May 2014
Another season of Seedy Saturdays
Well, friends, another season of Seedy Saturdays has come and gone. This year, we posted 112 Seedy Saturday and Sunday events on our website! Each of these events included a seed exchange and were open to the public, and many also had workshops, speakers and activities for kids. This number doesn't include the many member-based exchanges hosted by horticultural and other societies around the country, which are also steadily growing.
Interest in gardening, and specifically in seed saving, is clearly on the rise. In 2001, we posted 30 events on our website. That number has almost quadrupled in just 13 years! In that period, we have also heard from seed savers in other countries, who have used our Canadian model to set up their own seed swaps.
Our online Seedy Events listing is comprehensive and regularly updated, and is the best place to find out about the seed swaps in your region. So if you know of someone who may enjoy attending a seed exchange next year, or who missed making it to their local event this year, make sure to send them to our web site, or tell them to sign up to get a reminder through our free monthly e-bulletin! And to find out more about how to grow the seeds you have swapped, or where to get the ones you are still looking for, check out our new Seed Explorer.
Happy seeding, everyone!
Spring Seed Campaigns
A month or so ago I received a tsunami of emails encouraging me to embrace Teresa Glover’s personal campaign to encourage mayors across Canada to plant red Flanders poppies (Papaver rhoeas) in their communities to celebrate the 100th anniversary of World War I. The flowers of these fast-growing annuals are dramatic and breathtaking and very easy to grow in disturbed soil.
Introducing the Seed Explorer
During our thirty years as a seed saving organization, we have collected thousands of records about seed sources, variety characteristics, plant descriptions, historical uses, and the origins of your favourite seed varieties. We're collecting more information all the time, as members document the plants in their gardens and send us their observations. Even the annual Member Seed Directory, with its 3000+ seed varieties listed by members every year, is a trove of information about the flavours, colours, days to maturity, and uses of your favourite seeds and plants.
We're all about openness, so we want the world to be able to see all this great information. But how to present it all in a clear, sensible, and interesting way?
Victoria Seed Library
One of the many Community Seed Libraries popping up across the country of late, the Victoria Seed Library officially launched its collection through Victoria Public Library branches in March of this year. It appears in the library’s main entrance on the second Saturday of each month – a table covered in seeds for loan and a variety of resources for potential seed savers.
Canada Blooms
As usual, Canada bloomed in March. After such a long winter, you may wonder how I can say that. Well, I am talking about Canada Blooms, the largest annual flower and garden festival, held in Toronto, Ontario. This was the 18th year of the festival, and the theme was WILD!
In this issue
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An annual membership to Seeds of Diversity gives you access to our seed exchange, seed grow-out programs, and our online news.
Upcoming Seedy events from the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security
Integrating Seed Production into Market Gardens
May 29th, 1.00 - 4.00 pm
Farewell Farm, Kingston, ON
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