On the last Saturday in January, Natalie Aird and Josie Flatgard spent the morning at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa, laying out packets and jars of open-pollinated and heirloom seeds for National Seed Swap Day. Among the offerings on tables throughout the room: packets of grayish-brown French Breakfast radish seeds and arrow-shaped Prairie Blazing Star wildflower seeds, and a large jar of pink-speckled Mayflower bean seeds.
A few hours later, in tromped farmers, excited young kids, plant nerds, and community gardeners, banging the snow off their boots and fanning out to add their own seeds to the collection—spiky marigold seeds, glossy multi-colored flint corn, flat squash seeds, tiny round broccoli seeds. And, of course, pick up a few for themselves.
Aird and Flatgard organized the event as representatives of Seed Savers Exchange, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving heirloom seeds, plants, and their stories. Swaps like this are an opportunity for Aird, the seed bank’s inventory coordinator, and Flatgard, the exchange coordinator, to share part of Seed Savers’ vast collection and knowledge with other seed savers. The free events also allow participants to exchange their own plants and seeds with one another, along with related stories, recipes, and growing tips.
In an era where most home gardeners and farmers grow just a handful of the same hybrid varieties, seed and plant swaps help to preserve open-pollinated and heirloom seeds. Some sources estimate that the United States lost 93 percent of its seed diversity between 1903 and 1983 as industrial agriculture prioritized uniform, hybrid varieties.
In an era where most home gardeners and farmers grow just a handful of the same hybrid varieties, seed and plant swaps help to preserve open-pollinated and heirloom seeds.
“Seed swaps are one of the activities that pulls people back into maintaining seeds themselves and not having all the controls be by big multinational companies offering a more limited range of what type of seeds and food is available to you,” said Ira Wallace, sometimes referred to as “the godmother of Southern seeds.”
Wallace is a member of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, a worker-run cooperative dedicated to promoting seed saving and preserving open-pollinated varieties adapted to the Southeast. Open-pollinated seeds are naturally pollinated by insects, birds, people, or wind. They are critical because they are genetically stable varieties that produce “true to type.”
Heirlooms are open-pollinated seeds that have been passed down from generation to generation, like “Angelica’s Little Diablo” pepper. A woman named Angelica and her mother brought the pepper seeds to the United States in the 1970s from Oaxaca, Mexico, where their family had grown the spicy peppers for over a century. Angelica shared the seeds with gardener Norma Ortiz, who donated them to the Seed Savers Exchange around 2020. They have proliferated in home gardens ever since.
Seed and plant swaps don’t require participants to bring anything, so they’re a great place to start if you’re new to gardening or seed saving. Flatgard and Aird said that they like to have plenty of popular, easy-to-save crops like beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and radishes available for beginners. One year, they helped a young family who was new to seed-saving excitedly select a few of these varieties to take home and try—including cowpeas, a delicious, drought-tolerant, easy-to-grow legume.
“It’s so cool to see people nerd out about seeds,” Flatgard said. “The little kiddos were so excited to be involved.”
These swaps may be critical for protecting open-pollinated varieties. Some sources estimate that the United States lost 93 percent of its seed diversity between 1903 and 1983 as industrial agriculture prioritized uniform, hybrid varieties.
While Seed Savers Exchange and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange have years of experience and collections to lean on, both are firm believers that anyone can run a successful swap where they live. And, in fact, people do: Today, there are hundreds to thousands of swaps each winter and spring across the United States, many of which began as small community events.
Great plant and seed swaps rely on (and build) connections to other people. “Seed swaps are such a special way to join in community with other gardeners, farmers, and fellow seed savers,” Flatgard said.
Here’s what it takes to start one in your community.
A display of seeds from Glenn Teves, a seed grower and breeder from Hawaii, at an Organic Seed Growers swap. (Photo courtesy of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange)
Gather the Seeds
Wallace encourages organizers to reach out to local seed companies, seed-saving groups, or gardening groups in the fall or early winter. These groups can also sometimes send a speaker to give a presentation about the basics of seed saving. “I like to arrange it so that someone at the beginning talks a bit about seed saving and how it can give you personal independence and the possibility of carrying family heirlooms into the future,” Wallace said.
Southern Exposure’s flagship tomato, Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter, is one of those important family heirlooms that has been preserved for future generations. M.C. Byles (Radiator Charlie) bred the tomato variety in the 1930s and sold seedlings in the 1940s to pay off his mortgage.
To ensure you have enough seeds and plants at your event, Aird encourages organizers to reach out to small seed companies or local nurseries for a donation. Some communities may also have garden programs that could help.
