See that handsome bit of greenery up above? That’s a Himalayan Sweet Box (or Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis, if you wish to remain on more formal terms) and at last year’s Seedy Saturday one of them lured me across a crowded Conference Centre with its knockout scent and made me buy it. It’s now beginning to bloom right by the garbage cans, where I planted it on the fine medieval principle that a good dollop of perfume can overcome any unfortunate lapses in hygiene.

Out front, in a very mixed border, I’m experimenting with growing Ruby Chard from seed bought at Seedy Saturday from a small island-based seed company – a purchase that ticks off all those boxes on the virtuous behaviour list: support the local economy, reduce the carbon footprint, eat locally, grow your own. My Christmas stocking was entirely coal-lump free this year, and I credit the chard.

Seedy Saturday is not only a place to get seeds, plants, and tools, it’s a place to celebrate the beginning of another year’s gardening season, to meet up with fellow islanders with dirt under their fingernails, and, especially, a place to learn. If you’re a real keener, in possession of a great deal of stamina and a few organizational skills, you can arrange your Seedy Saturday so that you can hear four talks and still have time to hit up the exhibitors’ booths to gather information from local organizations.

And I like Seedy Saturday because I’m frugal. (That’s the polite word for cheap.) If I don’t want to buy seeds, I can bring surplus from my garden and trade them at the seed exchange. And the entry price is a deal. It costs $7 to get in (hasn’t gone up in years) – not bad for a whole day’s entertainment and a whole bunch of knowledge. (Himalayan Sweet Box not included.)

Photo above:
Sarcococca hookeriana humilis flowers
Credit: Sten Porse via wikimedia