Seed Swapping!
A seed swap is meant to help gardeners share their harvest bounty with their friends and community, and we want to continue the tradition here at Shell’s Feed & Garden Supply. So, on a monthly basis, we’ll be doing a seed swap – but we hope it will become so much more than that.
The idea of the original seed swap is to keep the seeds of your tastiest and most productive fruits and vegetables, and your most beautiful flowers, to plant the following year. Then you trade some of them for your neighbor’s best, most beautiful, and tastiest crop seeds that they saved. In this way, everyone shares in the wealth of knowledge and dedication that we all have for our gardens. Everyone benefits from everyone’s generosity.
We are expanding on that idea to include not just seeds, but cuttings (rooted or unrooted), bulbs (whole or divided), transplants, seedlings, and more. We will probably have a small demonstration of a useful product or timely technique by one of our staff, a community resource, or a vendor that we adore. Through these exchanges, we make friends, share ideas, and become a stronger community.
So come with your garden stories, your awesome crop’s seeds, or extra seedlings that you don’t want to throw in the compost. Bring that cool garden tool that you just can’t live without to share how it helps you. Share your garden journal to talk about your brilliant successes, and your epic hilarious failures. Show us pictures of that clever thing you did that really worked. Share your sketches of your dream yard and garden.
Join us for some coffee and a treat while you swap seeds, stories, ideas, and more. And while you’re here make friends with others who share your devotion to this great hobby. See you soon!
Our Seed Swaps & More
Our Facebook Events page has the latest – get in on the discussion! Click the link: Facebook Events Calendar or our Website Events Calendar.
Seed Swap Dates & Times
This area will be updated, but not as frequently as our social media. If there’s any questions, please see the above Facebook Events Calendar, our Website Events Calendar, or call/stop in the store! (813) 932-9775.
All swaps are on Saturdays and they are all from 9:00am – 10:30am.
January 18, 2020
February 15, 2020
March 21, 2020
April 18, 2020 (cancelled due to COVID-19)
May 16, 2020
Please join us! And remember, it’s not just seeds! You can bring cuttings, divided plants, bulbs, potted plants, sprouted seedlings – just be ready to trade for something else with your neighbor!
Seed Swap Parking
During our classes and events, in order for customers that come in for heavy bags of grain and pet food and soil and such to be able to easily have their car loaded, we ask that all event attendees please park in the back lot, here’s a map:
If you happen to also be buying heavy items that we can load for you, feel free to pull your car up into a spot in the main lot when you’re about to make your purchase and we’re happy to load your purchase into your vehicle for you. This keeps our main lot from having vehicles that sit for a long time, denying customers who need to be in and out quickly a place to park.
We appreciate your understanding, and apologize for any inconvenience. Of course, if you have physical disabilities that keep you from walking longer distances, please park where you need to, or you can pull up beside our warehouse next to our truck well/loading dock and enter our class area through the gate, it’s not a long walk at all! (Don’t park in the truck well, please.)
Seed Packaging
Someone had asked us the rules for seed packaging and such, and really there are very few rules at seed swaps. One seed, unless it’s really very rare, is usually not the way it’s done. Seeds sometimes are “duds” meaning that they won’t germinate and sprout, so the tendency is to have several seeds in each seed offering. It is important, however, to label the seeds so that people know what kind of plant it is. I mean, solving mysteries are fun and all, but the type of plant determines the type of soil, water, and sunlight it needs. We don’t want to kill them before they’ve had a chance to grow, do we?
If your seed source is something that doesn’t seed very much, then perhaps 5 seeds is all you need. If it’s something that seeds very prolifically, like bell peppers or tomatoes, then maybe you could share 10-20 seeds per swap.
Some folks use old clean pill bottles to store their seeds. I’ve seen paper envelopes, plastic zipper bags, little glass or plastic jars, parchment or regular paper folded and stapled into a kind of pouch, even small paper boxes. I knew one woman who did origami containers that were adorable! But seriously, don’t spend a lot of time on the type of package, just on identifying what’s in it.
Other things to consider
Along with the name of the plant, you might also include any secrets to success for the plant, such as a soil additive or light requirements that really made the plant grow and produce prolifically. Remember, the person you’re trading to may not have the same amount of knowledge as you about the plant, or about gardening at all! Thus, if you’d like to make a new friend, include your name and contact information. Maybe the person you traded with can call or email you if they have a question about the seeds.
I would include the same information for other types of swaps, like cuttings, seedlings, potted plants, etc. Just so everyone benefits from all of the knowledge that we all carry around in our heads.
We’re so excited to host this event! Thanks for reading.
Looking for Gardening related products? We have products listed that you can order online and pick up in the store through our Buy & Fly program – super convenient! Click the link: Check Out Our Online Store!
Save the store to your bookmarks – we are adding more of our store’s products to the web all the time!
Thanks so much for being a Shell’s Feed & Garden Supply customer. We are just coming in to our 57th year and we’re so grateful to be a community resource for gardeners, pet enthusiasts, and backyard farmers from all over Tampa Bay!