National Seed Swap Day in January

Swap Seeds for a Better Garden this Year

Gardener’s have traditionally loved to trade with each other: tips ad advice, seeds and plants, even tools of the trade. It is no surprise that as the seed supplies available from seed companies have been shrinking, that grassroots gardeners have stepped up to organize seed swaps.

These are great places to go to let others have some of your abundance and to try out the seeds of someone else’s harvests.

It is a wonderful way to obtain little known heirloom seeds from local gardener’s such as yourself, and pick up some helpful growing tips, as well.

Why Have a National Seed Swap Day?

The winning logo design by Matthew Smith of Richwood, OH. Join in to increase the available seedbank, to make new gardening friends, and participate in one of the fun aspects of growing plants.

An Old Idea Takes on New Enthusiasm

The first annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange was held on January 26, 2006.

It was a success!

Would you like to know how to organize your own see swap? Some ideas to get you started.

Why swap your seeds?

• Some people have more seeds than they can grow
• Often people have a hard time finding a certain type of seed
• Seeds might be best for local conditions, or not predictable for widespread conditions
• Desirable seeds are heirlooms, now lost to the trade
• It is a way to avoid GMO tampered seed

How To Save Seeds This Year

You can probably think of a myriad ways to organize your saved seeds, but here are a few possibilities ranging from DIY to fine crafted Monticello boxes ready supplied with heirloom seeds.

Make yourself a system. Borrow an organizer from a beading enthusiast:  individual aluminum containers with translucent tops. Mark with seed names and date.

4 Easy Steps

1. Nurture the plant into a healthy maturity
2. Allow seeds to mature, harvest and dry pods. Remove husks.From fruits like tomatoes, allow to ferment, then wash seeds after removal from pulp. Dry on a clean surface.
3. When thoroughly dry, save seeds inside cellophane wrappers, envelopes or jars.
4. Always store in a cool, dry place.

Garden Basics – Preserve Your Own Seeds

Whether you are homesteading or simply wanting to save some money and make sure you have a supply of your favorite flowers and vegetables, saving your own is a good skill to have.

Seed Saving Bible

The Complete Guide to Preserving Your Own Seeds for Your Garden: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply (Back-To-Basics) (Back to Basics Growing)

No small chapter on keeping seed, this is an entire tome that covers the A to Z. I think one reason we hesitate to do something like preserving seeds for ourselves is because we don’t know enough about it.

This is a book for every garden bookshelf.

Really.

What a Seed Swap Looks Like

Add Seedlings for Variety and Convenience

There is no one way to gather and keep seeds. If you wish to build your own collection of heirlooms and special varieties, a book with the various techniques and the growing directions for at least a hundred kinds of common home garden plants is a great start.

Learn How to Observe this Day

Gardeners can benefit each other and build a seed bank

Seed Preservation is Quite Easy

It is so easy to save seeds, but there are a few things to remember:

(1) One thing is to keep the seeds dry. They germinate with moisture, so it makes sense to keep seeds dry as you save and store them.

Simply keeping seeds is often a matter of collecting and keeping your seeds dry. The reason a seed swap is so helpful is the chance to meet with other gardeners for tips and to learn from their seed saving techniques- plus the chance to come by seeds you may otherwise not collect or grow, on your own.

(2) The temperatures for storage should stay on the cool side, but most seeds are best if not frozen.

The directions for saving and storing seeds use words like “often” or “most” since the majority of seeds are gathered and behave, once stored, in the same way. But not all do. If you know what conditions your desired seeds may need, you can preserve them until they are needed without any trouble.

(3) Some seeds need special conditions. Whether they need scarification, or freezing, certain light conditions or not, there are directions to help you have success. Key to success: following the directions for the desired seed.

Look up information on the seeds you plan to save. For newbies it is probably a good idea to stay with the common, simpler types of seeds.

If you like a challenge, however, go ahead and try something that needs scarification, time in winter conditions to sprout.

Tips on Organizing your Seeds

Seed Saving Handbook

Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, 2nd Edition

In its 2nd edition because so many gardeners find the information so helpful. Vegetable gardening is becoming a more important endeavor for many gardeners including myself.

Where did all the heritage tomatoes come from? Those who understood these techniques and kept delicious, little-known varieties alive by saving their seeds.

Now the rest of us can learn how.

One of the best, most basic, books on the topic. This is the book you will reach for when starting seeds and saving your own heirlooms.

Seed Saving and Swapping Links for National Seed Swap Day

• How to Harvest, Clean and Prepare Heirloom Seeds for Storage
  Vegetable Seed Saving Handbook
• How to Organize a Community Seed Swap
  The benefits of swapping seeds locally are many: save money, connect with your community, find rare and locally adapted seeds, preserve biodiversity, learn from experienced gardeners – the list goes on and on. So here are a few tips for organizing a
• Seed Swap :: National Gardening Association

Ilona has gardened actively for most of her life, and been a writer and webmaster online since 1998. Homeschooled all 10 of her children.