President George Washington did it. Jefferson did it. So did Ben Franklin.
All three historic figures were plant seed swappers, according to Barbara Melera, co-owner of a 350-year-old seed house.
On Saturday, people in the greater capital area will continue the tradition at the Washington Seed Exchange, held at the Takoma Park-Silver Spring campus of Montgomery College on the Northwest border.
“[Seed swapping] grew out of the concept of seed exchange with various parts of Europe” employed by the Founding Fathers, said Melera, who owns D. Landreth Seed Co. of Baltimore. At modern seed exchanges, she said, “someone can find seeds to grow blue sweet peas, or a melon that grows incredibly well in the D.C. area” that they could not find at any store.
According to organizers, the second annual exchange will host people from an estimated 100-mile radius and will include personal networking, an amateur photo contest for locals, a sign-up to maintain contact with other gardeners through e-mail and the Internet, and, of course, the exchange of seeds and tips among gardeners.
“We wanted to have a live event with our readers to network and get together,” said event co-founder Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener magazine.
Tickets to the Washington Seed Exchange are $15 and include registration, eligibility for door prizes and goody bags.
For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call 301-588-6894.
