grower. Many events host local businesses, including seed sellers but there may also be soapmakers, people who can or bake, small nurseries, potters…who knows? There is quite often presentations on gardening or environmental issues like composting or conserving rainwater. It’s a great day!

The event in my community is being held on Sunday, February 11th, 2024. It’s being organized by the Assiniboine Food Forest, which deserves a blog post all its’ own. The events listed across the Canada can be found here. If your city or town isn’t listed, check the Facebook page of your local garden club or event listings. Britain is now doing Seedy days, America tends to call them Seed Swaps.

If you saved seeds and have a lot of something, this is a great way to acquire some other plants. You should have your seeds divided into small groups, five to ten seeds, in individual small envelopes or tiny plastic re-sealable bags. Don’t be trying to divvy seeds at the event. Make sure they are clean and dry, no mold. You should name the seed, hopefully by the common name and Latin name. Some people may want to know harvest date. Events will vary, but some organizations give you a receipt for what you brought that you can trade.

Even if you don’t have seeds to share, it’s a wonderful event where you will be able to purchase seeds…and other goodies. Enjoy!