2024 Seed Swap & Scion Exchange

Sunday, March 24, 12 - 4 p.m.

Snow date: March 31

At MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center in Unity

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!

We should have over 150+ types of scionwood to share, including from the MOFGA orchards!  We will also have some rootstock for sale (quantities limited). Custom grafting available (by donation to the Maine Heritage Orchard) from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

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

Bring your onion skins! Onion skins will be used to dye bandanas for this year’s Farm & Homestead Day.

This event will be held at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center, 294 Crosby Brook Rd, Unity, Maine.

Questions? Please email [email protected]

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

There will be ongoing demos and displays, along with opportunities to chat with experts!

  • pruning
  • wild seed sowing
  • seed cleaning
  • displays of apple varieties in a root cellar
  • shaping young trees
  • kids activities (e.g. making seed balls)
  • 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.
  • Label at least one stick in the bunch using masking tape – if you have time aim to label 5!
  • 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!  
  • 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!
  • 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!
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! Last year, 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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