Celebrate National Seed Swap Day the Last Saturday in January
Background image by ryan griffis from Urbana, USA (Seed Swap 2009); CC BY-SA 2.0
Gardeners know winter is the best time to start thinking about gardening.
It’s time to thumb through seed and bulb catalogs and plan your garden. It’s also the time to get those seeds started, so they’ll be ready to plant come Spring.
And National Seed Swap Day is the perfect time to discover new seeds and gardening tips to make that garden better than ever.
Seed Swapping is as Old As Agriculture
That’s right, seed swapping itself is not exactly new. Gardeners and farmers have been doing it since they first began growing their own crops. But with the ready availability of seeds to buy, the practice became less common. Happily, that’s changing again.
Washington Gardener Magazine organized the first Seed Swap Day and held it on January 26, 2006. It was a hit, so they did it again the following year.
Soon the rest of the country started holding seed swaps on the same day and the day became a must-attend event for gardeners everywhere.
The best part is it doesn’t matter how much experience you have with gardening. People who’ve never planted a seed are just as welcome as master gardeners.
In fact, experienced gardeners often delight in sharing seeds and knowledge with beginners. So if you’ve been thinking about starting a garden, a local seed swap could be a great place to start. You can learn
- What grows best in your area
- How and when to plant various seeds and seedlings
- How to save seeds so you’ll have some to share next year
- Much, much more
Swaps can include edible plants (vegetables, herbs, etc) as well as decorative flowers, trees and shrubs. So whatever you’d like to plant, you may be able to find it at a seed swap.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this unofficial but useful holiday.
Ideas For Celebrating National Seed Swap Day
Attend a seed swap in your area, of course! Find something new to plant and learn all you can from other attendees.
At many swaps you can find free seeds or seeds to buy if you don’t have any to share. If you do have seeds to share, by all means bring them. Many swaps do have rules on what is allowed (for example, some don’t allow GMO seeds) so be sure to check first.
Depending on where you live and when it’ll be time to transplant your seedlings, you may want to plant your seeds when you get home.
No seed swap in your area? Organize one! Or at least begin learning how to do one and plan it for next year.
Meanwhile, get your seed and learning fix from catalogs or websites.
And be sure to spread the word about National Seed Swap Day. Post pictures of your seed bounty and share tips you’ve learned. Share in person with family and friends, then take to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc to share even more.
Where to Find Seed Swaps
This seed swap listing lists swaps happening around the country. But it’s by no means comprehensive.
If there’s nothing listed near you, check with local gardening clubs, garden centers or even your library to see if they know of seed swaps in the area.
You can, of course, also do a search for “seed swap” plus your city or county name.
And, although it’s not exactly a seed swap, Seed Savers members can buy heirloom seeds inexpensively. They also have an interesting blog.
Dates For Future National Seed Swap Days
The actual date for the last Saturday in January changes every year, so to be sure you don’t miss any swaps, here’s a quick list of the next few years’ dates:
- 2019 – Saturday, January 26
- 2020 – Saturday, January 25
- 2021 – Saturday, January 30
- 2022 – Saturday, January 29
- 2023 – Saturday, January 28
- 2024 – Saturday, January 27
- 2025 – Saturday, January 25
- 2026 – Saturday, January 31
- 2027 – Saturday, January 30
- 2028 – Saturday, January 29
- 2029 – Saturday, January 27
[…] National Seed Swap Day: Gardeners know it’s never too early to start thinking about gardening. Especially if you’re starting your garden from seed, in which case it’s almost time to get started gardening (indoors for most of us, of course)! And new seeds are always fun, so this day comes just in time. […]