Wallace noted that they sometimes end up with extra plants and seeds, especially if the swap has received a large donation. In that case, she recommends encouraging participants to take extras, particularly if they’re representing a community garden or other group. At the end, she donates any extra to community gardens or local sustainable agriculture nonprofits.
Find the Site
Community organizations may also be able to help you find a site for your swap. Working with Seed Savers, Aird and Flatgard use space at large organizations like the Vesterheim Museum or Seed Savers Heritage Farm, also in Decorah.
They partner with PBS Wisconsin on a seed swap in Madison, Wisconsin as well. For smaller swaps, they recommend you reach out to organizations in your community—libraries, churches, farmers’ markets, food co-ops, master gardener groups, community gardens, and other agricultural groups.
You can also find helpful resources for seed saving and setting up a swap on the Southern Exposure and Seed Savers websites as well as in books like Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth and Seedswap: The Gardener’s Guide to Saving and Swapping Seeds by Josie Jeffery.
Setting and Sharing Guidelines
Seed and plant swaps can vary widely, but it’s important for participants to know what to expect. Some swaps encourage swappers to sit next to their plants and seeds, sharing information and monitoring what’s taken. Other swaps are less formal, with everything spread on tables for participants to choose what they want.
While there are many ways to set up a swap, Seed Savers Exchange recommends setting clear guidelines for the types of seeds and plants participants may bring. For example, at their swaps, they encourage folks to bring open-pollinated seeds, locally saved seeds, excess purchased seeds, and excess seeds donated by a seed company.
They ask participants not to bring any seeds and plants that are illegal in the U.S. or their state, as well as genetically engineered plants, F1 hybrids, poisonous, noxious, or controlled seeds and plants, patented seeds, or unknown seeds from volunteer plants.
Ira Wallace of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange shells Blue Clarage corn, a vibrant and flavorful heirloom variety from Ohio. (Photo courtesy of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange)
Common in seed catalogs, F1 hybrids are the first-generation cross from two distinct varieties, and while they may produce well in your garden, they won’t produce consistent offspring the following year. Organizers can find lists of noxious or controlled plants with the state or federal government; they include non-native plants like kudzu and purple loosestrife, which grow aggressively and displace native species.
Whatever rules you decide on, be sure to share your guidelines on your promotional materials and in person after participants arrive.
Wallace also suggested planning to have extra labeling supplies and examples of well-labeled seeds and plants; that way, people can take a moment to label their items if they haven’t yet.
“For people I know are coming, I like to send them a little sheet in advance about how to label their seeds,” Wallace said.
For most varieties, about 25 seeds in each packet is a good place to start. Packets can be Ziploc bags or envelopes labeled with the variety name, date grown, the grower’s information and location, and any additional information participants may have. For plants, participants can label the pot or provide a small card or sheet to go with each plant.
Swaps that welcome participants of all skill levels will ensure that seed saving and gardening are passed on to the next generation.
Set a Date and Promote Your Event
After you have a location and partners, it’s time to set a date and promote your event. Getting the word out at least a month in advance will encourage participation. Winter swaps are great for trading seeds like peppers and tomatoes, which need to be started early. Spring swaps are better for participants to trade plants that may need to be transplanted right away.
If you’ve found good community partners, work with them and their social media networks to help get the word out. You can also try posting to community Facebook pages or local gardening groups.
Good old-fashioned flyers are still a viable way to advertise. Ask to post notices in your community at places like food co-ops and health food stores, community gardens, local libraries, and community bulletin boards. Some of these organizations may be willing to share your event on their social media as well.
The Seed Savers Exchange gathering at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa, on National Seed Swap Day. (Photo courtesy of Seed Savers Exchange)
Hosting Your Swap
Especially if your swap includes a beginning presentation or educational element, set up the space to allow room for that. Folks not attending the presentation can then move around the tables comfortably as they check out the seeds and plants and chat with other seed savers.
Consider making space for snacks and drinks, too. A tempting spread encourages participants to relax and connect over food. A potluck-style snack table is a budget-friendly option.
Stay Connected
Organizing a seed swap is a great start, but you’ll need to stay connected to build a thriving plant community. Hosting an annual swap at the same place that people can count on will help encourage people to save seeds and attend.
Aird and Flatgard smiled when talking about the young family who’d scooped up the cowpeas.
“Lo and behold, we saw them again in August when we had another swap,” Aird said. “They had grown the cowpeas, saved the seeds, and brought them to share with other gardeners. It was a full-circle moment. This is the whole point of us sharing the seeds: So people can grow them out, enjoy them, and then bring the extras to share.”
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