Sponsored by Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
EVENT DETAILS:
October 23 to 24, 2010
Saturday 10a.m. to 7p.m.
Sunday 11a.m. to 6p.m.
Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Come to the Mother Earth News Fair Pavillion Community Seed Swap Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Mother Earth News Fair Pavilion to share your seeds, your knowledge and your enthusiasm for different plant varieties with other gardeners and farmers! Connect with folks who might be your neighbors, or from anywhere in your bioregion and bring any seeds you have to share. Bring all seeds, whether you’ve saved them yourself or even have varieties leftover from this year’s garden! This is an informal, relaxed event and beginners are welcome.
If You Have Seeds to Swap
Please bring them in a paper bags, plastic zipper sandwich baggies or glass jars as well-labeled as possible. Using a white sticker, provide the following information: common and scientific names; soil, sun needs, watering needs and its origins — where and when you collected the seeds. If you don’t know all the information, just try to provide as much as you can.
Try to average 20 seeds per baggie — more for small seeds like cleome, fewer for large seeds like acorns.
What Types of Seeds?
Seed swap categories will include: natives, edibles, herbs, annuals, perennials and woodies (trees/shrubs). Pre-sorting your seeds in advance into whichever of these major categories fits best will help speed up the process on the swap day.
How Do We Swap?
As you check in, volunteers will collect your seed contributions and place them at the appropriate seed category.
For folks with lots of seeds, you can also just spend time at the swap throughout the weekend to trade seeds, visit with other seed savers, share your experience with novices and see what new seeds turn up. We encourage folks to share liberally with new seed swappers, or to use the rates suggested in the Seed Savers Yearbook for compensation for your seeds.
You will receive our thanks and a goodie bag from the Mother Earth News Fair Pavilion and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange for helping to make the Seed Swap happen!
What If I Don’t Have Any Seeds to Swap?
Come anyway! Even if you don’t have any seeds to trade, you are welcome to attend! We’ll have plenty of extra seed contributions on hand and many attendees will be there just to learn, network and prepare for next year’s seed collecting.
Individuals who do not have seeds to swap may also purchase seed for a reasonable price set by the provider.
Prices will be based upon suggested prices from the Seed Savers Exchange yearbook:
- Small Seeds: $3
- Large Seeds (Beans, Squash, Corn, etc.): $4
- Biennials: $4
- Roots, Rhizomes, Garlic, Scionwood, Cuttings, Plants and other Non-seeds: $5
- Garlic: $5
Some of the seeds you may find at The Seed Swap are rare varieties not available commercially. The intent of the swap is to provide asmallsample of rare varieties to save seed from — not to provide enough seed for large garden plantings. Join Southern Exposure Seed Exchange at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Mother Earth News Fair Pavilion to share the success of your garden and spread your seed!
