The end of January is a great time of year for a seed swap. It is post-holidays, so our lives are less stressful and hectic, but it is not yet spring, and the weather is not yet conducive to being outside gardening.
So why not gather with fellow neighbors and gardeners, share, learn and dream of the garden you can create in a few months!
According to the book "Food Not Lawns" by H.C. Flores, Jan. 31 is International Seed Swap Day. Four years ago, a group of gardeners from associated organizations decided to host a Seed Swap here in Bellingham. Flores' book provided guidelines on how to set up a seed swap, which helped us plan the event.
We have since changed the name from "Seed Swap" to "Community Seed Day," because people thought if they didn't have seeds to bring, then they could not attend. All are welcome - even if you just want to get some seeds to grow in your garden.
Our first event attracted more than 100 people and we filled four large tables full of seeds. Some people brought leftover seed packets from previous years they had not used, some brought heirloom varieties they or friends have been saving for years or sometimes generations.
I also discovered from Flores' book that, historically, all farmers used to let a portion of their crops mature and go to seed so they could collect it and use it for the following year's crop. But, as time passed, scientists, seed companies and some clever gardeners started crossbreeding one variety with another to get different types of vegetables (or flowers) and to get specific qualities.
Gardeners using these seeds can no longer collect their seeds and plant them and get the same result, but instead must purchase new seeds each year from the seed producers. These hybrid seeds are most of what is available for sale today to farmers and backyard gardeners, alike.
So I became interested in saving heirloom seed varieties, which are the only ones that will grow true to the seed it produces, season after season. With heirloom seeds, there is no more worrying about seeds being sold out or not available. (Uprising Seeds, a local company, takes the guesswork out of which seeds are safe to save because all of their seeds are heirloom varieties.) Saving heirloom seeds frees us from depending on scientists and seed companies to produce seed for us.
The focus of Community Seed Day is two-fold; one, to get seeds into the hands of the people to grow their own food and, two, to preserve and share heirloom varieties with other gardeners.
The two guidelines are, one, take only the amount of seeds you can use in your garden and, two, if you take heirloom seeds, try to save seeds for next year's event.
The more people who start saving heirloom seeds, the more self-reliant we become as gardeners, and the longer that seed has a chance to survive. Seeds become less and less viable with age, so they need to be grown each year. Also, with more people growing a variety, if there is crop failure in one area, other gardeners not affected will be able to save their seeds and keep that variety going.
The best part of the swap is finding out the story behind the heirloom seeds, since they all have a story. One year we discovered an elder here in Bellingham who had been growing a rare variety of blue corn, called "Bellingham Blue," most of his life and he came to share it.
Another person attended with a jar of white beans that were heirloom beans from the Garlick family of Whatcom County that settled here in 1821. A variety of scarlet runner beans showed up that was originally carried in the pocket of a young Italian woman who sailed from Italy to Seattle to get married in the early 1900s, and had been grown in her family's and neighboring yards ever since.
I hope all people interested in growing food will come and join in the fun, learn from other gardeners, and share in the history, magic and abundance of seeds!
Shannon Maris is active in several community groups in Bellingham, most recently at the Center for Local Self Reliance at Fairhaven Park. Besides gardening, she loves to cook and share the bounty of her garden.
Window On My World is an occasional essay in Monday's Bellingham Herald that allows Whatcom County residents to share their passion for what they do, an idea or cause they support. Send your Window On My World, which must be no more than 700 words, to Julie.shirley@bellinghamherald.com.
COMMUNITY SEED DAY
The fourth annual free Community Seed Day shares information and heirloom seeds from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29, at The Majestic, 1027 N. Forest St., Bellingham. Bring or share extra store-bought packaged seeds, heirloom (non-hybrid) seeds in labeled containers/envelopes, and edible tubers or potatoes.
Celt Schira will discuss basic seed saving from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Sponsors include Sustainable Bellingham, Forest Garden, Earthcare Garden Designs, Center for Local Self-Reliance, The Majestic and Irish Eyes Seeds.
For information, email seeds@sustainablebellingham.org. To volunteer, email volunteer@sustainablebellingham.org.
The date in the headline was corrected Jan. 26, 2011.
