January 25- Partnering to Preserve: A Community Seed Swap

If you are a gardener, care about the environment, love a good deal or simply want to share your love of seed saving with like-minded community members please join the Penn State Berks County Master Gardeners in partnership with Berks Nature to our inaugural Community Seed Swap on National Seed Swap Day - January 25th, 2025 from 10am to 1pm with doors opening at 9:30. The event will be at the Berks Nature Center - 575 St. Bernardine Street, Reading PA 19607. The event is free! All you need to participate is at least one seed packet with a maximum of five, either collected from your garden or a commercial seed packet collected or packaged in 2023 or 2024. There will be a variety of seeds available to swap including veggies, annuals, herbs, perennials and natives. There will also be several educational presentations given on winter sowing, seed stratification and others.

 

Need more convincing? Seed swaps offer numerous benefits to gardeners, communities, and the environment. Some key advantages include:

1. Biodiversity: Seed swaps encourage the exchange of heirloom, rare, or regionally adapted seeds, which promotes genetic diversity in plants and helps preserve heritage varieties that might otherwise be lost.

2. Free: Gardeners can acquire a wide variety of seeds for free, significantly reducing the cost of purchasing seeds from commercial sources.

3. Community Building: Seed swaps foster connections among gardeners, allowing them to share knowledge, tips, and experiences.

4. Local Adaptation: Seeds exchanged at swaps are often locally grown and better adapted to the specific climate and conditions of the area, improving their chances of thriving in local gardens.

5. Sustainability: Seed swaps promote sustainable gardening practices by encouraging seed saving, reducing the reliance on commercial seed production, and lowering the environmental footprint associated with seed packaging and transportation.

6. Cultural Preservation: Sharing seeds also helps preserve culturally significant plants and food traditions, as participants exchange varieties that may have historical or cultural relevance to their region or heritage.