During the long, cold Canadian winter, gardeners enjoy attending Seedy Saturdays — a series of non-profit, public events across the country. They are organized by individuals and community groups that see a need for gardeners, seed companies, nurseries, gardening organizations, historic sites, and community groups to have a low-cost local venue where they can learn from one another, exchange ideas and seeds, and purchase seeds and plants in a comfortable, social setting.
Seedy Sunday or Seedy Saturday is a catchphrase used for seed swap events that bring the public together with seed savers, to maintain and develop the open pollinated and heritage crop cultivars that are a resource in a community. The titles Seedy Saturday and Seedy Sunday are dedicated to the public domain by the event founder Sharon Rempel.
The 5th Annual Prairie Sun Seed Festival (Yorkton) Seedy Saturday will be held on March 14, at Yorkdale School
What to expect:
Organic and non-gmo seed vendors, a seed swap table, a NEW kids station (fun for children of all ages with a do-touch table, crafts and seed planting activities), music by the GridPickers, presentations by Rachelle Ternier of Prairie Garden Seeds on ‘Organic and Heirloom Seeds’, Laureen LaBrash of LaBrash Organics on ‘Cooking with Beans’ and Glen Tymiak on ‘Gardening 101’… and a lot more! This will be our biggest and most exciting seed festival to date!
The heart of a Seedy Saturday event is the swapping and sale of seeds or other propagation material for public-domain plant cultivars that have been preserved or developed by individuals or families. These may not require high-input agriculture and are variously described as landraces, folk varieties, farmer varieties and heritage seed. Sharing information about the social, cultural and culinary aspects of the seed is an important part of heritage seed saving around the world. “The festival was and still is organized to celebrate the diversity of seed and the culture of growing food locally, connecting consumers and those interested in food security with seed sellers, rural and urban food producers, health professionals and others. Festival organizers have always held this event for people to learn about gardening, nutrition, seed saving, composting, home preserving and sourcing fresh food as key components of local food security.” Warren Crossman, President, AFSA (Assiniboine Food Security Alliance, Yorkton)
The idea of conserving heritage varieties of garden and field crops was in its infancy in Canada in 1989. It was very difficult to find heritage varieties of vegetables, fruits, flowers and grains. The Heritage Seed Program of Canadian Organic Growers, now the independent charitable organization Seeds of Diversity, had started in 1984.
The first Seedy Saturday event was organized by Sharon Rempel. It was held at the VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, British Columbia, in spring 1990, Over 500 people came to hear talks about seeds, swap and buy seeds, and share their stories.
In Canada, Seedy Saturdays and Seed Sundays continue to be locally or regionally organized events. Almost all of these events occur in the late winter. The first event was held in 1990, around Valentine’s Day, because seed is the heart of food security for all communities.
The number of events increases every year, with over 110 held in 2013 across Canada. At the core of each one is a dedicated organizer, often a member of Seeds of Diversity, who provides vision, time, and talent for their day. Many individuals help organizers with their Seedy Saturdays. The energy, enthusiasm, and efforts of dedicated volunteers make their events a success. Event attendance ranges from around 50 people to over 1,000. However, the success of a day is not judged by its attendance, but rather by the eager participation of the attendees.
The beauty of this event is that it raises awareness about seed sovereignty and food security while building community. Children are welcome and included in this day, usually with a special table or program for them. NEW to the Yorkton ‘Seedy Saturday’ (or more commonly called The Prairie Sun Seed Festival) will be the interactive kids station with a do-touch table, seed/plant art crafts, a seed planting activity and more!
In general, the region where the event is held dictates both the topics and speakers who naturally lend themselves to that area. Examples of past presentation topics around Saskatchewan include Introduction to Permaculture, Food Drying demonstrations, Raised Bed Gardening, Tomato Growing, Potatoes, Seed Saving, and more.
At the heart of each day is the seed exchange. Everyone is welcome to bring their extra seed (preferably non-gmo seed) and leave at the seed swap table. In exchange they may pick up a different seed of their choice. This is a fun and interactive part of the seed festival – often with extra seed left at the end of the event being donated to the local Community Garden.
