Gather your gardening friends for a seed swap party. Trade seeds, enjoy refreshments, and celebrate the joy of gardening.

Do you think a seed swap is only a large community event organized by a Master Gardener for the local garden clubs?

Many are! But they don’t have to be!

I love the idea of gathering my friends who are fellow gardeners — whether an avid gardener or new gardeners — together to share ideas, knowledge, seeds and the joy of gardening. But most of all, share our friendship and laughter.

By hosting your own seed swap with your gardening neighbors or friends, you are not tied to some of the constraints of larger seed swaps.

It’s a great way for your to tailor the party to your specific preferences and the interests of your gardening community.  You determine  the when, the number of people and who, the how you’ll be seed swapping, what refreshments your guests will enjoy, and any additional activities you might plan.

Best News: A seed swap can also be held virtually.

Yes! Another very cool way to connect with friends across the country.

There are six of us blogging friends who are having a seed swap. everyone chose a different flower in their gardens to harvest from. We are packaging them up and will mail them to each other. We’ll open them together when we are on one of our weekly zooms.

I look so forward to learning with these ladies and can’t wait to plant their seeds next Spring. What a treat to have a piece of each of them in my garden.

Each one of these amazing ladies is featured at the bottom of this post with their flowers and a link to their posts.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Planning Your Seed Swap Party

Timing is Everything-

While many large-scale seed swaps are held on National Seed Swap Day (the last Saturday of January), hosting your own event doesn’t have to follow this strict timeline. 

Another popular day for a seed exchange is Earth Day, which is always on April 22.

The best time for your seed swap will depend on your specific goals and the preferences of your guests. 

Here are some options to consider:

• Late Winter/Early Spring: This is a popular time for seed swaps as it aligns with the indoor planting season. Guests can swap seeds for their spring gardens and learn about starting plants from seed.
• Fall: A Fall seed swap can be a great way to celebrate the harvest and share seeds from your garden. Guests can exchange seeds for their next year growing season and learn about different techniques to gather seeds.
• Late Spring: A late Spring seed swap can be a fun way to celebrate the start of the growing season. Guests can exchange seeds for their summer gardens and learn about planting and care tips. In Late Spring, those guests who start their plants from seeds could bring starters to trade.

Once you’ve decided on the season, choose a specific date and time that works best for you and your guests.

Preparing for the Swap

Give Guests Plenty of Notice-

One of the most important things to remember when planning a seed swap is to give your guests enough time to:

• Harvest Seeds: If you’re planning a fall seed swap, guests will need time to harvest and dry their seeds before the event.
• Start Seedlings: For spring or summer seed swaps, guests may want to start seedlings indoors to bring to the swap.

Collect Your Seeds-

To ensure a diverse and enjoyable seed swap, ask each guest to bring 1-2 varieties of seeds. This should give everyone a chance to try something new.

To determine the quantity of seeds needed, let your guests know the approximate number of people attending the party. This will help them make sure to bring enough seeds.

If you’re aiming for a variety of seeds, consider asking each guest to choose a specific type of seed they’d like to bring.This can be especially helpful for smaller groups.

Once you have everyone’s selections, you can distribute the seed assignments to ensure a balanced mix. 

Consider restricting the type of seeds to just one or two categories, like only flowers.

• Perennial Flowers: Lambs Ear, Hollyhocks, Black-eyed Susans, Shasta Daisies, Yarrow, etc.
• Annual Flowers: Zinnias, sunflowers, marigolds, cosmos, etc.
• Herbs: Basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, etc.
• Vegetables:Tomatoes, peppers, carrots, beans, lettuce, etc.

Seed Sharing Options for a Small Seed Swap Party

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There are different ways to structure the seed sharing portion of your party. These are two of my favorites:

Option 1: Pre-Packaged Seeds

• Pros: Easy to manage, no need for additional supplies.
• Cons: May limit the amount of seeds each guest receives.

How it works: Guests bring their own seeds pre-apportioned in small packets or bundles to the party. If there will be 6 guests, including you. Each will bring five packets, sharing one with each person.

Be sure to ask that the prepared seed packets specify the flower name, who’s garden they came from, their light, soil and water requirements as well as growth habit and any special tips for germinating, planting or tending them.

I made some cute sleeves to hold a ziplock bag of seeds. These are available as a free printables in my Resource Library. The password is at the bottom of every email my subscribers receive. You’re not a subscriber? That can be remedied right now.

Option 2: Seed Bar

• Pros: Allows guests to customize their seed selections.
• Cons: Requires more preparation and supplies of the host (you).

