UPDATE!
We've closed the online registration for our 2/4 event - but you can still register at the door starting at 12noon. Just come to our check-in table inside the Horticulture Center at Green Spring Gardens.
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Here are the speakers for the upcoming Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges 2023. Seed Exchange attendees trade seeds, exchange planting tips, hear expert speakers, and collect goody bags full of gardening treats. For more information on the exchanges and how to register, go here (be sure you are selecting the correct date on the first screen).
Saturday, January 28 at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD
Speaker 1:
Speaker 2:
Saturday, February 4 at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA
Speaker 1:
"Seed Saving 101"
Speaker: Niraj Ray of Cultivate the City
With a little bit of space, time, and basic equipment, saving your own seeds can be easy! Different types of seeds require slightly different treatment to save them properly- learn about seeds that mature in wet fruits, seed heads, pods, and more! We will also discuss how to keep certain tender perennials alive through the winter for rapid propagation in the spring, so you don't have to start from scratch each year.
Cultivate the City is an urban farming organization based in Washington, DC. In addition to managing a network of school and corporate gardens, CTC also runs a rooftop garden center and nursery where they start most of their plants and hold weekly workshops. CTC focuses on growing hard-to-find and ethnically and culturally important foods- they have been practicing saving their own seeds for more than 5 years!
Niraj founded Cultivate the City (CTC) in 2015 to inspire healthy and sustainable living by empowering local communities with the tools, training and resources for urban agriculture and vertical farming. CTC currently manages over 25 locations around DC, including a rooftop farm at the Washington Nationals Stadium. Niraj holds a B.S. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology from the Ohio State University and a M.S. in Integrated Environmental Science from Bethune-Cookman University. He is a 2013 National Wildlife Federation Emerging Leader Fellow and formerly worked with the US EPA - Office of Water.
"The Lost Art of Plant Sharing: Taking Cuttings, Saving Seed and Dividing"
Speaker: Carol Allen, Horticulturist
There was a time when you would admire a shrub or perennial in a friend’s garden and they would give you cuttings or root divisions for your garden. Unfortunately, the art of home propagation is rarely being passed down from generation to generation anymore. Enter Carol! She will give you guidelines on how to start with cuttings, seed gathering/planting, and how/ when to divide plants.
There was a time when you would admire a shrub or perennial in a friend’s garden and they would give you cuttings or root divisions for your garden. Unfortunately, the art of home propagation is rarely being passed down from generation to generation anymore. Enter Carol! She will give you guidelines on how to start with cuttings, seed gathering/planting, and how/ when to divide plants.
Carol Allen has been involved in many aspects of gardening and horticulture since childhood and likes to describe herself as a committable plant-a-holic. She has more than 25 years experience in the horticulture industry with special interests in Integrated Pest Management, landscape design, native plants, tropicals of many kinds, and especially orchids. Carol enjoys helping people understand how to care for their plants and holds a monthly diagnostic clinic in Washington, DC. After serving a term of two-and-one-half years as supervisory horticulturist at the United States Botanic Garden Conservatory, Carol returned to college and earned a degree in horticulture. Fascinated by the interplay of pest and prey, Carol continues her education on plant pests and diseases. She enjoys teaching people how to outwit their garden pests with little or no pesticide application and also authors the “InsectIndex” column in the Washington Gardener Magazine.
Washington Gardener Seed Exchange 1
on Saturday, January 28, 2023, 12:30–4:00pm
National Seed Swap Day!
at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD
Registration is now open at
AND
Saturday, February 4 at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA
Speaker 1:
“The Story Behind Growing Great Tomatoes”
Speaker: Carrie Engel, Horticulturist
This talk will cover how a local business prepares its tomato crop for the spring season. From the beginning steps from seed selection, starting the seeds to seedling, to a plant ready for transplant and sale. It will also cover what varieties do best in our region.
Carrie Engel began working at Valley View Farms in Cockeysville, MD, in 1972, and is well known in our area. Carrie appears with meteorologists Tony Pann and Ava Marie, weekly on the WBAL TV's Sunday Gardener. She was awarded the 2020 Professional Achievement Award from the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association. She enjoys writing, speaking about gardening, photography, the Orioles, and spending time with her extended family. Carrie also enjoys traveling, especially road trips, where she looks for what is new in plants and gardening everywhere she goes.
Speaker 2:
“Indoor Starting Seeds Under Lights”
Speaker: Carol Allen, Horticulturist
Starting seedlings under lights allows the gardener to closely control the growing environment. This can result in stocky, robust seedlings. Under lights is usually an improvement over starting seeds on a windowsill and gives the gardener larger plants to start with. What lights should be used? How close to the seedlings are the lights? What about air circulation? What is hardening off? How do I prevent damping off? How does growing under lights impact temperature? If you are you still using old-fashioned fluorescents for your indoor seed starting, learn the newest research from Carol Allen and why you might want to change to modern LEDS
Carol Allen has been involved in many aspects of gardening and horticulture since childhood and likes to describe herself as a committable plant-a-holic. She has more than 25 years experience in the horticulture industry with special interests in Integrated Pest Management, landscape design, native plants, tropicals of many kinds, and especially orchids. Carol enjoys helping people understand how to care for their plants and holds a monthly diagnostic clinic in Washington, DC. After serving a term of two-and-one-half years as supervisory horticulturist at the United States Botanic Garden Conservatory, Carol returned to college and earned a degree in horticulture. Fascinated by the interplay of pest and prey, Carol continues her education on plant pests and diseases. She enjoys teaching people how to outwit their garden pests with little or no pesticide application and also authors the “InsectIndex” column in the Washington Gardener Magazine.
Washington Gardener Seed Exchange 2
on Saturday, February 4, 2023, 12:30–4:00pm
at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA
Registration is now open at
WGSeedEx2023.brownpapertickets.com*
(*Scroll down to pick the February 4 date.)
(*Scroll down to pick the February 4 date.)
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