Seedy Saturday, the annual seed swap, sale and sharing of gardening tips, is expanding to Aldergrove Community Gardens this year.
After the March 23rd event at Derek Doubleday Arboretum, Langley Environment Partners (LEPS) will hold a smaller version at the Aldergrove location on the following Saturday, March 30th.
Amanda Smith, LEPS agricultural program coordinator said the Langley event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. while the Aldergrove event will be held the week after from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“So it’s a shorter one,” Smith summarized.
“It’s a smaller event. Mostly the Aldergrove event will be having a seed swap and also just a small workshop.”
More than 100 Seedy Saturday events take place across the country, enabling local seed exchanges, and educating the public about seed saving and environmentally sustainable garden practices.
The first Seedy Saturday was held at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver in 1990.
Smith said LEPS wants to grow the event in Aldergrove, “because we know that there’s a lot of people in the community that are struggling and knowledge is always a key thing in terms of growing food.”
Patsy Homan, one of the coordinators on the committee for the Aldergrove gardens, would like to Seedy Saturday expand, too.
“Hopefully, we can do more,” Homan told the Langley Advance Times during a Saturday, March 10 visit to the garden.
Weather is an issue, Smith cautioned.
“LEPS has enough vendors that would come here to support the extra event, but we have to just plan appropriately for the weather because the Aldergrove Seedy Saturday is outdoors whereas Langley is indoors [in the Rotary building].”
Aldergrove Community Garden is located behind the local Fraser Valley Regional Library Branch on 29th Avenue and beside the bike park at 267B Street. The community garden provides produce to help feed people in need. Each plot renter can choose to donate some of their produce to the food bank, but it is not mandatory.
Planting has already begun at the Aldergrove garden, with kale plants and garlic seen sprouting in some of the plots.
Homan expects more people will start planting as the weather improved.
“We really try to do it in March, but as you can see, it’s pretty windy and cold right now,” Homan said.
“So a lot of people will start towards the end of March or April, depending on the weather.
The garden has a few vacancies, which means some people at the top of the current waiting list could get a space.
“We do have some empty plots right now,” Homan said.
“Some people have moved and so what we’re doing is we’re going through our wait list, and it’s sort of first come, ,first served. What we do, is we’ll match up people with the plots that we have and hopefully we’ll be able to accommodate everyone.”
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Located in the 21200 block of Fraser Highway, this year’s Seedy Saturday in the Rotary Interpretive Centre will feature a variety of vendors like the Desert Plant Society of Vancouver, The Lark’s Nest, and local seeds.
Visitors can learn about community supported agriculture with Pinsch of Soil Farm, and shop for seed needs with Roslin Tibault, Blooming Supplies, Spectrum Gardening, and the BC Eco Seed Coop.
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From guest speakers, people can learn about dahlias from Betty Girard, rhododendrons by Michelle Selby, and a discussion about the seed swap table. There is also a garden walk with the Langley Field Naturalists.
Donations for the Langley Food Bank will be accepted at the door.
For more information about LEPS, email agriculture@leps.bc.ca, or phone 604-546-0337. You can also get updated details via the event page, by searching “Langley Seedy Saturday 2024” on Facebook.
For more about Aldergrove Community Gardens and applying for a garden plot, email aldergrovecommunitygardens@gmail.com.
One plot is $35 per year plus a one-time deposit of $25