Boulder County Seed Swap swaps more than seeds

Seed swaps are events where gardeners and farmers exchange seeds to help people garden inexpensively and reduce seed waste. The swap also provides a networking opportunity to build community, share local gardening information, and dispense education from experts such as CSU Master Gardeners and Growing Gardens. The swap works locally to keep plants for future generations.

The Second Annual Boulder County Seed Swap was held on Jan. 27 at the Niwot United Methodist Church on Lookout Road. The swap is the brainchild of Elise Edson, Diana Neff and Maureen Harvey.

Edson said, “After coming off the hermit phase of the pandemic, I wanted to bring people together in social situations.” She elaborated, “Because plants and seeds have so much potential, it is one of the few things you can accidentally experiment with and sometimes kill off, but it is okay.” At the end of the season, her garden bursts with multicolored flowers and comingled vegetables.

Seeds are organized by type of plant - vegetables, perennial flowers and annual flowers and are held in a multitude of containers, seed packets and various sizes of envelopes. Participants are instructed to take three to four times as many seeds as they wish to grow (e.g., 12 tomato seeds to grow 4 plants).

Colorado State University Master Gardeners Petrea Mah, Eric Redding, apprentice Jeni Liang, and Growing Garden’s Carly Silberman were available at the swap to answer questions and offer advice.

The CSU Master Gardeners volunteered 15,000 hours of their time in 2023. Mah said, “We lost half our Master Gardeners during the pandemic due to the lack of socialization, and we are trying to build the membership back up. Our Master Gardeners perform demonstrations, clinics, and presentations and are available for plant diagnosis related to disease and insects.”

Silberman said, “The nonprofit (Growing Gardens) provides approximately 25,000 plant starts and seeds to low-income families and distributes approximately 20,000 pounds of healthy produce a year that the nonprofit grows on their three farms.” The nonprofit cultivates acreage at an 11-acre farm they share with Long’s Gardens at 1630 Hawthorne Avenue in Boulder, the YMCA in Longmont, and the Bethlehem Lutheran Church at 15th Avenue and Pratt Street in Longmont. Growing Gardens also provides environmental, gardening, and nutritional education to the public.

The Boulder County Seed Swap was an opportunity to swap seeds, learn about seeds and plants, and socialize with other gardeners of every level. The organization is planning on a plant swap in the spring, a summer garden tour and a seed saving workshop this fall with the CSU Master Gardeners. The swap organizers are looking for volunteers who are excited about gardening to join and help with planning. Look for more information on their Facebook page or email [email protected].

Click on these links for more information about Growing from Seed, Starting Seeds Indoors, and Transplanting Tips for Success.