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Seedy Saturday wrap-up: Another great season!

Rayna Almas

As I write this, it is 42 days until summer is upon us. This time of year marks a slow down of some of our activities here at Seeds of Diversity, now that most folks have the seeds they need to grow another year’s garden. This means we finally have a bit of space in our minds to reflect and look back on the last six months. On my mind today is Seedy Saturdays. 

 

Here’s a look at some of the numbers, to tell the story of how we’ve kept busy:

 

Take a look at a few of the images shared with us: 

 

Mississauga Seedy Saturday (photo from Blooming Boulevards)

 

Niagara Seedy Saturday (photo from MGs of Niagara) 

Kitchener Seedy Saturday (photo from Kitchener Hort. Society) 

“This year's event saw an estimated 850 - 900 visitors. We had just under 150 people attend our 4 seminars throughout the event.”

 

Student volunteers at Caledon Seedy Saturday (photo from Caledon Public Library) 

 

Presentation at Meadow Lake Seedy Saturday 

“We had a Great Seedy Sunday event in Meadow Lake on March 10th. We had at least 100 people attending throughout the afternoon which ran from 1-5pm. 28 door prizes were given, with 95 entries in the bucket. The seed exchange had a very large selection of just about everything including some that I have never seen before!!  There was a full tray of live plants that was a big hit!!  Many people brought in seeds of their own and traded for seeds on the exchange table, as well those without seeds to trade could make a donation to the seed exchange and select seeds that were there.”

Pefferlaw Seedy Saturday (photo from Georgina-Brock Garden Club) 

And here are some tidbits shared by folks following their events: 

 

Calgary, AB

Our event was on the weekend - Saturday, March 23.  We were on the last day of a 4 day snow storm that deposited 30+cm of snow in Calgary (and more over southern Alberta).  However, it was a smashing success, despite the weather - gotta love gardeners!       

 

St John’s, NL

We held our event this past Saturday.  We had 229 visitors through the event, countless seeds and gardening books and seedlings shared, great workshops attendance, and wonderful information sharing and learning. Fantastic day.

 

Magnetawan, ON

I wanted to let you know that we had an amazing and successful Seedy Saturday!!

It was a sure hit in our little town, and if we were to guess at the number of visitors we would say around 200.  We think that is pretty awesome!

The above photos and recaps are only a small fraction of what took place from coast to coast between November and April. We’re grateful to everyone who took the time to share their experiences, stories, and pictures with us afterwards, and promise we see and admire each and every one.

 

As many reading this know, Seedy Saturday and Seedy Sunday events are a collection of individually organized and run seed exchange events put on by groups across the country. They could be libraries, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, garden clubs and horticultural societies, or individual passionate people. Each is a little bit (or a lot) different, with its own unique structure and activities to serve its community. 

 

And none of them are owned or run by Seeds of Diversity, despite the common misconception. We are involved only as supporters, offering resources and connections in the small ways we can. 

 

Thanks to everyone who took part in Seedy Saturdays and Sundays this year - organizers, volunteers, vendors, attendees. These gatherings matter to us, and we’re delighted to see year after year that they matter to all of you, too. 

 

See you next season - happy growing! 

 

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