Fall is in the air and that means it’s SEED SWAP season!
No matter your gardening experience, you’ll find something of interest at the Native Plant Seed Swap & Giveaway.
We’ll have a variety of seeds including annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, and grasses ranging from easy to difficult to propagate. One plant can produce hundreds of seeds so there is always plenty to share.
When:
Sunday, November 10, 2024, 11 am – 2 pm
Where:
The Gardens on Spring Creek
2105 Centre Ave, Fort Collins, CO
Swaps rely on community participation – read on for ways you can contribute!
Share your native seed
Harvest your Colorado native or regionally native seed and bring it to the swap—provide it to volunteers at check in to be catalogued and stocked in display. Native plants evolved in the area along with the insects and other wildlife that rely on them. If in doubt, ask Annemarie whether you have native.
IMPORTANT: To ensure your harvest is added to the available inventory, package seeds by species, (jars are preferable for larger quantities, coin envelopes are good for single servings) and label as follows:
• Latin Name
• Common Name
• Elevation & City or County Collected
• If your seed is from a wild population, and not a native garden site, please note “WILD”
• Collection Year
• Your First Initial and Last Name.
Please collect responsibly. Obtain permission from land owner/steward where seeds are located. If source plants show evidence of disease or bug infestation, please do not share the seed. Also, no seeds treated with pesticides, nor noxious weeds (some are quite pretty and can be confused) are permitted.
This season is especially dry, with many wild areas too dry to produce seeds for swap. So if your garden or area has ample seeds, we encourage you to collect and donate this year to this ongoing effort!
Volunteer
Share your experience and help others learn. Newbie volunteers are welcome; we’ll have experts onsite to help with the tough questions. Sign up to volunteer
Come “shop”
Find seeds of native plants to add to your garden—for free!
Read propagation tips here, with more available at the swap. Feel free to bring your own clean containers if you want to make your own seed mix.
Having trouble explaining your enthusiasm for native plants to friends and neighbors? Ask them to join you on this outing and they’ll see you’re not alone…it’s infectious.
Donate
Financial donations made today will be pooled to cover event costs and fund the organizing partners’ missions. Donate HERE.
Thanks to our financial sponsors from 2024: Otter Cares NoCo Event Fund, Gardens on Spring Creek, Larimer Conservation District, City of Fort Collins, People and Pollinators Action Network, and private donations from you the community at our swap events.
Event Planning Partners:
Wild Ones Front Range, People and Pollinators Action Network, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, City of Fort Collins, City of Fort Collins Nature in the City, League of Women Voters, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, The Gardens on Spring Creek, Northern Water, and Colorado Native Plant Society.
Have other questions? Please contact Annemarie Fussell