National Seed Swap Day is celebrated on the last Saturday in January which is January 31, 2026. 𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑’𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔: 𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔… 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 (𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔). And for us container gardeners? Seed swaps are 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡 because we can try new varieties without buying 27 packets for 6 pots. 😄 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 A seed swap isn’t just about “free seeds” (though yes please). It’s also about: * discovering varieties you’ve never seen in stores * sharing what actually did well in real gardens (not just catalog photos) * swapping growing tips along with the seeds * keeping interesting heirlooms and regional favorites circulating 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐩 (𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞) If you’re participating in any kind of swap be it local, library, online, or “PGS-style”—here’s what makes it easy and fair: ✅ 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 (𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐡) Think “sample sizes”: * 10–20 seeds for small seeds (lettuce, basil, flowers) * 5–10 seeds for larger seeds (beans, cucumbers, sunflowers) ✅ 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 '𝐲𝐨𝐮' 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝 At minimum, include: * plant name + variety * year packed (freshness matters) * any notes: “great in containers,” “partial shade,” “fast grower,” etc. 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬: “days to harvest” or “determinate tomato” if you know it. 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 “𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫” 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐩 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 If you’re limited on space, these are great swap targets: * 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐟𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 (lettuce mixes, spinach, arugula) * 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 (basil varieties, dill, cilantro, lemon balm) * 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭/𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐟 𝐯𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 (patio tomatoes, bush beans, mini peppers) * 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 (calendula, nasturtium, zinnia—container-friendly joy) * 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 (radish, broccoli, mustard) 𝐀 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝-𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐩 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧 🙌 A lot of seed swaps encourage people to avoid invasive plants and to share responsibly. Local swaps (and conservation groups) often emphasize noninvasive choices and good labeling so folks don’t accidentally spread problems. If you’re unsure about a seed, label it as a “mystery” and skip swapping it (or ask first).

Quick poll, PGS… 🙋‍♀️ Who talks to their plants when they water? 🙋‍♀️ Who apologizes when they forget? 🙋‍♀️ Who gives pep talks to seedlings? Exactly. ALL OF US 😆 That’s why this shirt hits home. It’s funny. It’s true. And it’s so us. 🌱 "I Would Rather Talk To My Plants... They Listen" ⏳ Reminder: This tee is only open for 7 days total and the clock is ticking. 👉 Grab yours here before the window closes: "I Would Rather Talk To My Plants...They Listen" Already ordered? 📸 Post below and let us celebrate you!

One of the easiest ways to get more from your space is planting 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭. But the secret is pairing herbs that like 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐠ht. Because herbs don’t argue about personality… they argue about moisture. 😄 Below are the best “herb buddy” combos for containers, plus a few pairings that usually end in drama. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 ✅ 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬: * 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 (most want bright sun) * 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 preference (moist vs dry-ish) * 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 (so one doesn’t smother the others) If you match those three, you’ll have a happy pot. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐬 (𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬) 𝟏) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐧 “𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐭 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫” 𝐏𝐨𝐭 These herbs prefer to dry out a bit between waterings and love sun. ✅ 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 + 𝐓𝐡𝐲𝐦𝐞 + 𝐎𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐨 + 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐞 (𝐿𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑗𝑜𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡.) 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬: similar sun + less frequent watering. 𝐏𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐩: use a well-draining mix and don’t overwater. 𝟐) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 “𝐌𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐭-𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠” 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛 𝐏𝐨𝐭 These herbs like more consistent moisture and aren’t fans of drying out completely. ✅ 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 + 𝐂𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨 + 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 Optional: Dill (if you give it space) 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬: they like similar moisture and grow well in cooler temps too. 𝐓𝐢𝐩: This combo is great for shoulder seasons and indoor windowsills. 𝟑) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 “𝐓𝐞𝐚 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧” 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 If you love making herbal tea, this is such a fun pot. ✅𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐭 + 𝐋𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐦 Optional: a little chamomile (if you have enough light) 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭: Mint and lemon balm are vigorous. In one pot they can take over, so plan to trim often or give them a larger container. 𝟒) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 “𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐧𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐨𝐭” (𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲) Good for everyday cooking and easy harvesting. ✅ 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 + 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 Optional: Thyme if you’re careful not to overwater 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬: chives and parsley are steady growers and don’t need intense fussing. 𝟓) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 “𝐏𝐢𝐳𝐳𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐭” (𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐧) ✅ 𝐎𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐨 + 𝐓𝐡𝐲𝐦𝐞 + 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥 (𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧) 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Basil likes more moisture than oregano/thyme.

The Children learning garden 🫛🥕🥬has been officially launched and l'm excited that the children are happy to learn the impotance of soil care and how food security is everybody business🇱🇷

It's worth a peep👌