Join FPCG for its 6th annual seed swap! The seed swap is open and welcoming to anyone regardless of if you're involved with FPCG or not or if you have any gardening experience or not. Come on down and see us! Admission is free as long as you RSVP in advance. Either bring your own seeds to swap or, if you don't have your own seeds, you can "by into" the swap for 50 cents a packet. If you bring your own seeds we ask that you pre-package your seeds ahed of time, using the instructions below.

When?

Sunday, March 13th, 2016 2-4 PM



Where?

St. John Lutheran Church

305 Circle Avenue

Forest Park, IL 60130

We'll be in the gymnasium on the second floor.

Cost?

Free to those who RSVP by March 12th!

$2 at the door without an RSVP ticket

Volunteers Needed

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO HELP RUN THE EVENT! Stuff like running the registration table, setting up and taking down chairs... Please email fpcommunitygarden@gmail.com to volunteer!

Preparing Your Seed Packs and How to Swap Seeds:

You can either bring in your own seeds or buy into the swap if you don’t have any seeds to trade. We will be swapping on a 1-to-1 basis, meaning if you bring 5 packs of seeds to swap, you can only take 5 packs of seeds when you leave. If you don’t have seeds to trade, you can buy trading tickets from us. These tickets will be available at the door for 50 cents each. Each ticket is good for one packet of seeds from the swap tables.



You can bring as many or as few packets of seeds to trade as you like. By RSVPing by March 12th you'll receive two free packets of seeds when you arrive. You can either keep these to use in your garden OR use them to swap for other seeds.



Seeds can be either ones you collected yourself or seeds you purchased this year or during the past 3 growing seasons (2013 — 2015). Older seeds are not permitted in this swap due to decreased germination rates.



Large seed packs are not necessary. Few of us city-gardeners can actually use a whole packet of seeds. Therefore, feel free to divide your seeds into smaller quantities. In general, the bigger the plant will get, the fewer seeds each gardener will need. Therefore, in the case of large plants like melons, tomatoes, peppers, squash, etc., each seed envelope you bring to swap must contain a minimum of 6 seeds. In the case of small plants like lettuce, kale, carrots, beets, onions, radishes, turnips, chard, etc., 20 seeds is the minimum for each pack.



Please prepare your packs before arrival because the swap will move quickly and you don’t want to lose an opportunity to participate.



Labeling your seed packs: You can use paper or plastic envelops to package your seeds for swapping. Since the seeds you bring may not be in their original packaging, you’ll want to label your seed packs with information about the seed. Each of your seed packets should contain as much of the following information as possible:

· 1) Your name

· 2) Common name of the plant and variety. ie: Green Zebra Tomato, Rutgers Tomato, Cherry Belle Radish, etc.

· 3) Number of seeds in the envelope.

· 4) Whether the seed is an annual, biennial or, perennial.

· 5) Origin of the seed including date. Did you collect it yourself? Did you buy it from Burpee in 2012?

· 6) Hybrid vs Heirloom