Seedy Sunday is a sure sign that spring is just around the corner

Photo: Judie Steeves

Nodding their delicate heads, snowdrops have burst their way out of the soil in Okanagan gardens, a sure sign that Spring is on its way.

It may not officially begin until March 20, but I’m already delighting in the unofficial signs of spring, starting with the snowdrops that have sprung up in gardens and continuing with seeds and plants appearing at workshops and other events.

The Okanagan Xeriscape Association organized a day-long workshop to inform people, including those in the nursery industry, of the many ways to conserve water on our landscapes and the importance of water conservation in the Okanagan.

The Creating Climate-Resilient Landscapes workshop sold out and gathered an excited array of gardening enthusiasts, master gardeners, those from the landscape industry and Kelowna and West Kelowna city staff. Most judged it a huge success, which was exhilarating for those of us who worked hard to put it all together.

This past Sunday, the Okanagan Xeriscape Association was part of Seedy Sunday, an annual event put on by the Kelowna Master Gardeners at Parkinson Recreation Centre in Kelowna.

This event was originally a seed exchange, but morphed into much more. In Kelowna, the event was founded by local farmer Jon Alcock, who has been an important part of it for the 10 years I’ve volunteered on the day.

I said a quick ‘hi’ to him in the morning but was too busy to spend much time with him until later in the day, when I was able to learn the roots of what was originally “Seedy Saturday.”

Jon figures he and his wife Sher started the first Kelowna Seedy Saturday around 2000 at the Laurel Packinghouse—inspired by the very first Seedy Saturday organized by volunteers at the Vandusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver.

There followed various iterations of the Kelowna event at the Elks Lodge (no longer in existence), Centennial Hall and the former Okanagan University College, which was the first time I volunteered.

I saw a presentation that Jon gave at a master gardener event years ago about seed saving, which was unbelievably informative and I found his first-person account about the beginning of Seedy Saturday fascinating.

He painted a picture for me of a young Kelowna where only a handful of seed savers and swappers showed up, versus this past Sunday, where we had dozens of vendors and 800 people walk through the doors and enjoy dreaming of summer in the garden as they wandered around. What a wonderful progression.

When not selling seeds, Jon can be found on his south-east Kelowna property, Sunshine Farms, where he also provides vocational development for adults with diverse abilities. Jon is one of the founders of agriculture in our valley and I feel grateful to learn something new from him every time I run in to him.

Given what is going on with our neighbour to the south, there has never been a better time to consider growing your own food. It can be acres of garden or a patio planter, depending on your situation. All of it will feed you and your soul.

Thank you to everyone who made Seedy Sunday such a success.

Visit our website, okanaganxeriscape.org, for information about where representatives of the Okanagan Xeriscape Association will be next. As in years past, we will present the Make Water Work campaign at nurseries up and down the Okanagan Valley and will be on-site to answer any of your gardening and xeriscaping questions.

I look forward to a fantastic season, and to meeting you in a garden.

The Okanagan Xeriscape Association is grateful for the ongoing financial support of the Okanagan Basin Water Board and is proud to be collaborating with them on its Make Water Work campaign. Check out its Make Water Work plant list at makewaterwork.ca.

Sigrie Kendrick is a master gardener and executive-director of the Okanagan Xeriscape Association.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.