Seed swaps can be as small as a few friends in someone’s kitchen or an area-wide affair at the community center. But what is a seed swap, and how can you get one started? 

A seed swap is simply a Gathering of Gardeners, and perhaps wanna-be gardeners, who want to trade seeds. It’s a swap meet, only everything is usually free or for trade. Seed swaps are opportunities for gardening folks, whether old hands or newbies, to get together and trade seeds, advice, and talk plants. Networking with other gardeners is one of the best benefits of a seed swap.

Last year, a squash I wanted was sold out in packets, and I had to order a larger quantity to get the variety I wanted. As much as I love squash, I don’t need 250 seeds of this variety. A seed swap is the perfect place to share those seeds with others and get some seeds I need at the same time.

Seed swaps are a great way to get your hands on native seeds from plants thriving in your area, grab a few heirloom seeds from your local green thumb gardener, and share your extra seeds with others. Regionally adapted and successful varieties of plants are one of many reasons to attend or host a seed swap. Gardeners can learn more about seed saving and storage from folks right down the road and increase their skills. 

By the way, if you are into eccentric holidays, don’t forget National Seed Swap Day, which is on January 25, 2025.

Planning a Seed Swap

Seed swaps could be conducted at any time, but the typical timeframe is late fall to late winter. The garden is quiet then, and folks who collect and save seeds have already done so. Importantly, it’s also before the time for starting new seeds in spring. 

Seed swaps can be just for the love of seeds, but they can also be a fundraiser, educational event, or part of a larger program. While the star of the show is the seeds, don’t forget other opportunities to build community and foster gardening. A guest speaker or a how-to class are excellent ways to boost attendance and create an event people will come back for next time. For larger gatherings, recruit a couple of helpers to make the event easier to prepare and execute. 

For intimate gatherings, a living room or kitchen may suffice. Put on the teapot and make it a potluck. If your swap needs a larger space, ask around. Local businesses may be willing to donate a space. They get a few new folks through the door who hopefully will patronize their business, and you get a free space to host your seed swap. Community public venues like a town hall, community center or library are also great potential seed swap spaces. 

Get the Word Out About Your Seed Swap

Of course, a seed swap requires folks to show up and bring seeds. Otherwise, you’ll just be looking at all your seeds on the table and then taking them all home. 

For a big turnout with less effort, tie your seed swap to a larger event people already know about, like a community celebration, holiday bazaar, art festival, or farmers’ market. If people have already planned to attend the larger event, your seed swap’s marketing is halfway done. However, you’ll still need to let them know to bring seeds to swap, and how it works.

For a large event with people you don’t know, here are a few ideas to help get the word out so your seed swap is a success:

• Post on social media, especially on local pages like gardening groups and Friends of the (local lake, forest, park) web pages. Get local gardening businesses to post it on their page (and maybe donate a door prize). If this isn’t your strong suit, recruit a helper who is savvy. 
• Ask the local Chamber of Commerce to help with spreading the word. Local radio stations often offer community news and events air time for free.
• Post news of the event at local gardening centers, health food co-ops, yoga studios, coffee shops, and anywhere else you can think of. Where does your target audience hang out? The hardware store, the library, the auto parts store? Get flyers up.
• Put a sign (with permission) at local businesses, roadside intersections, or town notice boards.

How to Host a Seed Swap: Common Practices

The general idea is that everyone should bring seeds to trade so there is plenty of opportunity and variety. However, new gardeners may not have excess seeds. If you’d like to include them, let all participants know that some new folks may be there to get some seeds and not necessarily trade them. 

For larger seed swaps, like community-wide events, consider arranging seed tables or displays by type of plant, such as vegetables, herbs, annual and perennial flowers, natives, or even squashes here and carrots over there for really big swaps. 

Consider having some seeds available immediately that you provide yourself to get things moving. Just like a performer might toss a couple of bucks into their tip jar at the beginning of the night to give people the idea, you can have a few spots with some bulk seeds you bought or collected ready to go, getting people in the right frame of mind. 

If your community isn’t familiar with seed swaps, you may get a lot of attendees who bring a half-used packet of carrots but are hoping to take home a sack full of seeds. Talk with experienced seed savers in your area about bringing surplus (we often have tons of one thing or another) to ensure everyone gets to take something home, even if they don’t have much to share. Making the event fun for new gardeners instead of an intimidating experience will help to build your event for future years. 

Consider limiting how many packets or envelopes of seed people can take home. A new gardener may not realize they don’t need the entire jar of Jacob’s Cattle bean seeds; twenty or thirty will more than suffice. At some seed swap events, people who brought seeds to share are allowed to take more home than those who came empty-handed, encouraging folks to bring seeds for swapping next time. Other events limit how many seeds are acceptable to take home with helpful and politely worded signs. 

Clearly label any hybrid seeds so swappers understand what they are getting. Seeds saved from hybrid varieties won’t yield offspring with the same characteristics as the parent plant. Many seed swap attendees are looking for open-pollinated varieties they can continue to propagate for years. However, sharing extra hybrid seeds is fine as long as they are labeled as such. 

Items You’ll Need

• Little paper envelopes to parcel out bulk seeds.
• Note cards and pens or pencils for people to label their seeds and write a bit of information about them.
• Tape or a gluestick to seal seed envelopes.
• Refreshments.
• Tables for displaying and chairs for resting and talking about seeds.

Here are a few more seed swap tips

• Consider asking people to bring seeds prepackaged and labeled.
• Have people bring pictures of their plants to set next to their seeds. Everyone loves to see the plants in full bloom or production.
• Remember parking, bathroom facilities, alternate plans in case of weather for outdoor events, and help for cleanup afterwards. 
• If an area business helped by providing donations, advertising, or space, call that out to participants. Return the favor and encourage patrons to check out those businesses that gave you a hand with the event. 
• Seed swaps don’t have to be an in-person event. Consider setting up a take-some-leave-some seed exchange at your local library, food co-op, or local business. My library has repurposed a small section of the old card catalog and set it in the entryway. Community members can drop off seeds or snag a few on their way to get a book. Each drawer is labeled with the kind of seeds it contains, and a stack of small envelopes makes taking only a few seeds easy.