How it works: The host provides small bowls or containers with labels  to be filled with the various seeds brought. Guests can scoop the desired amount into labeled bags or glass vials provided by the host.

If you are preparing the packaging and labels, be sure to ask each guest for info ahead of time info regarding their seeds including:

• Plant name
• Who the seeds came from
• Plant’s requirements regarding light, soil and water
• Growth habit
• Tips for germination, planting 

The Printable Seed Sleeves are available for you to use for all the packets of seeds.

Another fun option is to provide glass vials with screw top lids and markers or printed labels for labeling the vials. I love these “miracle markers” for this. They are smudge-proof, but easily wipe clean to use again and again.

Ultimately, the best method for your seed swap will depend on your preferences and the preferences of your guests. Consider the size of your group, the variety of seeds being shared, and the amount of time you have to spend on preparations.

Decorating Your Seed Swap Party

Choosing a Theme-

Although not required, a theme can add a fun and festive touch to your seed swap party. Here are a few ideas:

• Mother Nature: Decorate with natural elements like plants, flowers, and greenery.
• Gardening: (Rather obvious) Use pots and garden gloves, garden tools and the like.

• Harvest Festival: Use autumn-inspired decorations like dried grasses, flowers, and gourds.
• Pollinators: Focus on bees, butterflies, and other pollinators with decorations featuring flowers, honeycomb, and colorful insects.

Party Refreshments

Food-

• Finger sandwiches: Classic cucumber sandwiches, smoked salmon bites, or mini grilled cheese.
• Quiches: Spinach and feta, ham and cheese, or vegetable.
• Salads: Fresh green salad, fruit salad, or quinoa salad.
• Charcuterie board: A variety of meats, cheeses, fruits, and crackers.
• Vegetable crudités: Carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, with hummus or dip.
• Baked goods: Cookies, muffins, or scones.

Drinks-

• Water: Sparkling or still.
• Lemonade: Classic or flavored.
• Iced tea: Sweet or unsweet.
• Fruit-infused water: Cucumber, mint, lemon, or berry.
• Coffee: Regular or decaf.
• Hot chocolate: A cozy treat for cooler weather.
• Herb-infused cocktails: like a basil gimlet

Consider the following tips when planning your menu:

• Seasonal: Choose foods and drinks that are in season for a fresh and flavorful experience.
• Dietary restrictions: Be mindful of any guests with dietary restrictions, such as allergies or preferences for vegetarian or vegan options.
• Easy to eat: Finger foods and small bites are ideal for a party setting.

If you have a specific theme for your party, you can incorporate it into your food and drink choices and in how you serve them.

Such as baking muffins or cupcakes in small clay flower pots lined with parchment paper.

Somehow fresh veggies always taste better when presented in a cute way — again, small clay flower pots can work great for this.

In the fall, serve a hardy make-ahead soup in small pumpkins served on terra cotta saucers.

I’ve never met a gardener who didn’t like to eat! So if a fulll meal is not on the agenda, some light refreshments would be enjoyed and appreciated by all.

Flower-shaped cookies always please. And kids aren’t the only ones who like chocolate goodness in the bottom of a clear cup. But leave the gummy worms for the kids and maybe add some green frosting for tufts of grass.

Optional Activities

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If your group would like an additional activity or craft, here are a few to consider:

–Making plant stakes for their new seeds:

​So, so many options of how to do this. Jump over to my Pinterest board specially curated for this one thing — making plant stakes

-In the Spring, make seedling pots from newspaper:

​Several ways to do this that are quick and easy, eco-friendly and budget-friendly — what’s more to want!

–In the Fall, make pinecone fire starters:

It’s a simple process of dipping pinecones in wax, cool for a minute, dip again and this time add your choice of salt. The salt determines the color of your flames — very cool. Great for any woodturning  fire pit or fireplace. Als makes a great gift.

​Remote Seed Exchanges

A seed exchange is a fun ways to connect remotely.

My group of six Blogging Besties, yes the ones that met up for a creative retreat in Dallas earlier this year, are holding a remote Seed Swap.

Each of us picked a flower and harvested the seeds. Now we are packaging them up and mailing them to each other. Our next zoom, we will be opening our packets and learning all about these new variety of seeds.

I’m sooo excited for next year’s garden that will filled with flowers straight from these special ladies.

Please jump over and see how each one harvested their seeds and their thoughts on the seed swap process: (in order of our picture above, left to right)

Diane (Me) – South House Designs

Cindy – Reinvented Delaware

I hope you’ve enjoyed my takes on the larger community seed swap and envision the possibility of a more intimate exchange, even a remote exchange between close friends who live at great distances.