We had a rather fun kick-off to the 2014 Phoebe's Pure Food Soirée. A lively group of locals coming together to talk about related interests, make new friends and break in the weekend with delicious, healthy food makes me happy!
The theme for this month's event was a seed exchange with guest speaker Nan Reinert of Chubby Pickle Farms. If you missed this soirée, you can catch Nan's spring gardening tips in the current episode of the 2 Weird Hungry Girls Podcast, "It's cute but it's not practical.” She shares tips on getting pots ready, what seeds to start now and other things you think you know about gardening but probably don’t.
In the meantime, why not host a seed exchange of your own? Committing to a packet of vegetables seeds will yield more garden delights than room to plant. Sharing seeds will save a few dollars and allow you to experiment with new varieties. By hosting an exchange, other gardeners will share new tips for what works and what to avoid. It’s just plain fun to get gardeners together.
Before I forget, mark your calendar for the 2014 Landis Valley Herb Faire. The finds I have planted from my visits have made me very happy. The event is scheduled for Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10 from 9am to 5pm. The 27th Annual Herb and Garden Faire at Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum features heirlooms, natives and other hard-to-find varieties. You’ll want to be there, but not with too many friends. You want room in your car for plants, not people.
Here are a few favorite seed sources. Don’t wait too long to order. Some varieties do sell out.
Territorial Seeds Seeds of Change Baker Creek Heirloom Happy Cat Farm (They are local and I adore them.) The Cook's Garden
Here are three of my favorite Berks County garden centers to help get you get garden-ready:
Sugarbush Nursery, 4272 Morgantown Rd., Mohnton, 610.856.0998. Sugarbush specializes in native plants and also carries B&H organic vegetable seedlings.
Esbenshades, 721 Park Rd., Fleetwood, 610.944.3000
Riverview Nursery and Garden Center, Pricetown Road, Temple
Host a seed exchange
It's really not hard. You just want to get seeds, people and some good resources all in one place. A good time is sure to follow; green thumbs love to share tips. Host the exchange as a potluck and require folks to bring foods based on a garden theme (raw foods, all things green or creative herbed baked goods).
Get seeds together
- Gather seeds you would like to share. Plan on preparing as many seed packets as guests attending.
- Divide seeds into envelopes. Include enough for someone to get started, say 3-5 seeds.
- Attached seed information to each seed packet: name of seed, zone and date seeds were saved, sowing instructions, days to germination, amount of sun or water, and days to maturity.
Get folks together
- After your date, location and time are selected, connect with local growing groups to share your event. Start with local permaculture groups, Master Gardener Clubs, local greenhouses and garden centers, meetup.com and local churches.
- Ask guests to bring at least a minimum number of labeled seed packets. Share seed and labeling tips from above.
- On the day of your event, have a seed exchange table. Encourage participating folks to take one of each from the seed exchange table.
- Provide a little extra inspiration by sharing seed sources, books and local resources for growing tips.
- You should serve food at this event. That's all I'm saying. You need to have good food there.
