Local gardeners may be happy to learn that a virtual event tailored to their food-growing interests is taking place on Saturday (Feb. 26).
The Fernie ‘Seed Swap’ is being hosted by Wildsight Elk Valley, and is part of a string of ‘Seedy Saturday’ events taking place sporadically across Canada through the late winter and spring months.
According to Mary Cosman, president of Wildsight Elk Valley and coordinator of Saturday’s event, ‘Seedy Saturdays’ are “grassroots events in communities of all sizes” across the country, and is a movement that was kicked off in the late 90s by the non-profit organization Seeds of Diversity Canada, which is “dedicated to preserving and encouraging cultivation of heirloom and endangered food crop varieties.”
“Local seed swaps provide gardeners with low-cost access to seeds for food plants that have adapted to local climate conditions, a forum for networking and learning about food production from one another, social interaction, and garden education for our children,” Cosman said in a written explainer to The Free Press.
Saturday’s event will include a number of different online activities.
Participants will be able to register to get a code for a free screening of the award-winning documentary, “Modified - A food lover’s journey into GMOs.” The movie will be available to watch from Feb. 25 to March 4.
There will be a ‘garden zoom chat’ for local gardeners running from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., which will feature a workshop at 12 p.m. from Seeds of Diversity Canada’s executive director, Bob Wildfong, followed by a question-and-answer session.
The email-based order-and-pickup ‘seed swap’ itself has been taking place through February with seeds stashed in Wildsight’s ‘Seed Library’, kept in the Local store at 632 2nd Ave.
“Over the years we have amassed a stash of locally grown seeds for our seed swaps,” Cosman said, adding that some seeds are donated by local gardeners, but most were collected from the Wildsight’s Community EcoGarden.
“Every year I go through the stash to make sure all the seeds we offer are still viable and well-identified.”
The Fernie seed swap has been taking place annually since 2005, but pandemic restrictions in 2020 shut down Wildsight’s plans for an expanded event co-hosted alongside the Fernie Family Garden (they had co-hosted events together in 2018 and 2019).
In 2021 they took the seed swap virtual, and Cosman said it “was quite successful.” She publishes a list of available seeds on Facebook and sends it out via email so that people can put in seed orders, which can be picked up at Local. Donations are encouraged.
“All seeds are for food plants and edible flowers only to align with our mandate to encourage people to grow food.”
‘Seed saving’ tutorials and presentations will also be available on Saturday, as well as the chance to become a member of the Fernie Cold Climate Seed Library. Those with surplus seeds are also encouraged to share what they’ve collected by dropping them off (cleaned and labeled) at Local.
READ MORE: Sparwood Community Garden hosts first seed swap
READ MORE: Seedy Saturday to hold province-wide gardening conference
@fishynewswatch
josh.fischlin@thefreepress.ca
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