Green thumbs up for third annual Seedy Saturday

Green thumbs up for third annual Seedy Saturday
Jordan Bouchard of Green's Creek Farm talks seeds with a guest at the third annual Seedy Saturday event on March 18 at the Benson Centre. (Alycia Douglass/TC Media)

CORNWALL, Ontario – While all signs of winter are still present and accounted for, the third annual Seedy Saturday event kicked off this Saturday, March 18, giving residents a glimpse into spring. Hosted in partnership with Transition Cornwall+ Food Action Group and the All Things Food Network, this free community event hopes to plant the seed for gardeners of all skill levels to get better acquainted with their food, specifically how it’s grown.

In previous years, the event was hosted at the Agape Centre, but thanks to the Social Development Council, vendors and guests were able to spread out a little more at the Benson Centre.

“When we were at Agape, people were either going for our event, or not at all,” said John Towndrow of Transition Cornwall+. “At the Benson Centre, there’s a lot more foot traffic, which is good for us.”

Towndrow says that there are some exciting changes in the event’s demographic. “I think we’re starting to bring in a broader audience,” said Towndrow. “We’re seeing a lot more younger people getting more interested in gardening because I think they realize it’s important to know where their food is coming from.”

Coordinator of All Things Food Network, Kat Rendek says that this spike is due to the rise in concern for how food is grown, making the move to the Benson Centre an even more obvious choice.

“We want to get people more invested in their food system, and one of the best ways to do that is to encourage gardening,” said Rendek. “This is the first of many other gardening events that provide opportunities to help people plan their garden, but also help people learn more about gardening in general.”

The event featured a wide variety of seed vendors, local food vendors, community exhibitors, as well as free children’s activities.

Throughout the day, guests were encouraged to take part in any number of the free workshops on topics from garden layout planning to vermiculture. Workshops were offered for both beginner and advanced gardening enthusiasts.

Donations raised during the event will help support future events by Transition Cornwall+ Food Action Group and All Things Food.

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