This free community event celebrates the upcoming gardening season and brings gardeners together to share seeds, garden stories, and resources. Bring your own non-GMO seeds to share and exchange. The swap starts at noon, and there will be workshops on Garden Planning with Lisa Coven at 1pm and Seed Starting For Less with Garden Expert Ron Krupp at 2:30pm (see full workshop descriptions below). Seed starting activities for kids run all afternoon, Green Mountain Compost will have samples and a great raffle, and Friends of the Fletcher Free Library will be on hand with info about the tool lending program as well as gardening books for sale.
The 6th annual Burlington Seed Swap is presented by Vermont Community Garden Network in partnership with the Fletcher Free Library, Burlington Parks Recreation & Waterfront, and Green Mountain Compost. Everyone is welcome and there will be plenty of seeds to go around! Donations appreciated to benefit the Community Teaching Garden scholarship fund. For more information, go to www.vcgn.org or call 861-4769.
A few tips: WHAT TO BRING: Your own saved seeds, extra purchased seeds, seeds brought back from another region or country. Please label with variety and date harvested. (No GMO seeds please.) If you don’t have seeds to share, consider bringing another garden-related item to swap (a garden book, extra tools, garden preserves, a snack). Donations are also welcome for the Community Teaching Garden scholarship fund.
HOW IT WORKS: All the seeds will be sorted into categories on tables. Participants add their seeds and select the seeds they want, putting them into provided envelopes. There will be a separate area for saved and special seeds (heirlooms, small quantities, unusual varieties, etc.) so that participants can talk to each other about the seed origins. There will also be extra seeds donated by High Mowing Seeds and Gardener’s Supply, so everyone will have seeds to bring home.
WORKSHOPS: 1pm: GARDEN PLANNING FOR COMPANION AND SUCCESSION PLANTING with Lisa Coven This fun and interactive seminar will explore the different reasons for companion planting and how to plan for succession planting. Companion planting is planting certain plants together that either benefit each other or benefit your gardening style. Succession planting is being able to harvest short growing crops all seasons long. Participants are encouraged to bring a list of plants they would like to grow this season. Paper and drawing utensils will be provided. At the end of the session, each gardener will leave with a map to help them plan and manager their garden.
Gardening since 1995, Lisa Coven has gone from active community gardener to working the homestead dream in Winooski. Adopting a no-till approach to small scale gardening and always putting your soil first are the secrets to Lisa’s success. With a great passion and love for gardening, Lisa has been teaching gardening workshops for the last 5 years. She loves to share her knowledge and learn from others. “There is no right or wrong in gardening, it’s just what works best for you.” Lisa’s classes are taught in a relaxed and informal atmosphere where no question is a bad question.
2:30pm: SEED STARTING FOR LESS with Ron Krupp This hands-on workshop will include a discussion on germination mixes, potting soils, seed starting dates, grow lights vs. sun light, containers, the use of cold-frames, greenhouses and more. Please bring your garden questions.
Ron Krupp is the author of The Woodchuck's Guide to Gardening, a Vermont organic gardening book - now in its ninth printing - having sold more than 18,000 copies since 2000. The book received the Christian Science Monitor Garden Book of the Year award for New England. Ron’s last book, The Woodchuck returns to Gardening Part II on fruits, berries and vegetables, came out in 2015. Ron has been the garden, farm and food commentator on Vermont Public Radio for the past 13 years. He was the founder of the Brattleboro Farmers' Market in 1972 and has been part of the 3-acre, 165-plot-Tommy Thompson Community Garden in the Intervale in Burlington for 15 years.
Jan 11, 2025, 12 to 1 PM
Winter Commuting Workshop - Jan. 14Jan 14, 2025, 6 to 7 PM
Ward 5/6 NPA - Focused on Affordability!Jan 16, 2025, 6:30 to 8:30 PM