Seed Swap

LEARN about seed saving. CELEBRATE the magic of seeds. SHARE seeds that you’ve saved from your farm or garden (or seeds that you’ve purchased). TAKE HOME seeds to plant. MEET other people who see regionally adapted seeds as an important part of a healthy food system. COME even if you don’t have seeds to share! Register for the swap here.

What is a Seed Swap?

A gathering of people, usually gardeners and farmers, who have come together to share seeds. The seeds can include locally saved seeds, excess bought seeds, seeds brought back from another region or country, or excess seeds that a seed company donated — you decide what you want to swap. Seeds are spread on tables and you choose what you want. The main idea is to bring people together to share seeds. (text from Seed Matters and Seed Savers Exchange) If you are bringing seeds to the Swap, please see below for more information.

What should I do if I’m bringing seeds to the Swap?

You can drop your seeds off as early as 8:30 am the day of the Swap. Swapping begins at 11 am so get your seeds there before 11 am. Please label clearly the name of the plant and the variety and the year the seeds were collected or purchased. If you know the germination rate, you can include that, too. You can bring the seeds in individual packets or in jars, yogurt containers, bags or any other container that makes sense to you. The organizers of the Swap will be sorting and placing seeds by plant families. If you know a story about where the seed comes from that you want to share, feel free to write something up to put next to your seeds. You’re also welcome to bring a photo or drawing of the plant that will emerge. Swapping will go from 11am – 1pm.

What else will be happening at the Swap?

There will be workshops on Beginning Seed Saving with Danny Botkin from Laughing Dog Farm and On Farm or In Garden Plant Breeding with Tevis Robertson-Goldberg of Crabapple Farm. More workshops will be announced here as they are figured out. See schedule below for timing.

10-10:30 am Welcome

10:45-11:30am  Beginning Seed Saving with Danny Botkin from Laughing Dog Farm

Description to follow.

11am-1pm Ongoing Seed Swapping

11:30 am-12:15 pm On Farm or In Garden Plant Breeding with Tevis Robertson-Goldberg

Tevis runs Crabapple Farm in Chesterfield, MA. Many of the vegetable, flower and herb plants and produce that Crabapple Farm sells at Tuesday Market and the Northampton Winter Market are grown from seeds bred and saved on their farm. Learn about some of the ingenious ways that these farmers grow food and save seed at the same time.

11:30 am-12:15 pm To be announced

12:15-1 pm To be announced

1 pm Closing

There will be a seed guessing activity and a carrot seed project (to make seeding/thinning them easier in the spring). Bring a potluck snack to share. Thanks to Seed Savers Exchange and High Mowing Seeds for seed donations and for providing open-pollinated and regionally adapted seeds. For more thoughts on the potent power of seed swaps and seeds, read our friend, seed keeper and owner of Sierra Seeds Coop, Rowen White’s blogpost.

Questions?

Visit our website– http://www.northamptontuesdaymarket.com/

Email us — northamptontuesdaymarket@gmail.com or clem@growfoodnorthampton.com.

Or call 413.320.5964.