Calling all gardening enthusiasts, green thumbs and anyone with an interest in planting and growing!
Join 1,000 fellow gardeners at the Toledo GROWs Seed Swap on Saturday, February 24, 2024 at Scott High School, 2400 Collingwood Blvd., Toledo, OH 43620. The event is free and open to the public from noon until 3 p.m. Attendees will receive free seeds and gardening information including watering tips, planting schedules, composting tips and more.
Each attendee may choose five free packets of seeds. Participants may also bring vegetable seeds to trade for additional packets. Anyone bringing seeds to swap should be sure they are in individual envelopes, labeled with the type of seed, and dated 2022 or 2023. Additionally, extra packets of seeds are available for a donation of just 50 cents each.
“We look forward to this community event every February,” said Yvonne Dubielak, Executive Director at Toledo GROWs (Gardens Revitalize Our World). “This year we celebrate 20 years of this fun, informative event where people of all ages and ability levels come together to network, swap seeds, learn from organizations that assist gardeners, and just enjoy the company of one another. It comes at a time when everyone is getting seed catalogues, starting to think about planting their garden, and dreaming about warmer weather to come!”
Additional features of this family-friendly event include children’s activities, twenty-nine partner organizations providing gardening and community information, and raffle items from Toledo GROWs. A popular feature is the workshop offered during the event. This year’s workshop, beginning at 1:00, is entitled Seed Saving in Your Home Garden. Samantha Day and Bennett Dowling, horticulturists from the 577 Foundation, will cover the basics of saving seeds from your vegetable garden and native plants.
The Seed Swap, sponsored by Premier Bank, is presented by Toledo GROWs, dedicated to urban agriculture and community-based gardening in the City of Toledo and throughout Northwest Ohio, in partnership with Ohio State University Extension and Toledo Public Schools. For more information about this and other events, visit our website at toledogrows.org or call Toledo GROWs at 419.720.8714.
About Toledo GROWs
Toledo GROWs nurtures the joy of growing. The Robert J. Anderson Urban Agriculture Center at 900 Oneida Street, just north of downtown Toledo, houses the organization. Toledo GROWs is focused on helping people learn to grow and eat healthy food, supporting over 120 community gardens by providing free seeds, seedlings, gardening expertise, loan of tools, networking, and volunteer initiatives. A multitude of educational programs are offered throughout the year for all ages, including a honey harvest, in-class programs and field trips to the farm for youth, workshops for adults, and opportunities for volunteers to learn as they work alongside staff and other gardeners.