Resiliency and growth: Victoria residents swap seeds on Valentine’s Day

Published 5:30 am Saturday, February 7, 2026

The amount of seeds passed back and forth between growers shows the excitement and passion of growing in an urban environment like Victoria.

More than 3,000 seed packages changed hands during the 2025 Victoria Seedy Saturday, and Lisa Small expects that could even rise during this year’s Valentine’s Day event.

Avid gardeners know seeking new seeds can be expensive, so the seed saving lessons offered and swapping hyper-local seeds – some that come with names like “my grandmother’s poppies” – is an amazing opportunity, said Small, who is among the organizers of the local event.

“It’s really empowering for gardeners to learn to save their own seeds from their gardens, and to learn how hard it actually is,” Small told the Victoria News.

“There are all these stories and it’s just a really neat way to experiment with things you don’t know. If you’re trading for them it’s easier to try new things.”

In the face of GMO and corporations owning seed rights highlights the importance of growing heirloom, local, heritage seeds – and that’s what this event is all about.

“Seeds hold so much information about the regions they’re grown in, so they become adapted to where they’re grown and that’s a big part of the event,” Small said. “People are getting seeds that have become locally adapted and are going to be easier to grow in our climate and conditions.”

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That message extends to the more than 70 vendors, who sign a pledge that they’re selling non-invasive, non-GMO product, authentic local items.

This year’s event, expected to be attended by over 2,000 people, also features educational talks and family-friendly programming for gardeners of all experience levels.

Sessions start with the 11 a.m. focus on native plants.

Gardening as an act of Reconciliation with Julie Parrell and Stephanie Sketchley of the Victoria Native Friendship Centre is an hour-long talk that digs into land-based work exploring the shift in mindsets when tending the land. Visitors will learn about medicines, traditional foods and native plants, alongside an overview of how native plants support native pollinators and leave with tangible ideas for backyard gardening as part of reconciliation.

“People are really keen on native plants recently. We do have many vendors selling native plants as well,” Small said.

At 1 p.m. Michalina Hunter of Cicada Seeds talks perennial vegetables. Discover those that can plant once and harvest for years, or even decades. Perennial vegetables can be less work, more nutritious and more resilient to challenging growing conditions. The session explores the benefits and drawbacks, varieties suited to the areas, and even a few recipe ideas.

Grow it, save it, plant it, a session on seed saving starts at 2:30 p.m. with Lisa Willow of FarmFolk CityFolk. The session covers basics of plant reproduction and pollination and delves into where best to begin, ideas for intermediate seed-savers and planning a garden that supports healthy seed stewardship.

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“I hope people go to it and get excited and save seeds and bring it back to next year’s Seedy Saturday,” Small said.

Victoria Seedy Saturday is Feb. 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Crystal Garden, 713 Douglas St. Entrance is by donation.

Seedy Saturday comes to Salt Spring on Feb. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 351 Rainbow Rd. Sooke’s event is Feb. 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sooke Community Hall on Shields Road. West Shore Seedy Saturday is March 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Royal Bay Secondary in Colwood. Duncan hosts an event on Sunday, March 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 5574 River Rd.

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Email: christine.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca