For Patsy Ingoldsby and members of the Thorold Garden Club, the second annual Seedy Saturday event is more than a cheeky play on words implying ne’er-do-wells gathering in a dive bar on the wrong side of town.
Much more.
“It's all a learning experience, for sure,” she said as club members gathered to sort through seeds that will be available at the event. “We exchange not just seeds, but knowledge and tips. We just love talking about growing stuff.”
The seed swap is just a part of what will be going down on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the greenhouses at Niagara College’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The club has teamed with the college’s Greenhouse Technician program for the event. Students from the program will also be on hand to assist visitors.
Quinten Hartlen-Melo is a second-year student in the program, and he is working on the event along with the college’s greenhouse technician Jen Laverty.
“I think for me, at least, it helps engage everyone, and it helps create connections between generations of gardeners and horticulturalists,” he said.
Ingoldsby agreed.
“I just like seeing my horticulture friends and making new friends,” she said. “I like talking about gardening and promoting it. I love it when those young ones, especially, come and you can see they're interested.”
Hartlen-Melo will be one of three guest speakers at the event.
“I'm going to be doing a small talk and presentation on insects, because that's really my true passion,” he said. “Here, where there's plants, there's bugs (and) you have to manage them.”
He’s sure his presentation will be a hit with kids who come out with their parents for the event.
“I'm going to introduce some of those and open them up, show them on a microscope on the screen, so that kids can kind of see bugs and learn that not all bugs are bad,” he said.
“And kids love bugs,” Ingoldsby added with a chuckle.
Other speakers will include Heather Swann from Plant Wise Garden and Landscaping Design speaking about using raised beds for gardening and Thorold Garden Club member Kelly Masterson will speak about the importance of seeds.
The event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will also feature vendors, greenhouse tours, activities for children and youth, a penny sale and prize draws. Admission and parking are free. For more information visit the Thorold Garden Club’s Facebook page.