In our previous post “Why you should really care about seed preservation?”, we mentioned how seed preservation is critical to sustainable development and food security.
If you’re curious to find out more about seed preservation or attend a seed exchange meeting here are some things to bear in mind:
- Some seed exchange meetings or seedy Saturdays as they’re called are for members. Please contact the organizers first so they can let you know if they accept drop-in participants or observers.
- Most Seedy Saturdays happen in late February or early March, and often workshops and trainings are held that time of year as well. It’s a good time to think about it now and check what’s available in your area.
- What happens in a seed exchange meeting anyway? Some organizers will have a more formal agenda and some are more informal gatherings. If you’re new to seed exchange and you would like to maximize your time at the meeting, please contact the organizers to see if there will be a seed trainer available at the meeting.
- If you decide to join a seed sharing group, please be committed to grow and preserve seeds. The seeds that are exchanged in these meetings are special – most are organic, heirloom (from an older plant strain) and some are not even available from your local garden store. Those seeds have been preserved by dedicated people whose values are for a greater good.
Also, some public libraries have “seed libraries”, where seeds can be taken out, planted, seeds saved, and then returned at the end of the season. The libraries even provide support to help you learn how to save and grow the seeds. Some examples of Canadian seed libraries available in public libraries are in North Vancouver, Greater Victoria and Toronto. There are also some public libraries in the US that have seed libraries. So please contact your local public library.
So without much further ado, here’s a list of some organizations that hold or facilitate seed exchange / swap meetings (in Canada). This certainly is not an exhaustive list, so if you know of some organizations not in this list, please let us know. We’ll be happy to spread the word around.
Seeds of Diversity
Evergreen Foundation
http://www.evergreen.ca/whats-on/event-details/11317/
Shuswap, BC Seed Swap
https://www.facebook.com/shuswapseedysaturday
The Secret Seed Exchange
https://www.facebook.com/groups/434090096700575?ref=bookmark
Let us know how you did on your first seed exchange meeting.
Have you tried the seed libraries at your local public library?
Or are you an expert seed saver? Do you have any tips?
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