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Seedy Saturdays and Seedy Sundays in 2021: They're happening!

When you hear the words “Seedy Saturday”, what comes to mind? For many of us, those words conjure images of people gathered around tables chatting about gardening while admiring and swapping packets of seeds. In other words, a whole lot of things that we simply cannot do right now. Last year, when COVID-19 reached Canada, many Seedy Saturday and Seedy Sunday events had no choice but to cancel at the last moment, an incredible disappointment for thousands of people across the country. Almost half (79 out of 167!) events that were scheduled to occur coast to coast did not get to take place.

This year, some feared it would be more of the same. We wanted to ensure that was not the case. So, in October we began reaching out to organizers of the various events to learn what they were thinking, wanting, and planning. This is the first time Seeds of Diversity has had a real involvement in the planning of Seedy Saturdays, and so we weren’t entirely sure what to expect. Boy, were we delighted by the incredible response we received! Over the course of the last three months, we’ve held over a dozen organizer meetings, chatted with dozens of inspiring and dedicated people across Canada, and learned so much about what really goes into making these events happen every year. 

This year is particularly tricky, of course. How can anyone expect to keep the spirit of these events alive without a physical location to meet, talk, ask questions, share seeds, and appreciate one’s community of garden and seed lovers? We have had to adapt. Luckily for all of us, the people behind Seedy Saturday and Seedy Sunday events are creative, innovative, and determined to keep it going in the face of COVID. Here are a couple of examples: 

• Holding a socially distanced drive-thru seed exchange;

• Putting together a virtual seed swap consisting of socially distanced drop-offs, online seed requests, and porch pick-ups;

• Hosting virtual “Lunch-and-Learn” webinars over the course of a week-long event;

• Offering a virtual family movie night;

• Promoting local seed companies in an online format, with interactive sessions and videos.

How has Seeds of Diversity supported these efforts? 

We are putting together a series of virtual webinars that events can use in their programming, on topics like seed saving, pollinators, and climate change. We have also been working to ensure that people know how to safely exchange seeds (that part of the event doesn’t have to be put on hold!) and offering seed packets to the events in need of them for their exchanges. When the events do roll around, we’ll be there for technical support and advice.  

Most of all, what we’ve found is that getting together as a Seedy community, even if it can only be over Zoom, has brought to light this beautiful network of like-minded and passionate people who have always been separated from one another by geography. It really has been a fun and interesting time. Now, we are excited to continue the fun with the events themselves, many of which are coming up very shortly! They will look different, they will be different, but we feel confident they will carry the spirit of what Seedy Saturdays are all about - seeds.

You can head over to our Events Page for a list of events, with more being added as we learn about them. 

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Rayna Almas is Seeds of Diversity's Media and Promotion Co-ordinator

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