Home On-Air The 8th Day Abbey Palmer of the Queen City Seed Library Talks about Seed Swap...

Abbey Palmer of the Queen City Seed Library Talks about Seed Swap Coming March 23rd

1077
Queen City Seed Library (Image Credit - Peter White Public Library)
Queen City Seed Library (Image Credit – Peter White Public Library)

Marquette, Michigan – Abbey Palmer joined Todd Pazz on the 8th Day Radio show to talk about the upcoming Seed Swap coming March 23rd at the Peter White Public Library.  The seed library which is housed at the Library is keep in old-style card catalog drawers.  The Queen City Seed Library is part of the Seed Guild and Seed Savers Exchange with the mission statement, “The mission of the Seed Guild is to be a conservator of seeds specifically adapted to our regional food shed and to foster the growing out and sharing of those seeds.

The volunteers of the Queen City Seed Library, “gather and stock seeds, put them in envelopes, label them, provide directions, and keep the collection supplied with seeds.”  The Seed Swap is part of a two-day Celebration of Seeds March 22-23, which includes a community scavenger hunt, children making seed crowns, and a Landrace Gardening Workshop.  The Seed Swap starts Saturday at 1 p.m. if you have seeds to contribute or 1:30 if you do not.

Listen:

[Interview First Broadcast March 16, 2019]

Celebration of Seeds & Seed Swap @ the Peter White Library

A 2-day Celebration of Seeds event, sponsored by the Queen City Seed Library, will be held in the lower level of the Peter White Library on Friday, March 22nd and Saturday, March 23rd to highlight the importance of seeds in our local food system.

The 2-day event begins with a seed-themed scavenger hunt involving local downtown businesses starting at noon until 5:30pm on Friday, March 22nd. A kids activity making ‘seed crowns’ will take place at 4:30pm the same day. Both activities will take place in the lower level of the Peter White Library.

The Celebration of Seeds will continue the following day, Saturday, March 23rd, in the lower level of the Peter White Library. The Saturday activities include a landrace gardening workshop, a kids activity making ‘seed crowns’ and culminating with the 5th annual Community Seed Swap. The landrace gardening workshop begins at 10:30am. Participants who bring seeds for the seed swap should arrive at 1:00pm. All others should arrive at 1:30pm. Attendees are not required to bring seeds.

The Queen City Seed Library invites everyone who is interested in gardening and growing their own food to attend. All activities are free. The event offers gardeners and seed savers a chance to exchange seeds and share knowledge. The swap is an opportunity for new seed savers to get locally harvested seeds for starting their own gardens. “If you’re new to this, you don’t even need to bring seeds; just come,” said Michael Riesterer of Transition Marquette, adding that “For experienced seed savers, a seed swap helps growers to localize their seed sources while also introducing the practice of seed saving to the public — both of which helps build local food security.”

“Learning about where food comes from actually starts with the seed itself,” said Abbey Palmer, Education Coordinator at Michigan State University U.P. Research and Extension Center. “Saving seeds is a tangible way to create a culture of food security and food sovereignty in our community.”

To participate in the seed swap, please bring open-pollinated, non-GMO seeds that are labeled with the plant type, variety, date of harvest, and location of harvest. There will be envelopes and bags, on hand at the event, but experienced seed savers are encouraged to bring their own envelopes.

For more information, contact Michael Riesterer at queencityseedlibrary@gmail.com or call 225-0608.

Queen City Seed Library Scavenger Hunt Poster
Queen City Seed Library Scavenger Hunt Poster

Kids to Make ‘Seed Crowns’ During Celebration of Seeds Event

A 2-day Celebration of Seeds event, sponsored by the Queen City Seed Library, will be held in the lower level of the Peter White Library on Friday, March 22nd and Saturday, March 23rd to highlight the importance of seeds in our local food system. During both days of the event, kids will have the opportunity to make ‘seed crowns’ using a variety of different seeds and other craft materials. Crown making will start on Friday, March 22nd at 4:30pm and Saturday, March 23rd from 1:00 to 3:30pm. Both crown making sessions will be in the lower level of the Peter White Library.

Landrace Gardening Workshop @ the Peter White Library

A free Landrace Gardening Workshop will be held in the lower level of the Peter White Library on Saturday, March 23rd at 10:30am as part of a 2-day ‘Celebration of Seeds’ event, sponsored by the Queen City Seed Library.

Landrace gardening is gaining popularity as an effective method for growing crops which will produce stable yields under marginal growing conditions — such as those found here in the U.P. Landracing starts by allowing regularly used seeds to freely cross pollinate with similar varieties, which eventually result in crops that contain significant genetic diversity making them highly adaptive to the challenges of new pests, new diseases, or changes in the environment. A landrace crop population may suffer slightly in hard times, but with so much diversity, many plants are likely to do well under the changing conditions. Landracing is the way seeds have been saved and sown since the beginning of agriculture.

Calumet-based gardener, Dawn Andersson, will share her experience, techniques and landrace seeds during this interactive hands-on event. The workshop will include a Skype Q + A session with Mother Earth News author and nationally recognized landrace gardener, Joseph Lofthouse.

For more information, contact Michael Riesterer at queencityseedlibrary@gmail.com or call 225-0608.

Celebration of Seeds Events at Peter White Public Library March 22-23, 2019
Celebration of Seeds Events at Peter White Public Library March 22-23, 2019

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here