It’s time for North Okanagan residents to get ready for spring.
Shuswap Seed Savers will hold the 23rd annual Seed Swap and Natural Living Fair March 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Splatsin Community Centre in Enderby.
“Here you’ll have the opportunity to purchase local seeds and plants, attend seminars on soil health and seed saving, get your gardening questions answered and share your gardening experiences with others in the community,” said Gabriele Wesle, Seed Savers president.
“There is also lots of free parking at the centre and we hope to surpass last years record attendance of 2,000 people.”
A major attraction is community seed swap tables. Here local gardeners and seed vendors have the opportunity to share their excess seeds with others for free.
“It’s exciting when people come to us with their heritage seeds that we can add to our expanding seed bank and share with local gardeners” said Sarah Bradshaw, seed bank co-ordinator.
In addition to bringing your seeds on Saturday morning, you can drop them off in advance at the Enderby Farmer’s Market Enderby Seniors Complex (Green Croft Gardens booth), on Fridays between 11 a.m and 1 p.m or during regular business hours at the Enderby library. Be sure to label your seeds with your name, description of the seed, variety, year collected and any other genetic information available. We will repackage the seeds for distribution at the Seed Swap.
“We are thrilled to have the Splatsin Elders running a concession offering bannock and other items. In addition, we have food vendors who will be serving soup, sushi, East Indian cuisine, waffles, cheese, baking, coffee and more,” said Wesle.
“Don’t forget to check out the silent auction tables where you will find a wide assortment of unique items. Proceeds from the silent auction will be going to the Splatsin Community Garden to support their ongoing initiatives.”
The doors open at 10 a.m., admission is $2.00. Proceeds from the Seed Swap enable the Shuswap Seed Savers to fund post secondary scholarships, sponsor speakers and present films on seed saving, sustainable living and environmental education.
For more information, go to www.Facebook.com/shuswapseedysaturday), or contact Brenda Firth at 250-308-1126 or Gabriele Wesle at 250-306-6582.