Eighth annual Seed Swap at Erie Street Market

Saturday's free Seed Swap will bring out the hardiest gardeners (who push pea seeds in cold soil on St. Patrick's Day), along with the newest gardeners (who wonder if they have a green thumb and will come to realize it's forever about trial and error).

Seeds, seedlings, and other garden paraphernalia such as used books and tools, will be disbursed from noon to 3 p.m. at the cavernous Erie Street Market, 237 S. Erie St., adjacent to the Farmers' Market (which is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

A series of workshops will begin at 10 a.m. and continue through the afternoon.

It is, says Michael Szuberla, a "seedluck" (a take-off on potluck) for diggers: bring something, take something. Even those who don't bring a thing will receive a strip of tickets good for seed packets; those who bring house plants, bulbs, books, viable seeds in packages, will receive bonus tickets.

Most seeds were donated by seed companies and packaged for use last year, but most will germinate well, Szuberla says. New this year is a gift of heirloom seed packets from the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants in Monticello. A passionate and scientific gardener, Jefferson grew hundreds of varieties of vegetables, adapting gardening traditions from many other countries and developing a Virginian-French cuisine.

Attendees also will receive a bag of info about upcoming events.

Szuberla, program director of Toledo Grows and the Swap's organizer, suggests parking on the Erie Street side of the building where doors will be open; doors facing the Farmers' Market will not be open. In its eighth year, the Seed Swap drew about 1,500 people last year, and has outgrown two previous venues.

Among workshops will be a 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. session with Greg and Olivia Willerer, successful Detroit farmers, speaking on Creating a Garden-based Business. And on Monday, the Willerers will launch a free, 6 to 8 p.m. eight-week series on many aspects of operating a market garden, at the Kent Branch Library, 3101 Collingwood Blvd. Their series will conclude March 23 with a mid-day trip to their Detroit farm.

Also Saturday, aqua-culture demos will show how to grow tilapia. About a dozen organizations and small-business owners will host informational tables, including the Rain Garden Initiative, Maumee Valley Herb Society, the Urban Agriculture program of Owens Community College, the 577 Foundation, Naturally Native Nursery, Organic Garden Center, GlecklerSeedsmen.com (heirloom tomato seeds), and several greenhouses that carry heirloom plants.

Plants native to the Oak Opening region have been collected, cleaned, and packaged by members of the Wild Ones who promote varieties that flourished in our region before Europeans introduced their seeds. Such plants are often beneficial for wildlife (for native pollinators, for example), and are likely to be hardy in local weather conditions.

Live music by the Root Cellar String Band will be featured. Information: 419-536-5566.

Contact Tahree Lane at tlane@theblade.com or 419-724-6075.