Sun 3/26 @ 1PM
With the goal of bringing people together to celebrate, learn and share in the joy that a connection with the planet provides, Room Service Boutique and the Cleveland Seed Bank have partnered for the third consecutive year to present the Spring Seed Swap on Sun 3/26 at Room Service Boutique from 1-5pm.
The Spring Seed Swap is a chance for seasoned gardeners and newbies alike to swap seeds, share stories and celebrate the community of gardeners in our region committed to growing their own food and maintaining the rich biodiversity of our region. That’s what gardening is: a vital and vibrant relationship with the earth, and the organizers think everyone can benefit from a little more of that. Owners of Room Service Boutique, Jennie Doran and Andrew Worm, passionately support the notion that building community among local growers and gardeners enhances the health of our region and food security as a whole.
“We love sharing our space here at Room Service, and being able to marry our two loves — beautiful engaging spaces and goods, with vibrant community building based around gardening and green things,” exudes Andrew. “It’s a really special energy here on that day, and it’s incredibly meaningful for us.”
The seed swap has grown year over year, with more participants, more seed and plant varieties, and more educational programming. This year there will be discussions led by local experts on fermentation, composting and seed saving. Live music, refreshments and bee-house making round out the event. Attendees are invited to bring their own seeds to share, as well as other homesteading endeavors: kombucha scobys, cheese and yogurt cultures, sourdough starters, to name a few. No seeds are required to attend and everyone is welcome!
“Spring is when we finally get to set into motion all those garden plans we’ve been stewing over for months,” says Jennie. “The swap is our opportunity to share our excitement and the shared expertise of the community. If there’s one thing I know about gardening, its that I don’t know enough.”
Attendees will have access to such a diverse set of garden know-how and experience at this event —be it from a neighbor or from one of the speakers we are fortunate to have come alongside this event. Everything from how to build the best compost, to how to protect the ever important pollinators of our region, to what variety of tomato works best — which tastes the most delicious! The know-how is just as diverse as the attendees.
“To be perfectly honest, we started the event in 2015 as way to meet other home gardeners in the area as Jennie and I embarked on starting our first garden together,” explains Andrew. “We cleared some space, Jennie made a beautiful display of all the seeds available and we brought some compost from our garden in to make seed bombs. We would have been happy to have 15 people show up, and over 60 did that first year. Since then the event has grown in both attendance, and offerings. This iteration has seen a growth in our partnerships. We will have presentations by Wake Robin Foods, the Cleveland Seed Bank and Rust Belt Riders, in addition to bee-house making, live music and of course, many many varieties of seeds! To make room for all of these additions, Passenger’s Cafe at the Cleveland Hostel will be partnering with us, as well.”
You don’t need garden experience or seeds to attend. Everyone is there to learn and share, and everyone is welcome. Plus, it’s free! If you have kale seed for the garden, please bring those, as organizers are in search of these beauties.
“The response has been absolutely stunning. People were so excited to come and talk about their gardens, whether it was a pot or two on their porch, or a large plot out in the country,” Andrew expounds. “Gardening is challenging. There is so much to learn, and people are so open to teach each other and share stories. The sense of community between young and old, experienced and not was supportive and engaged. It is truly a heartwarming thing to see and be a part of.”
[Written by Kendall Embrescia-Hridel]
Cleveland, OH 44113