How to Organize a Community Seed Swap

A community seed swap affords you the opportunity to find or share hard to find and unusual seeds and plants. A seed swap is a great resource for picking up tried and true tips for planting and growing flower seed, vegetable seed,garden seed and plants from other local gardeners. Participating in a community seed swap may not make you a Master Gardener but it will certainly make you a more masterful gardener.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Extra garden seeds
• Access to local gardeners

1. Choose a time and place for your community seed swap. Depending on how many people you expect to attend you can hold it in someone’s house or garden. If you expect a larger crowd you may want to use a place such as a public park or church basement, just be sure to reserve the space well ahead of the event date.

2. Publicize Publicize Publicize!!! Your community seed swap will only be successful if people know about it. Some great places to reach potential seed swappers are, local gardening groups, classified ads, community bulletin boards, local chamber of commerce calendars and good ‘ol word of mouth. Many online gardening sites have a page where you can post your event.

3. Invite someone to speak at your seed swap. Every state Agricultural Department has County Extension Agents, most welcome the opportunity to get out and share their knowledge. Maybe you know a Master Gardener, someone who works at a botanic garden or the Vo-Ag teacher at the local High School all are great choices.

4. Have your seed donors label everything clearly and provide as much information about their seeds as they can. They may not know everything but name of the plant, growth habits, days to maturity and sunlight preference is the minimum information they should provide.

5. A community seed swap is a great way to meet new people, find some new flower seed, vegetable seed or garden seed for your garden or get some helpful information. They can be as big or small as you want, my personal favorite is to take extra seed after planting my garden, bag them up and offer them to my neighbors. Of course this leads to sitting and talking about their gardens and if you’re not careful you could get the reputation of being a “Good Neighbor” but that is a consequence I believe I can live with.

Resources

• Seed Savers Exchange
• America the Beautiful Fund
• Pass along Heirloom Plants
• PawPawFrankie's Other eHow Articles

[sneedc]

on 2/15/2009 Great way to get neighbors together for something good instead of their always coming over to b*tch about my kids for one reason or another! 5*

[Wasatch]

on 2/5/2009 Sounds like a great idea. I like to plant locally proven heirloom seeds. Thanks for the idea.

[keytothestars]

on 2/3/2009 What a great idea & article. Our neighborhood is starting something similar next month and I'm looking forward to it! Thank you =0)