Don’t let the snow fool you – spring is right around the corner, and Seedy Saturday’s sure to get you in the planting spirit this Saturday, March 4.
Seedy Saturday is a much-anticipated yearly event in Roberts Creek put on by the One Straw Society as a kick-off to the gardening season.
The event offers thousands of vegetable and fruit seeds for sale that will grow on the Sunshine Coast, interactive booths, prizes, games, a kids’ area, local vendors, seed exchange tables, workshops, a plant sale and locally grown, organic food, all showcased at the Roberts Creek Hall and Masonic Hall next door.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and it will be busy as soon as the doors open, so plan to come early. Admission is by donation and any profits from the event will go toward One Straw’s efforts for the year.
The society’s goal is to help create “vibrant, sustainable, local food systems” through training, workshops, programing and events held across the Sunshine Coast.
Seedy Saturday is an important part of meeting that goal and it’s been an annual staple since One Straw’s inception 21 years ago.
This year’s Seedy Saturday organizer James Reinert said the event is particularly important because it gets heirloom and open-pollinated seeds out into the hands of the public.
“What open-pollinated means is that the plant variety will come true to seed if it is pollinated with its own kind. This is important, because what this means is that growers, from gardeners to farmers, can maintain their own supply of seed indefinitely without having to buy them from a large seed producing company,” Reinert said.
“Many industrial seed companies sell genetically modified seeds, and such seeds either do not produce plants that can produce viable seed, or it is illegal for the grower to keep the seeds of that variety for replanting. Maintaining our own open pollinated seed varieties means that we, the growers, don’t need to depend on large agri-industrial corporations for our seeds, and therefore our food.”
Find out more about the workshops available and what else One Straw has planned for the year at www.onestraw.ca, where information about joining the group can also be found.
If you have time to volunteer at Seedy Saturday, contact Reinert at [email protected]
