Seed Swap

Mel, owner of the local gardening stand A Shovel at a Thyme, held her 3^rd annual seed swap this past Saturday.  The event draws enough people that she moved from hosting it at her home to hosting it at the local community center.

Folks bring home grown seeds and/or leftover seeds from last year's gardening season.  Not sure if seeds packed for earlier years are still viable?  Johnny’s Seeds has advise here on how to store seeds and test them for viability, even if they’ve been stored for a few years.  So that packet of seeds at the seed swap that say “packed for 2023” might still be viable for planting this year. 

Mel, as an experienced gardener, also offers gardening advice to folks who ask for it, and she is keen to introduce both young and old to the wonders of gardening.  At this year’s seed swap she helped aspiring gardeners to start lettuce seeds, something that can go in the ground early and produce a harvest in a short period of time. 

 Mel instructing an aspiring gardener in how to start lettuce seedlings

The seed swap is also a place to find some unusual vegetable seeds that are not readily available in garden centers.  At this year’s seed swap there were seeds for mangelwurzel, a beet variety that was developed in the late 18^th century for use as fodder for feeding livestock, but which is equally good when young as a delicious people food.  

Mangelwurzel grown for fodder - delicious when eaten young!

Also on hand were wildflower seeds and seeds for starting an herb garden.  The community garden has several beds of flowers that serve to attract pollinators, and herb beds for growing medicinal and culinary herbs, any of which are available to the owners of the garden plots.

Besides seeds, gardening advice and shared stories, a seed swap is a great event at which to meet others who are interested in gardening and to enjoy home baked goodies – Mel always has a crock pot of tasty chili and other munchies on hand, and folks, along with bringing seeds to swap, often bring food items to share with others.

All in all, a great time, thanks to Mel!