Seedy Events and Projects

Join EYA at our annual seed exchange this Saturday (April 17th) from 10am to 1pm at the Strathcona Eco-Pavilion! Bring your favourite seeds to swap with fellow gardeners from across the city. No seed? No problem, there's lots for everyone! Check out the Facebook event! Questions? Please email info@eya.ca.


EYA is still recruiting urban seedkeepers for the 2010 growing season! To sign up, please email Georgia at georgia@eya.ca. The orientation will be held the following Saturday (April 24th) from 10am to 12pm at the Strathcona Eco-Pavilion. A blurb about the Urban Seedkeepers program:

EYA is recruiting 20 individuals or families with growing space to plant, grow and save one variety of heritage, organic seeds. Urban seedkeepers will learn how to grow crops for seed, properly collect, and store these seeds. In exchange, the seeds will be donated back to EYA for our community nursery project, where we will use them in urban greening projects and free education programs around the city to raise awareness and grow healthy food. As well as contributing to EYA’s community nursery project, this project will contribute to biodiversity and our city’s seed security in terms of varietal availability, human capacity and knowledge.

Agreement: EYA will provide all necessary training and support as well as initial seeds for approx 20 plants of one seed variety. Number of plants and variety of seed will be determined along with the seedkeeper depending on amount of space, quality of soil and existing infrastructure. (Trellis’, planter boxes etc.)

The seedkeeper will commit to planting the seeds and caring for them throughout the season in such a way to ensure purity of the strain (this will be covered in the April orientation session), troubleshooting with EYA if necessary regarding concerns around plant health. The seedkeeper will commit to growing out 1/2 of the entire harvest to seeds that will be returned to EYA as a donation. 1/2 of the crop is ear marked for the seedkeepers eating pleasure!

And, don't forget about our plant and seed exchange project! Currently, the Vancouver Plant and Seed Exchange Network (VPSEN) has over 60 members with more being added daily. We still need your help in generating activity and discussion, however! If you are interested in this project, please visit http://vanseedtrade.theforum.name/ where you can find out more about the network as well as view members' trading lists. Even if you don't have your own seeds or plants to offer others, we still encourage you to sign up! Direct exchanges of seeds and plants are most ideal to keep this as grass roots as possible, but monetary exchanges are certainly more than acceptable. If you have any suggestions as a member or non-member about the project (e.g., things that can be improved) please contact Amy. Happy trading!