Kelly-Anne Kidston
It’s a challenging time for communities around the world, and this is no less true for seed groups, seed swaps and seed libraries. But this is the Season of the Seed. This time of year, people get together to exchange tips and experiences. Everyone who was involved in growing food for the community over the last 12 months will be familiar with the grounding, relaxing effect of cultivating; the steady and restorative process from seed to seed. This is something we all need now more than ever, so we’ve been talking to community groups in our networks to see how they are creatively (and safely!) An opportunity to bring people together for winter seed swapping🤓 [1]
I’m thinking the reason that our own event is so successful is that we’ve had years to perfect it. Each year has been great but by now it’s a well-oiled machine. We know the best way for people to interact and share seeds, how to find the people who’d like to come, and we also know how to make the event free. We actually finished up on Sunday with over £300 without asking visitors to pay for an entrance or participation fee! It was hard for me to remember how I planned to host the first seed swap. Finding detailed information was hard so I shared 12 tips to help you run yours. [2]
It has been many years since I hosted a seed swap. The internet was again used by me to promote the event, however, this swap will take places in person. Every swap needs a theme. I choseosen to call mine the Ozark Pot Luck & seed Swap. Since food is an important part of what we do, I included a pot-luck in my festivities. Before the trade begins, it is great to share a meal with other participants. Seed swaps are all about getting to know people and reconnecting with old friendships. It’s also a great way for participants to share their passions and experiences with gardening. [3]
For online swappers, this is a valid fear. It’s difficult to know where the seeds swapped are from, unlike seed libraries. Swappers claim they have heirloom seeds. This means that the plants are more than 50 years old and not patentable by big seed companies. Cannon stated that sometimes he might pull seeds out of flowers he loves in parks to plant at home. Although swappers are able to ask others about the source of their seeds through comments and private messages, there is always the possibility of some seeds being traded from big seed companies. It is difficult for swappers, despite all of their best efforts to do so. [4]
