Planting seeds for spring: Appleton seed swap brings gardeners together to share, learn and grow

APPLETON (NBC 26) — While the growing season may be coming to an end, Appleton gardeners are already planting the seeds for next spring. On Sunday, Nov. 8, community members gathered at Tardigrade's in Appleton for a free seed swap, exchanging everything from native plant seeds to vegetables and heirloom varieties. WATCH THE FULL BROADCAST STORY HERE: Planting seeds for spring: Appleton seed swap brings gardeners together to share, learn and grow The event, organized in partnership with Common Roots Rising and the Appleton Seed Library, gave gardeners of all experience levels an opportunity to exchange seeds, learn how to preserve them and connect with others who share their passion for growing. For Mark Gehrke, seed swap co-organizer and founder of Common Roots Rising, the event is about more than preparing for another gardening season. "Just educating people about the opportunity to grow their own food, to save seeds, keep things local, to promote ... the local food resources," Gehrke said. Preparing for spring before winter arrives Although November may seem like an unusual time to think about gardening, Gehrke said the timing is intentional. "Yep, it's exactly why we schedule it for November, because it's a good time," Gehrke said. "A lot of people have been collecting seeds." Throughout the fall, local gardeners have been gathering seeds from their gardens and native plants. The swap provided an opportunity to share those collections while learning techniques for saving and preparing seeds for future planting. The event also featured hands-on demonstrations, including opportunities to learn how to separate and clean seeds. Appleton Seed Library founder Kari Witthuhn-Henning brought interactive displays featuring sunflower seeds, scarlet runner beans, garlic and other common garden varieties. Some demonstrations were designed with children in mind, allowing younger participants to explore larger seeds and learn how plants reproduce. Other stations focused on more advanced techniques, including cleaning native plant seeds using screens and separating seeds from their pods. Bringing the Appleton Seed Library back to life The event also highlighted the return of a community resource that had been on hiatus for several years. Witthuhn-Henning founded the Appleton Seed Library in 2016, originally operating out of the Appleton Public Library. The program gave residents access to seeds while encouraging them to save and share seeds from their own gardens. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the public library to close its doors, the seed library's operations were interrupted. "Unfortunately, COVID came into our existence, and when the library's doors closed, the kind of the seed library's doors closed," Witthuhn-Henning said. Despite the interruption, interest in the program continued. Witthuhn-Henning said community members still reached out through email and social media to arrange seed pickups. Earlier this year, organizers worked to establish a permanent location for the seed library at Tardigrade's. Now, residents can stop by during the business's regular hours to pick up seeds or contribute seeds they have collected. Growing more than gardens While sharing seeds was the focus of Sunday's event, organizers say building relationships within the community is just as important. Witthuhn-Henning said the gathering created opportunities for gardeners and local organizations to connect face-to-face, exchange knowledge and support one another's projects. "So you're making those connections, in person connections, and just learning about what other local grassroots organizations are doing within the community, and how we can support each other," she said. For Witthuhn-Henning, those connections reflect the larger purpose behind seed saving: sharing resources and knowledge with others. "The seeds, I think, are the big teachers, and they're the ones running the show here," she said. Organizers hope to host another seed swap in the spring, giving residents another opportunity to exchange seeds before planting season begins. In the meantime, the Appleton Seed Library remains available at Tardigrade's during regular business hours. Gehrke encourages residents interested in gardening, seed saving or local food projects to get involved. "I would just say, just get involved and see what's going on locally, and we'd be glad to have you connect with us," Gehrke said.