Today we have a special treat – a guest post from Gillian Rowan, who runs the seed exchange at Seedy Saturday:

You may be wondering who participates in the Seedy Saturday seed exchange, and how they get involved:

• everybody!
• just visit!

More than 4000 packages of locally grown seeds passed through Victoria’s Seedy Saturday seed exchange in 2011. Most of the table’s seeds were exchanged (people brought seeds from their gardens and exchanged them for other seeds they wanted to plant during the upcoming gardening season). Those that didn’t have seeds to exchange were able to browse and purchase packets for $1 each.

The $1500 collected at the exchange was used by the James Bay Community Market Society to help sustain their 2012 market season. With the motto Handmade, Homemade, Homegrown it is fitting that Seedy Saturday is the Market Society’s annual fundraiser.

Seedy Saturday’s seed exchange has grown from a smaller exchange at South Park Elementary school to a major hub of gardening enthusiasts at the Victoria Conference Centre. More and more people and seeds pass through the exchange each year.

One interesting trend is an increase in saved vegetable seeds brought to the exchange. To me this represents an increase in the number of people interested in knowing where the food they eat comes from. There is a growing trend in shopping local…exchanging vegetable garden seeds at Seedy Saturday, planting them and growing food for your own kitchen table is the ultimate in local! With the increase in seed varieties at the exchange it is now also possible to plant a full vegetable garden, simply using seeds from the exchange.

Does all of this sound exciting to you? Visit the Victoria Seedy Saturday seed exchange this Saturday, February 18th 10am-4pm! You’ll meet some friendly gardening folk, find some seeds you’ve never seen before, and bring home locally produced seeds for your very lucky garden.

To find out more about Seedy Saturday, the activities, speakers, vendors and schedule, visit https://victoriaseedysaturday.ca/SeedySaturday/

Gillian Rowan has organized the Victoria Seedy Saturday seed exchange for the past 10+ years. She also served as a board member for the James Bay Community Market Society for three years and was an urban farmer and market vendor in James Bay.

Photo: Peas in a Pod
Credit: ©D. Gascoyne, 2010