Seeds have been a bit harder to come by this year. More and more people are deciding to grow a garden for the first time or increase the amount of food grown and preserved at home. The Swap Sisters and the East Hardwick Grange are collaborating to offer a Seed and Scionwood Swap April 7, 6:00 pm at the East Hardwick Grange (23 East Church St, East Hardwick). If you have a desire to garden but lack all the seeds you need, or if you find yourself with seeds to share we encourage you to attend. In years past the swap has offered a lot of donated seed from local seed companies as well as seed saved by gardeners themselves and older or excess seed purchased from seed companies that neighbors are willing to share. We encourage all to attend this free event whether they have something to swap or not.

This year the swap is being held a little later in the season, perfect timing for sharing scionwood for fruit trees such as apples, pears, and plums. Scionwood is taken from branch tips of last year's growth. Different cultivars of fruit can be grafted onto one tree to add diversity or change an old wild apple tree into one that bears an apple type that you know and love. If you have a few extra branches of a named or unnamed but tasty cultivar that you might be pruning bring them along to share.

This year's swap follows the free take-away meal offered at the East Hardwick Grange every Wednesday from 5-6pm. All are encouraged to come grab some food then participate in the swap. To encourage Covid 19 safety protocols the amount of people allowed in the building to peruse seeds will be limited and outdoor introductions and conversation encouraged. Masks are required for participation in the swap. Any seeds left after the swap will be available at the little free pantry at the Grange.

The Swap Sisters believe in the power of homegrown solutions when facing big corporate-created crises. We seek to foster local independence based on neighborly interdependence. Save a seed, plant a seed, share a seed. For more information email swapsisters@gmail.com or call 802-755-6336