Recap: Hamilton Seedy Saturday 2023

This past February 4th, 2023,  Green Venture, in collaboration with Hamilton Public Library, hosted the 12th annual Hamilton Seedy Saturday. With over 1,300 people attending, the day was a resounding success, once again demonstrating Hamilton gardeners’ commitment to growing a local food movement, seed swapping, and knowledge sharing. For our return to an in-person event after 2 years of virtual Seedy Saturday activities, we collaborated with Central Library Branch staff to make the event bigger than ever before with: 20 seed and garden supply vendors and environmental community organizations and businesses, three guest speakers, two keynote speakers, a massive seed exchange, kids’ seedling zone activities, and a closing raffle draw, with donated prizes and giveaways that were a great hit! 

This event would not have been possible without our volunteers who dedicated over two hundred volunteer hours into planning this event. We’d like to say a special thank you to the Hamilton Public Library- Central Library  team, including Nancy McPhee, Katelyn Granger and their team, as well as Dundurn’s Historic Kitchen Garden Gardeners, including Sapphire Singh and the dedicated team. We sincerely appreciate their time and effort during the event – setting up and taking down, organizing speakers and activities, and for supporting Hamilton’s garden community. 

We are thankful to our sponsors, community and all involved for their continued support of this great event. Events like Seedy Saturday are critical for promoting and empowering our community to take part in a more local, sustainable, equitable food system. The home food gardening boom we saw emerge during the pandemic and community interest in growing organically and supporting biodiversity is here to stay and we are here for it!

Growing a Gardening Community

Youth-Led Initiatives 

Young people are on the front lines of climate change. At Hamilton Seedy Saturday we saw youth-led initiatives aiming to increase the sustainability of our food systems. 

Grade 6 students from Hillfield Strathallan College showcased their ideas to expand their school’s seed library. Students confidently articulated the role seed libraries have played in history and raised awareness about their importance as part of a sustainable food system and collective adaptation to climate change.

 

Youth-led Grassroots Group 

Among the community groups at Seedy Saturday was Roots to Justice. Roots to Justice works to address the struggles surrounding food insecurity and accessibility, particularly among racialized, low-income youth in Hamilton. As a group composed of individuals that have lived experience in low-income communities and the struggle with food accessibility, this initiative recognizes the need for programs and resources that give space and education on growing food. In 2022, the group secured growing space at J.C. Beemer Park and will continue to grow the garden in 2023. We are pleased to be collaborating with this group in 2023 to co-create community workshops, and programming to build up the community garden and offer hands-on experience that participants can take with them to future employment or volunteer opportunities. The group also aims to grow produce for delivery to low-income households in need of fresh produce.

 

Growing Connections and Careers Through Gardening

Seedy Saturday also showcased the incredible newcomer women’s gardening group led by the Immigrants Working Centre (IWC), since 2021. The women’s gardening group aims to foster connections, teach skills, and address isolation and violence against women that was exacerbated by the pandemic. IWC and Green Venture have collaborated on a series of virtual workshops and provided container garden kits to the group. As a result, the women have developed relationships, garden knowledge and begun gardening collectively at Riverdale Community Garden. Meanwhile, one woman from the group, Suad Badri, a Hamilton citizen since 2014, ventured into the world of entrepreneurship by piloting an ethnic veggie growing project at the EcoHouse Community Garden.  

Suad aspires to start an Ethnic Veggies business, with the support of IWC. The idea behind Ethnic Veggies is to supply the market with different vegetables, traditionally consumed by the diverse communities in Canada. While rarely found within local markets, these ethnic veggies can be grown and marketed in Canada and distributed through many major outlets. 

Beyond Seedy Saturday 

With Hamilton Seedy Saturday over, our minds are quickly turning to the growing season ahead. We urge you to continue to dive deeper into local food systems and explore all the ways you can continue to share seeds, bounty and help build a more sustainable food system, and reduce environmental impacts.

Here’s some ways to get started: 

Volunteer: The Hamilton Seedy Library is a free public resource for all. Anyone can borrow seeds year round at no cost. The Hamilton Seed Library depends on seed donations and volunteers giving their time to sort and organize seeds. Learn more here .

Grow A Row: Grow A Row Program supports urban gardeners to share what they know and what they grow! By joining as a Grower, you are commiting to growing an additional row for donation to Mission Services East Hamilton Food Centre. Sign up here.

This year, Green Venture is proud to become a member of the Good Food Organization program! As part of this national network, we can increase our capacity to offer good food programs in Hamilton. We are excited to work alongside Community Food Centres Canada and 400 like-minded organizations across Canada to support each other, learn together, and advocate for a country where everyone can afford to put nourishing food on the table.

Learn More: Learn more about the gardening initiatives supported by Green Venture: 

Roots 2 Justice, Kahnekanoron, Youth Stewardship 

Thank you everyone for once again making this event an amazing welcome to Spring! 

To view the full list of vendors and sponsors visit greenventure.ca/seedysaturday

For any questions in regards to Green Venture’s Garden Programs email garden@greenventure.ca