Gardeners exchange seeds, knowledge at Seedy Saturday

ABOYNE – If recent  spring-like weather didn’t get you thinking about gardening, perhaps Seedy Saturday at the Wellington County Museum and Archives will.

It certainly draws local gardeners from their wintry caves, said Jude Dowling and Fred Mallett, members of the Fergus, Elora and Salem horticultural societies, which have collaborated on the event since 2017.

It runs March 21 from 10:30am to 2:30pm.

There will be three workshops:

– at 11am worm wrangler Amanda Hunter will talk about supporting gardens by supporting soil;

– at noon urban orchardist Matt Soltys will offer tips for establishing and tending to backyard fruit trees; and

– at 1:15pm, Kari Olsen and Kate Anderson of CW Native Plant Gardening will talk about how to design gardens with native pollinator plants.

Mallett noted many mature flower gardens, while beautiful, don’t necessarily support pollinators. Whether your garden is mature or you’re just starting, the native gardening workshop will shed light on why it’s important to add native plants, he added.

“And if you want to grow fruit trees, Matt Soltys is the guru. He’ll talk about the best trees for the backyard.”

Hunter’s workshop will offer the best advice on improving soil for a healthy and abundant garden.

But the main event is the seed exchange, officials say. It’s what draws both experienced and new gardeners, and there are many experts on hand, like the Guelph-Wellington Master Gardeners, who can help with instructions on when to plant, how to keep plants alive through the summer, when to harvest food crops, and how to harvest seeds.

People bring and take seeds for flowers, vegetables and herbs, “and it’s become so popular,” Dowling said.

Bring seeds in labelled envelopes that include the year and place of seed harvest, the plant name and colour if it’s a flowering plant.

If you don’t have seeds to donate, you can still take seeds for a small monetary donation, Dowling said.

“We try to make sure the seeds are viable by checking the date the seeds were collected. And we scan for invasive flower seeds,” she added. “We try to ensure people get a good deal.”

There are also about 15 gardening-related vendors at the event, gardening-related community groups, children’s activities and advisory services by Guelph-Wellington Master Gardeners and Seeds of Diversity.

The event is also supported by the Ontario Invasive Plant Council.

And, of course, members of the Fergus and Elora/Salem horticultural societies will be on hand to answer questions and direct visitors to various points of interest in the space.

For more information follow Centre Wellington Seedy Saturday on Facebook, on Instagram or email CW.seedy.Saturday@gmail.com.