I have been getting a number of emails and phone calls about this Saturday's Washington Gardener Seed Exchange. I thought I'd put together the following FAQ. Feel free to pass it on to any fellow gardeners:- Yes, you can still register. We have plenty of spaces open. The preregistration to have the forms mailed has ended, you can still fill out the registration form and bring it with payment to the event starting at 12:00noon on Saturday. The form is posted here:http://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/SeedExchange09.pdf.
- No, you don't have to bring seeds. It is great though if you do bring them. You can bring unused seeds from purchased packs or seeds you gathered from your own garden. Carefully pack and label your seeds as best you can. The more information you can provide, the better. More details on seed packing and labeling are on the registration form.
- The event is at Brookside Gardens and parking should be plentiful for our event. It is near the Glenmont metro and the walk is not far, however it is not that nice a walk as you have to cross busy roads. We recommend a quick cab ride as no buses serve the park area.
Here is a link to directions and a map: http://www.mc-mncppc.org/Parks/brookside/planning.shtm
We will be in the Visitor Center in the Main Auditorium.
There is additional parking down the hill at the Conservatory.
- We recommend eating lunch before coming. We will be serving a healthy, light snack break mid-way through the event -- fruit, granola bars, etc. We have spring water - if you have a travel mug, bottle, or cup you like, please bring that to fill up. We will have some plastic/paper cups on hand, but are trying to keep this event as “green” as possible.
- We will have generic blank name tags -- if you have your own name tag from work or another event, by all means bring it. Again, we are trying to recycle and make this event eco-friendly. We may do prizes for the most creative name tags :-).
- When you get your goody bag at check-in, please make sure to label it with your name -- all the bags look alike and can get easily mixed up. Bringing a few sheets of those personalized address labels you get with charity mailings will come in handy for this and for labeling your seed packets, giving out your contact information to fellow gardeners, etc.
- If you are bringing seed catalogs for our give-away table, be sure to rip off the address labels and tear out any order insert with your personal information on it.
- We screen incoming seeds and do not accept any invasives listed in the "Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas" booklet from the National Park Service. See the listing at: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/toc.htm.
- Here is the updated event schedule as of 1/29/09*:
12:00-12:30 Registration and seed drop off to WG Staff & Volunteers
Here is a link to directions and a map: http://www.mc-mncppc.org/Parks/brookside/planning.shtm
We will be in the Visitor Center in the Main Auditorium.
There is additional parking down the hill at the Conservatory.
- We recommend eating lunch before coming. We will be serving a healthy, light snack break mid-way through the event -- fruit, granola bars, etc. We have spring water - if you have a travel mug, bottle, or cup you like, please bring that to fill up. We will have some plastic/paper cups on hand, but are trying to keep this event as “green” as possible.
- We will have generic blank name tags -- if you have your own name tag from work or another event, by all means bring it. Again, we are trying to recycle and make this event eco-friendly. We may do prizes for the most creative name tags :-).
- When you get your goody bag at check-in, please make sure to label it with your name -- all the bags look alike and can get easily mixed up. Bringing a few sheets of those personalized address labels you get with charity mailings will come in handy for this and for labeling your seed packets, giving out your contact information to fellow gardeners, etc.
- If you are bringing seed catalogs for our give-away table, be sure to rip off the address labels and tear out any order insert with your personal information on it.
- We screen incoming seeds and do not accept any invasives listed in the "Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas" booklet from the National Park Service. See the listing at: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/toc.htm.
- Here is the updated event schedule as of 1/29/09*:
12:00-12:30 Registration and seed drop off to WG Staff & Volunteers
12:30-12:35 Introductory remarks and overview - Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener magazine
12:35-1:25 “What happened to growing things from seeds? The Forgotten Annuals” presented – Janet L. Draper, Horticulturist, Smithsonian Institution
1:30-2:00 “Seeds Timing – What to Start When” – Cindy Brown, Green Spring Gardens
2:00-2:30 Refreshment Break & Seed Swap Preview
2:30-3:00 Seed Show & Tell**
12:35-1:25 “What happened to growing things from seeds? The Forgotten Annuals” presented – Janet L. Draper, Horticulturist, Smithsonian Institution
1:30-2:00 “Seeds Timing – What to Start When” – Cindy Brown, Green Spring Gardens
2:00-2:30 Refreshment Break & Seed Swap Preview
2:30-3:00 Seed Show & Tell**
3:00-3:30 Seed Swap!
3:30-3:45 Garden Photo Contest Winners Presentation
3:45-4:00 Final Door Prizes and closing remarks - Kathy Jentz Washington Gardener magazine
*As with all live events, the schedule is subject to last minute change.
**Show & Tell participation is voluntary. We encourage you to introduce yourself, share some fun facts and background on the seeds you bring, or tell us about any local garden projects or groups that you are involved in.
*As with all live events, the schedule is subject to last minute change.
**Show & Tell participation is voluntary. We encourage you to introduce yourself, share some fun facts and background on the seeds you bring, or tell us about any local garden projects or groups that you are involved in.
Hi Kathy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info!
Come join us to celebrate National Seed Swap Day - yes, we had the last Sat of Jan each year officially designated as taht and we hope it catches on with Seed Swaps around the world.
ReplyDeleteAs of tonight (Fri 1/30) we are half sold out - so we still have plenty of space left at the event - just come and register onsite starting at 12Noon.
We got in "plastic" cups at our office that are made of corn and are fully compostable to use with the water fountain. I try to still use my own reusable tumbler, but in a pinch I can use the corn cups and not feel the pinch quite so hard. The only deficit seems to be that they stick to each other a little in the package. But in use, I can't tell the difference.
ReplyDeleteFire - I'm not a big fan ofthe corn cups mainly because everytime I take a sip of water my nose says, "what smells?" - just a little off-putting. It is not an awful smell, per se, but I just can't get past my cups having any smell to them. I'm still hopeful though that this problem can be addressed and corn cups 2.0 or maybe the other biodegradable cups may work. Next best thing for now is bring-your-own and we supply small disposable cups for those who forget.
ReplyDeleteWow....nice blog
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the informative with us..
cheer
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Jessica
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