Get your seeds ready for the SEED SWAP at MERA February 25

Free garden seeds! Free garden advice! What a great way to spend a winter Saturday morning! For the sixth year in a row, the McDonald’s Corners Farmers’ Market invites you to bring seeds and friends to our annual Seed Swap – and take home different seeds and new friendships. Come join us on Saturday, February 25th, 10 am to 1 pm, at the MERA Schoolhouse.

Here’s what we’ll be doing:

Sharing seeds. Bring seeds - the ones you saved from last year's garden or the left-overs (commercial or saved) that you didn't plant. Bring containers (small bottles or envelopes, plus labels and markers) for the new-to-you seeds that you’ll take home. Our focus is vegetable seeds, but we share herb and flower seeds as well.

Learning seeds. We need to take responsibility for preserving the plants we cherish and the rich diversity that is ours. Find out how to get quality seed from your plants and why this is important.

Planning seeds. Some crops are tricky to save true-to-type seeds, so co-ordinating who’s growing what means we can develop seed specialized for our local growing conditions, and we can also save seed for crops such as squash which need large isolation distances so that they don’t cross-pollinate.

Talking seeds. Lots of informal discussion – what works, what doesn’t… bugs, weeds, water, soil, favourite varieties – all those things that gardeners love to talk about.

Eating, maybe seeds. It wouldn’t be a farmers market event without food, so we’ll have snacks, coffee and tea for sale.

There are no seed vendors at our event – the seeds are all priceless, as we try to live the principles of sharing and free seed supply. Bring your seeds pre-packaged, or in a container so other folks can help themselves to a few. LABEL them! Include a photo if possible, how old they are, growing instructions, any info that would be helpful to another grower… Please bring only viable seeds – check their longevity here: http://www.highmowingseeds.com/blog/seed-viability-chart/

If you need more info - contact Kristine Swaren, 613-278-1226, [email protected]