Seed exchange, bake and book sales, presentations happening at event

By Zachary Roman

Caledon residents can enjoy a day dedicated to environmentally-responsible gardening, great local food, seeds and more later this month.

On February 25, Caledon's first-ever “Seedy Saturday” event is being held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 34 Pine Avenue in Palgrave. The event is a collaboration between the Palgrave United Community Kitchen (PUCK), Caledon Public Library (CPL), and Albion Hills Community Farm.

At the event, there will be a planting station, seed sharing, vendor and community tables, and a cafe. There will also be a Friends of the Caledon Public Library book sale, with books specifically about gardening.

The following presentations will also take place at the event: from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Christopher Bialek will present “Gardening for Pollinators” on behalf of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority; from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Julia Dimakos will present “Tea Gardening for Beginners”; from 12:30 to 1 p.m., Jocelyn Molyneux will present on regenerative growing; and from 1:30 to 2 p.m., Caledon Peel District School Board trustee Stan Cameron will present on the Caledon school vegetable garden project.

A big part of Seedy Saturday will, of course, be the seed sharing. Seeds will be available from Glen Echo Nurseries, West Coast Seeds, Davis Farm & Feed, Seeds of Diversity Canada, and the CPL's seed library.

Karen Hutchinson, president of the Albion Hills Community Farm, explained Seedy Saturday events started in 1990 in British Columbia.

“The idea was people who collect seeds could exchange and learn more about seeds,” said Hutchinson. “They (grew) to become a sort of winter festival for gardeners.”

Hutchinson said the event being held in late February is perfect as it's a time when gardeners are getting excited about starting seeds.

“It's the time to come together and get inspired for the coming season,” said Hutchinson.

Of special interest to Caledon gardeners might be sungold tomato seeds from West Coast Seeds, said Hutchinson.

“They are an amazing cherry tomato… they're coveted seeds,” she said. “It's an orange cherry tomato that's sweet like no tomorrow.”

The Albion Hills Community Farm is bringing some milkweed seeds to Seedy Saturday. Milkweed is the preferred plant of Monarch Butterflies, and is a must-plant for anyone interested in helping out the pollinators.

Hutchinson said she's excited to see all the amazing gardeners in Caledon out at the event.

“It will be a really good mix of devoted people,” she said.

Barb Imrie of PUCK said attendees of the event can look forward to freshly-baked pies, including apple pies with apples from a local orchard.

“People are going to find out more about seeds and the organizations in Caledon that are planting good things,” said Imrie.