On Sunday, April 3rd, 2022, we hosted our second annual “seed swap” in our new office at 30 East Beau St. It was a huge success, with over 70 people attending!
We were hoping to have the seed swap in the exciting new Firefly Garden space near our office in downtown Washington; however, the cold, rainy weather kept us indoors. We made the best of it, though! The day started with a big rush when the seed swap started at 11 a.m. It was so heartwarming to see people so excited about our event and to finally gather in-person again. We also had help from Sue Ward and Sandy Mansmann from the Highland Ridge Community Development Corporation telling folks about the Highland Ridge Community Garden in Washington.
Many people stuck around to chat and connect with one another and to eat lunch (burritos!). A lot of kids attended and loved our “kids’ activity” of painting pots and planting pansies. While we had a lot of free seeds donated from seed companies to give away, many people also brought seeds to contribute to the swap! There were many exciting new seeds, from birdhouse gourds to Peruvian purple corn to hibiscus.
People also were excited to take home their free “grow-your-own-food kits” that they signed up for ahead of time when they registered for the seed swap. The kit included a recycled plastic woven Root Pouch bag, soil, and potatoes! We hope everyone will have a bag full of potatoes in a few months. A member who attended our seed swap last year told me their potato harvest was great and they really appreciated it.
In early September, we are hoping to host a “Harvest Potluck” with the foods we grew. Stay tuned for more details! Please send pictures of the plants you grow from the seed swap to kristen@centerforcoalfieldjustice.org!
You can read more about saving heirloom seeds in our blog “Why Saving Seeds is a Radical Act”.
A huge thank you to our sponsors: Root Pouch, True Leaf Market, Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Park Seed, and Renee’s Garden.
