As gardeners begin to gear up for spring, a new type of sub-group is beginning to emerge – in comes the Seed Savers! All over the Bay Area, Seed Exchanges are sprouting up, and the City of Santa Clara will host our first one on March 31 at the San Tomas & Monroe Community Garden starting at 1pm.

One Seed, One community, a partner of Slow Food California, will be there to introduce us to the state-wide “group grow” program – a program established to grow and then save rare plant species. Hillie Salo, the champion behind One Seed, One Community, has been all over the south bay sharing the endangered Cherokee Trail of Tears Black bean. In October, everyone registered to grow the seed will return with their saved seeds which will be shared again at the Central Park Library’s Seed Library. “Together”, says Hillie, “we can save more diversity and build adaptability in our local seeds”.   

Members of the public are invited to bring their seedlings, plant cuttings, packages of seeds, and empty button bags to share and exchange the what, where’s, and when’s of planting a spring garden. Find out more about the special bean and groups behind it.