National Seed Swap Day is the last Saturday of January, where gardeners come together to swap, buy and sell seeds.
The Seed Swap will be a great way for you to get into the spirit of spring and learn about an interesting way to recycle.
“It’s a good idea to come and start with something simple. Radish, lettuce, tomato... those are great starters” according to Master Gardner Jennifer Lambert.
If you’ve had a garden for many years or have visions of creating one, the Seed Swap is a great way to learn about creating a fantastic garden in 2020.
"Any questions they have about saving seeds, how to preserve them, how to pack them away, and keep them with a high germination rate, we’re here to help," Master Gardner Sue Gregg said.
“We’ll go through various methods of saving dry seed and wet seed. A wet seed being something like cucumber, tomato, and dried seed things like flower heads, beans, radish, something like Zeina. It’s very easy to save, it’s easier if you get it before it’s completely dry”, says Lambert.
There will also be an opportunity to purchase heirloom seeds.
“An heirloom is a plant that has been around for many years, over 50, and it usually has a story to go with it. We treasure the stories almost as much as the seeds,” Gregg said.
A seed swap is not only an act of giving, it’s the ultimate form of recycling.
Lambert said that the seed swap “allows people to grow seeds locally, and not bring things in from other parts of the country that are not adapted to our region. We don’t want to be bringing in something from another area that may end up becoming an invasive species.”
This year’s free Seed Swap will take place Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There will be presentations on how to grow heirloom seeds, growing gardens in small spaces and of course, the opportunity to buy, sell, trade and even get free seeds.
For more information on the Hamilton County Master Gardeners Association, click here.
To learn more about the Seed Exchange, click here.
To join the Central Indiana Seed Swap Facebook group, click here.