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Seed and plant swaps: Why, where and how to swap

Marcus Wehrle

Nick explains how plant and seed swaps can be beneficial for your garden and the environment...

In a time when supporting both the environment and the community is more important than ever, there is one simple but effective act that feeds two birds with one scone: seed and plant swapping. 

Whether you’re a budding horticulturist or just getting started with outdoor planting, any spare grown seeds or plants you have could be of great benefit to a neighbor. The best thing of all: you'll get something in return!

Seed swapping brings purpose to seeds that would otherwise be lost or grow in undesirable places, making them a cost-effective way to increase the plant life in your garden or open space. 

Seed or plant swapping also encourages a wider range of plants within a neighborhood. Local garden centre supplies can be limited to a fairly narrow range of plants that are grown for their higher yield. Swapping is therefore a great way to bring in greater variety, which will in turn support a wider range of pollinators.

Seedlings on a window sill by Anne Williams

Seedlings by Anne Williams

The environmental benefits of swapping plants and seeds include less packaging during transportation, fewer chemicals used to maintain them and lower transport emissions. Thinking bigger picture, if more of our garden plants came from seed swaps, we would have much healthier soils and waterways and our pollinators would face less chemical threats. 

Starting a seed or plant swap only needs a few neighbors on board to begin with. First up, agree a time of year to start swapping. Some groups like to start in May when the growing really gets going, while others like to start in August when a lot of the seeds are available. Then, agree a venue, ideally a community space that’s locally accessible. Promote it locally through local gardening groups or shared spaces.

Our top tips for a good swap:

  1. Label everything! Mystery seeds are not as fun as they sound
  2. Pass on words of wisdom. Plant and seed swaps are a great time to pass on knowledge and learn from your fellow growers
  3. Agree a date for the following year to ensure it continues. Don’t let your swap be dropped!

August is the best time of year to collect seeds and many of the garden plants will be seeding now. Seeds should be stored in a cool dry place before being sown. 

Finally, using peat-free compost to grow your seeds in ensures you aren’t putting another habitat at risk to grow your plants. Nowadays, most responsible garden centres will stock it, but even better is if you have a compost bin and can create your own. 

We have listed a few local plant and seed swaps here, but it’s also worth contacting your local horticultural group to see if they’re doing something as well:

  • Worcester Community Garden, located on the edge of Pitchcroft open space in Worcester. Their plant swap is primarily in May
  • Bromsgrove has a ‘Bromsgrove Plant swappers’ Facebook page  
  • Malvern Green Space Sharing Hub, which is held on the first Saturday of every month, 11am-3pm

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