A Celebration of Seeds: Eleventh Annual Seed Swap
Home gardeners invited to pick up seeds and participate in gardening activities and workshops
The time to punctuate winter’s dreary landscape with vibrant plants and integrate homegrown produce back into your recipes has arrived. Held in collaboration with Grow Pittsburgh and Phipps Conservatory, the annual Seed Swap at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh features seed stories, conversations with gardening experts, hands-on activities for children and teens, and a selection of free seeds for the public.
This free event takes place Saturday, March 4 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s main branch (4400 Forbes Avenue) in Oakland.
Free workshops will begin at 10:30 a.m., and include:
Seed Starting (10:30 a.m.)
Seed Saving Basics (11:30 a.m.)
Organic Gardening Basics (12:30 p.m.)
Gardeners are encouraged to bring their own untreated, non-GMO seeds to share, or pick up seeds donated by local gardeners, farmers and seed companies. A new batch of seeds will be released every hour, and guests who bring seeds will be eligible to enter a raffle of fun items from Phipps Conservatory, Grow Pittsburgh and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
“Pittsburgh has such a rich gardening history and we are happy to contribute to the city’s growing food, gardening and agriculture initiatives,” said Shayna Ross, Library Services Supervisor at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
Gabe Tilove, Phipps Conservatory’s Director of Adult Education and Community Outreach, spoke to the value of the event for the Phipps team and community members over the years. “Phipps has been proud to co-present this program to the public for the past 11 years with the support of our Homegrown staff and Master Gardener volunteers,” said Tilove.
Additionally, Grow Pittsburgh Director of Community Projects, Rayden Sorock, expressed that “Gardening brings many community benefits, and we are so grateful to again be partnering with Phipps Conservatory and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to create opportunities for local growers to share seeds, stories and skills in a fun environment.”
Throughout the day, guests will be able to enjoy a variety of gardening-related activities and offerings, including:
- Free seeds released on the hour, every hour with a final release at 1 p.m.
- “Ask a master gardener” table
- Workshops on seed starting (10:30 a.m.), seed saving (11:30 a.m.) and organic gardening (12:30 p.m.)
- Creative activities for children and teens
- Historic items on display and conversation with CLP’s Rare Books Specialist
- Film screening of “Gather” and photobooth
- Sensory friendly space offered
While walk-ins are welcome, registration is encouraged for planning purposes and live event updates.
More information about the Eleventh Annual Seed and Plant Swap event and registration can be found on the Library’s website (carnegielibrary.org).