How to Start a Seed and Plant Swap
February 26, 2026 | Source: Civil Eats | by Jordan Charbonneau
On the last Saturday in January, Natalie Aird and Josie Flatgard spent the morning at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa, laying out packets and jars of open-pollinated and heirloom seeds for National Seed Swap Day. Among the offerings on tables throughout the room: packets of grayish-brown French Breakfast radish seeds and arrow-shaped Prairie Blazing Star wildflower seeds, and a large jar of pink-speckled Mayflower bean seeds.
A few hours later, in tromped farmers, excited young kids, plant nerds, and community gardeners, banging the snow off their boots and fanning out to add their own seeds to the collection—spiky marigold seeds, glossy multi-colored flint corn, flat squash seeds, tiny round broccoli seeds. And, of course, pick up a few for themselves.
Aird and Flatgard organized the event as representatives of Seed Savers Exchange, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving heirloom seeds, plants, and their stories. Swaps like this are an opportunity for Aird, the seed bank’s inventory coordinator, and Flatgard, the exchange coordinator, to share part of Seed Savers’ vast collection and knowledge with other seed savers. The free events also allow participants to exchange their own plants and seeds with one another, along with related stories, recipes, and growing tips.