Just because it is still winter outside, it doesn't mean people can't begin to prepare for spring by obtaining seeds, or even starting them indoors.
To help Greater Sudbury residents do this, organizers of Seedy Sunday will be holding an all-day event celebrating gardening in Greater Sudbury. The event is being held at Market Square, 85 Elm St., Feb. 21, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“Sudbury's first Seedy Sunday is a chance for all beginner and seasoned gardeners in the community to trade, buy and learn more about heirloom seeds and gardening,” Laura Needham, Sudbury and District Health Unit dietetic intern, said in a release.
The event is being organized by Sudbury Food Connections in partnership with EarthCare Sudbury and Seeds of Diversity Canada, a proponent of preserving heritage seeds and plants.
“Each local Seedy day is part of a larger effort to preserve Canada's biodiversity, keeping our environments healthy by planting a variety of open-pollinated, heirloom seeds,” Needham said.
She explained that fewer and fewer varieties of food plants are being grown in favour of those which are easier for large agricultural producers to use. As a result, local tasty, hardy and adaptable varieties have disappeared.
“Heirloom seeds are unique to every area and have thrived through the years in local conditions," Needham added. They are the vegetable, flower and herb seeds that have proven their ability to grow best in Sudbury and the surrounding area.”
There will be seed vendors and seed catalogues available, a children's activity area and environmental displays.
Admission is free, though donations are welcome. Non-perishable food
donations are accepted at the door. For more information, contact the
Foodshed Project at 675-3894, or www.foodshedproject.ca.
Seedy Sunday Schedule
- 10:00 - 10:30 a.m. — seed organizing and packaging
- 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. — seed exchange
- 11:30 a.m. — Opening remarks by Suzanne Hanna, director of the Ontario Horticultural Association
- 11:45 a.m. — Enzo Floreani on Growing From A Seed
- 12:15 p.m. — Stephen Monet on Sudbury's Biodiversity Action Plan
- 12:45 p.m. — David Pearson on Our Changing Climate
- 1:15 p.m. — Doug Tompsett on Bee Keeping in Sudbury
- 1:45 p.m. — Ron Lewis on Northern Gardening Secrets
