Fall Seed Swap

NC Native Plant Society: Save Seeds Now for Fall Seed Swap

Update from Carol Bales, Master Gardener:

There will be another seed swap during the Native Plant Festival in September. If we get started now collecting seeds from native plants that we have in our gardens, we will have plenty to share and swap this fall. Seed swapping is a pleasurable activity that contributes to the health and wellbeing of our community.

We can learn to propagate the seeds we collect as well as sharing the fruits of our labor with friends, family and neighbors, thus helping to provide delicious vegetables, herbs and flowers as we harvest them during our long hot summer. Native plant seeds are usually very hardy, their viability lasting around three to five years.

We helped the Pender County master gardeners with a lovely seed swap that took place in the county library in Hampstead. About 45 gardeners attended and brought seeds they had collected this winter. They were very curious about seeds from plants that they were not familiar with, and thus the event was very educational. Let’s all help with our seed swap this fall, and let’s begin right away collecting seeds to share with our fellow gardeners.

The meeting planned for April 27 at the Pine Valley Library will be an introduction to seed exchanging. We start with the collection. We will be furnishing envelopes that can be used to gather and store the seeds. We will go over the proper labeling so we will know the seeds and information on how they were gathered. Organizers hope this will be an annual event and also will enable members to gather seeds and do exchanges with neighbors and friends.

Join us at the Pine Valley Branch, New Hanover County Public Library at 3802 South College Road, Wilmington, NC 28412. The meeting will be in the Osprey Room from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on April 27.

For more information, contact Charley Winterbauer at cewinterbauer@gmail.com.