Annual seed swap brings together local gardening enthusiasts
The third annual Seedy Saturday Seed Swap saw a couple hundred Hatters pass through Police Point Park to do a number of gardening-related activities.
Running from 1:30-3:30 p.m., the Seed Swap showcased multiple gardening outlets from around the city, as well as a composting demonstration using worms.
Organizer Alison Van Dyke said the event sees a little more success each year.
“We’re seeing a few more people stopping by every year we do this,” she said. “People in the community are really starting to take an interest to things like gardening and composting. This is a great event because it shows people everything they could need.”
One big attraction of the event is the ability to give and take seeds as one wishes said Van Dyke. “With this being a new gardening season we want people to come out and get some new seeds if they need to,” she said. “Some people like to plant the same sorts of things every year, but some might want something new. That is why we hold this every year.”
Van Dyke said she is seeing an increased interest in gardening in Medicine Hat.
“A lot of people are just coming out with questions to our event,” she said. “Around the country we’re starting to see a lot of urban agriculture in the bigger city centres — I think in a few years urban gardening could be a big thing in our city.”
Van Dyke said she believes the increased interest in gardening in cities comes from people wanting to know what exactly they are eating during their meals.
“If you grow your own food, or know who grows your food, you know what’s in it,” she said. “People are really starting to want to know what they are eating, how far it has traveled and what types of pesticides it has been touched by. Urban agriculture cuts all of that out.”