2025 Seed Swap & Scion Exchange

Sunday, March 30, 12 - 4 p.m.

Snow date: Sunday, April 6 *

At MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center in Unity

*Snow date to be called by Friday, March 28

This will be an indoor and outdoor event, so wear your woolies and come enjoy a warm drink, see old friends, meet new friends and bring home some scionwood for grafting and seeds for planting!

Gardeners and orchardists are invited to bring their seeds, scionwood and cuttings to share. If you don’t have any, come anyway! 

Community members and local seed growers regularly bring an incredible variety of vegetable, fruit, flower, and herb seeds. We also regularly have over 150+ types of scionwood to share, including scionwood sourced from MOFGA’s orchards. We will also have limited quantities of rootstock for sale. Custom grafting is available by donation to the Maine Heritage Orchard.

Other items for sharing are welcome such as plants, cuttings, seedlings, hatching eggs, kombucha and yogurt starters, salves and other homemade items.

The day’s offerings also include gardening workshops, fruit tree care demonstrations, vendors, educational booths, and more.

This event is located at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center, 294 Crosby Brook Rd, Unity, Maine.

Questions? Please email [email protected]

For an Idea of What to Expect: 2024's Workshop Schedule

Topic Time Presenter
Workshops Outside
Pruning Demo [in English] 12:30-1:30 p.m. Renae Moran
Workshops Upstairs
Seed Saving for Home Gardeners (in the Library) [in English] 12:30-1:15 p.m. Aaron Parker
Favorite Apple Varieties for the Backyard Orchard (in The Loft) [in English] 1:30-2:15 p.m. John Bunker
The Benefits of Native Plants in our Gardens (in The Library) [in English] 1:30-2:15 p.m. Ivonne Vazquez
Maturity Dates, Pests and a Look Ahead to the 2024 Season (in the Library) [in English] 2:25-3:10 p.m. Glen Koehler
Los Beneficios de Plantas Nativas en Nuestros Jardines (in the Library) [en Español] 3:15-4:00 p.m. Ivonne Vazquez
Workshops Downstairs
The Sam Birch Dry Bean Collection [in English] 1:15-2:30 p.m. Rosey Guest
Propagating Woody Plants Without Grafting [in English] 2:30-3:15 p.m. Aaron Parker

Ongoing offerings:

  • Custom grafting
  • Native seed sowing and processing
  • Seed cleaning
  • Kid-friendly activities
  • Info stations
  • Gardening supplies vendors
  • Baked goods from B&T Bakery
  • and more!

Tips for Packaging Scionwood to trade:

  • Use elastic bands or string to bunch together a single type of scionwood so that individual sticks can be removed easily, but won’t fall out of the bundle. See the example below.
  • Label at least one stick in the bunch using masking tape – if you have time aim to label 5! See the example below.
  • Remember: after harvesting your scionwood, store it triple-ziploc-bagged in the fridge (not freezer.)
  • Each piece of scionwood doesn’t need to be very long – 8 inches is plenty!
  • Keep an eye out for wood that looks like it could have problems, like the two sticks on the right in this photo. Don’t cut from trees with diseases. Last year was a very bad year for fireblight and so we’re being extra cautious; if your tree looks potentially diseased, please err on the side of caution! See below for an example of potentially diseased scionwood.
  • We’ll have plenty of scionwood to share, so please don’t feel obligated to bring wood to swap. We want to share clean wood only!
Two bundles of scionwood, bound with rubber bands and labelled using duct tape and sharpie, are featured next to two individual, unlabelled scion woods.
On the left, scionwood is pictured bundled appropriately, and includes labels. This is what we want! On the left, scionwood is pictured "loose" and unlabelled. The scarring on these two sticks also signals potential disease in the tree. This is not ideal for Seed Swap & Scion Exchange.
potential fire blight on scionwood
These scionwood sticks show potential signs of fireblight or other disease.
Can’t make the swap in person but still want to trade?

Click here to add seeds, scionwood, or other resources you have to share to our public list, and to request varieties of seed or scionwood that you’re seeking out. The intention of this shared spreadsheet is to facilitate sharing between individuals across Maine (and beyond) using the postal service. Remember, this spreadsheet is open to the public – only share information you are willing to share broadly, and please do your own due diligence.

Fruit Tree Resources

How to grow and manage fruit trees.
Learn More

Seed Resources

About seeds and seed saving.
Learn More

On the Origins of the Seed Swap and Scionwood Exchange

The Seed Swap & Scion Exchange was initiated in 1983 by the Maine Tree Crop Alliance (MTCA).  After several years in Augusta and then several more at Unity College, the event found its home in 1999 when MOFGA moved to our campus in Unity and we partnered with the MTCA and the Maine Seed Savers Network to bring this event to our community.  The Seed Swap & Scion Exchange has been a beloved annual event ever since! In 2023, we rang in the 40th year of this annual celebration of seeds and fruit trees. For more details about the origins of this event read Jack Kertesz’ history from his perspective as a founding member of the MTCA here.

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Beans at Seed Swap
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