Got Seeds? Get Local!

By Jill Henderson – Show Me Oz –

Ah, winter. At last it’s time to kick back in your big easy chair with your garden-weary feet all wrapped up in those new fuzzy slippers you got for Christmas. I can just see you now, gazing contentedly at the flickering flames of a glowing fire in the hearth, more than content with a summer’s worth of jobs well done and not a single garden chore on your “to do” list… Yeah, right. I mean, you’re a gardener, aren’t you? When did gardener’s ever get a day off? I mean, seriously – spring will be here before you know it and you don’t have a single moment to waste lying around gazing at fires if you want to have an incredible garden next year! Gosh.

Keep It Local: Good Fun for a Great Cause

Show Me Oz

Whenever you buy locally produced goods and services from businesses and individuals, most of your hard-earned money stays at home where it works to build a stronger, more economically vital and self-sufficient community.  In fact, the most important aspect of a sustainable community starts with local food production.

A Successful Community Seed Swap

On March 1st, the community of West Plains, Missouri, held their first-ever community seed swap!  It was a fun and busy day with over 35 people in attendance.  Dubbed the Ozarks Pot Luck & Seed Swap, my dream was to bring together area gardeners to share their knowledge and experience with other gardeners and to promote the concept of saving one’s own seed.   I was understandably nervous in the hours leading up to the swap, but all that quickly flew out of the window when I walked into the facility to find a room full of friends who had arrived early and were already setting up the tables! 

Share the Seed: How a Seed Swap Works

By Jill Henderson – Show Me Oz

Swapping seeds is both fun and addictive. I remember the first time I began swapping seeds with other seed-junkies in 1999, using a then obscure method of communication known as the internet.  Back then, most of the people I knew did not have or even know what email was.  Finding a group of people who loved to trade and talk seed was like finding a long-lost friend.  I was instantly hooked, both with seed swapping and the internet!

CAHH! Announces 2011 Seed Swaps

“One for the cut worm, one for the crow, one to share, and one to grow”

Our good friends over at the University of Central Arkansas asked me to pass along their 2011 schedule of CAHH! (Conserving Arkansas Agricultural Heritage) co-sponsored seed swaps taking place at various locations throughout Arkansas.   This is an excellent opportunity to share or find rare and unusual heirloom seeds from the Ozarks region.  Read on and plan on attending a swap in your area!  J.H.