The first annual Seedy Saturday was such a success last year that this year’s event is moving to a larger location to allow for more participants.
“The energy we had there [at the library last March] was great, it was a really neat vibe,” shares Yolanda Friesen of Prairie Harvest Flowers, who is heading up the day alongside Tiffany Hemphill of Hemphill Seeds. “Everyone was so excited to be there, just talking and sharing, and all the gardeners were itching to start on their planting. It was a lot of fun.”
But the unexpectedly robust turnout did make for cramped quarters, which is why this year they’re setting up instead at Winkler Arts and Culture on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
They’re all set to fill the larger space with local vendors of honey, flower and vegetable seeds, and other gardening products—they already have a wait list for vendors interested in filling a spot if one becomes available.
The day will also feature three speaker presentations, with Hemphill presenting at 10:30 a.m. about beginner seed saving, botanist Laura Reeves discussing native plant gardening at 11:30 a.m., and biologist Bruce Friesen-Pankratz presenting “Closed Systems, Open Minds: Lessons from the Plant Kingdom on how to Survive the Anthropocene” at 12:30 p.m.
Another big part of Seedy Saturday is, of course, the free seed swap—simply bring along a package of labelled seeds to contribute.
“People are welcome to bring seeds, either that they’ve saved or that they bought and maybe didn’t use the whole package,” Friesen says. “It’s always interesting to see what other people might bring … you do get some neat stuff.
“It’s really special when you get a seed that somebody has saved, especially if it has a story behind it and they’re able to share that story—maybe they’ve saved seeds that their grandma grew in their garden and now they’re sharing them with other people.”
“I had one experience where I was chatting with a woman and she ended up giving me Honey Drop tomatoes and they were one of the most prolific producers in my garden last year,” adds Hemphill. “So every time I was harvesting them or eating them, I thought of this woman, that connection.”
But even if you don’t have extra seeds to part with, you’re still welcome to check out the swap table.
“Last year we had more than enough seeds, so even if people don’t have seeds to share they can still come out and take part,” Friesen says.
The entire day is completely free to attend, and Friesen encourages gardeners of all experience levels to stop in to connect with other green thumbs.
“It’s free for anyone to come. It’s free to come and talk to the master gardeners, free to attend the presentations.”
“It’s so hard to wait until it’s warm out to start talking and thinking about plants, so I think this is a great opportunity to get together when it’s still so cold and get your mind in the zone to start preparing for spring,” adds Hemphill.
For more information about Seedy Saturday, check out the event page on Facebook (Winkler Seedy Saturday 2026) or contact Friesen at prairieharvestflowers@gmail.com.
