Home / January

A little reason to celebrate

National Seed Swap Day

Nature · Hobby · The last Saturday in January

A winter swap of garden seeds, where growers trade saved and extra packets with neighbors before planting season begins.

National Seed Swap Day falls on Saturday, January 30, 2027. That is 95 days away.

A seed swap is just what it sounds like. Gardeners bring seeds they saved from last year's plants, or leftover packets they never finished, and trade them for seeds someone else brought. National Seed Swap Day falls on the last Saturday in January, when gardens are quiet and most people are planning rather than digging.

The tables at a swap tend to look like a very organized junk drawer. Envelopes, folded paper, old pill bottles and labeled jars hold beans, squash, tomatoes, marigolds and herbs. Many seeds come with a note in pencil about where the plant grew or how it tasted. That handwritten history is half the appeal.

Swaps happen at libraries, community centers, garden clubs and kitchen tables. Some are formal, with sign-up sheets and sorted categories. Others are a few friends trading over coffee. Either way, people tend to leave with more variety than they could have bought, and with a few new names to ask for advice in summer.

Saving seed is simple for some plants and fussy for others. Beans, peas and lettuce usually grow true from saved seed, because they mostly pollinate themselves. Squash and pumpkins cross easily with each other, so a saved squash seed can grow into something surprising. Seeds keep best when they are dry, cool and out of the light.

A good label makes a swapped seed far more useful. The plant's name, the variety and the year it was saved tell the next gardener nearly everything they need to start.

Ways to celebrate

• Look for a seed swap at your local library or garden club.
• Sort your leftover seed packets and label anything unmarked.
• Trade a few seeds with a neighbor or friend who gardens.
• Write a short note about how your saved plant grew and tasted.
• Sketch a simple plan for where new seeds will go this spring.

Dates

All national days on January 30

Also on January 30

• National Croissant Day
• National Draw a Dinosaur Day
• Yodel for Your Neighbors Day

Categories: Nature daysHobby days