The Manhattan Seed Swap | Founder & Organizer

The first annual Manhattan Seed Swap happened on February 18, 2024 at the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, KS. The Seed Swap is an opportunity for community members to share and swap saved and leftover seeds before spring planting begins. It’s a chance to exchange actual seeds, as well as knowledge and resources with fellow gardeners and plant enthusiasts. This is a come and go event, and seeds are available on a ‘first come first served’ basis. Those contributing seeds are encouraged to package and label with name and date to identify the contents. Tables will be set up for vegetables, herbs, native plants, annual flowers and non-native perennial flowers. This event is made possible by the Flint Hills Discovery Center, local volunteers, and seed donors from throughout the region.

The Manhattan Seed Swap format was inspired by the long-running Kaw Valley Seed Fair in Lawrence, KS, but seed exchange events happen across the US and through online communities such as the Seed Savers Exchange Network. They allow gardeners (and the garden-curious!) to share knowledge, skills, and heirloom seeds with one another in democratized, unmediated ways. For more information about other seed exchange events in Kansas, visit the Kansas Native Plant Society Events page. It is our hope to facilitate a chain of seed gifting in our region: Leftovers from the Kaw Valley Seed Fair come to Manhattan, and Manhattan leftovers will go to Clay Center, etc.