Gardeners gearing up for the growing season have a chance to swap seeds and tips at this year’s 10th annual Seedy Sunday.
Nanaimo’s annual gardening event kicks off in March, offering growers a one-stop shop to exchange and purchase local seeds, learn about gardening and trade advice.
The affair, which took root in 2004, is all about the local food culture and encouraging people to garden with seeds that aren’t genetically modified – and it’s growing in popularity, according to coordinator Glenda Stroomer and Nanaimo Community Gardens Society volunteer Lee Sanmiya. Organizers with the gardens society and Nanaimo Foodshare are now looking at potential new venues to accommodate expanding Seedy Sunday crowds.
“It’s been getting larger and larger every year,” said Sanmiya. “I think that people have just a growing awareness of food security and ... really love to garden.”
The event puts the spotlight on local heritage seeds and the ‘how to’ of preservation. According to Sanmiya, those who harvest their own seeds can keep varieties that might no longer be available in catalogues, save on costs and keep seeds adapted to local conditions.
Seedy Sunday also gives people a chance to shop among more than 40 garden vendors and artists, attend workshops and get advice from master gardeners.
“This is the time when gardeners start to get antsy, so it gives people a little bit of an outlet to go ... and decide what they should be doing and what they should be planting this year,” she said. “It’s very inspiring, but also informative [and] you never know what you will find.”
The event takes place March 2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bowen Park. Admission is $3.