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The Lynnwood Library’s fourth annual Seed Swap promises to be bigger and better this year, thanks to generous seed donations, door prizes, free seed catalogs, local gardening resources and a kids’ table featuring seed crafts and art projects.
This family friendly event from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, March 8 is free and open to community members of all gardening levels. Event founder Marni Swart encourages people to come between 2:30-4 p.m. to avoid potential wait times at the seed tables.
An enticing range of vegetable, herb and flower seeds will be available. Helpful volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and provide guidance to new growers. Even if you don’t have seeds to share, you’re encouraged to come.
“Thanks to our amazing donors, we have lots and lots of seeds and we’ll be setting them out throughout the event, so there are plenty to go around,” said Swart, who is a Lynnwood-based certified sustainable urban agriculturist, garden coach and owner of Growing Roots Together. Door prizes include a Cabana Bee House Kit (valued at $99.95), an Ace Hardware Gardening Gift Basket, plus plants, garden starts and an edible garden consultation (valued at $150) from Growing Roots Together.
The swap is boosted this year by a hearty seed donation from Verdant Health Commission. “Gardening is a healthy activity known for providing mental and physical well-being benefits, and is popular amongst all age groups and cultures,” said Verdant’s Board President Carolyn Brennan. “We hope the seeds yield many thousands of servings of nutritious vegetables this year. Verdant will be exploring other ways to make gardening more accessible to South Snohomish County residents in the future.”
Tips for attendees:
- Bring a way to safely transport tiny seeds home in a clean, dry container – envelopes, jars and pill bottles work well.
- If donating home-saved seed, please winnow and clean off the stems or stalks as much as possible and bring only the seed.
- All shared seed should be fresh, within three years of purchase or saving.
- Label all seed donations with seed type, variety if known, and year it was grown/saved.
“Thanks to the Lynnwood Library for hosting and a special thanks to all of the volunteers who make this event happen,” Swart said. She also thanked the following organizations for their generous donations and resources for this event: Ace Hardware (Lynnwood), Alderwood Garden Club, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Crown Bees, High Mowing Seeds, Renee’s Garden Seeds, Siskiyou Seeds, Snohomish Coop, Snohomish Conservation District, Sky Nursery, Sunnyside Nursery, and Verdant Health Commission. Event sponsors are the Alderwood Garden Club, Friends of the Lynnwood Library, and Growing Roots Together.
What a great seed exchange! Thank you to Marni Swart and all the volunteers and donors for this great, well organized event. I came home and planted the seeds that can be plated now. So excited.