Sunday March 09 Marks Our15th Annual Seedy Sunday

What’s an awesome local event where you can swap, buy and borrow seeds, plus connect with gardening gurus and indulge your passion for planting? Seedy Sunday, of course!

Sunday, March 9th will mark the 15th annual ‘Seedy Sunday’ event, hosted by Lillooet Food Matters and the Lillooet Food and Agricultural Society.

This popular event  is a welcome signal to Lillooet area growers that spring is nearly upon us and it’s time to get those seeds ready for planting. Seedy Sunday features all things seeds – buying, trading, borrowing and even winnowing. It’s also a venue to connect with other local growers and producers, and indulge in some delicious food. 

The concept of Seedy Sunday is not unique to Lillooet. According to the ‘Seeds of Diversity’ website, ‘Seedy Sunday’ (‘Seedy Saturday’ in some locations) is a series of nation-wide events intended to ‘encourage the use of open-pollinated and heritage seeds, enable a local seed exchange, and educate the public about seed saving and environmentally responsible gardening practices’.

Lillooet Food Matters has been promoting these ideas since 2008. According to Eleanor Wright, a founding member, the group was first inspired by ‘Mother Earth’s Changing Climate Gathering’ hosted by T’it’q’et, circa 2007, and the first ‘Roots Gathering’ held in 2008 and organized by the Ucwalmicw Centre. Initially an informal group, it began with the idea of forming a food security/food growing and buying co-op.  The official name, Lillooet Food Matters, was coined in 2009, along with its formalized mission to be a ‘group of local citizens who are working together to increase food security and food sovereignty in our region’.

Fast forward to 2025 and the group is now about to host its 15th Seedy Sunday. The grass roots event continues to promote awareness on the importance of protecting a diverse variety of seeds, and to educate on how to do it. As one of the organizers says, ‘Seedy Sunday, along with our seed library, is a cornerstone of what we do – seed saving is critical to food security.’

Seed library, you ask? Just like it sounds, the seed library, housed year round in the HUB Connect, is a collection of seeds that are available to borrow. Local gardeners can choose from a variety of seeds, take them home to plant, grow, harvest and save, and then return some seeds to the library in the fall. While this may sound complicated, organizers say that many popular plants such as beans, peas, tomatoes and lettuce are really easy to save.

If you’re keen to participate in seed saving, the library will be on hand and open for lending at the Seedy Sunday event, along with seed saving experts to answer your question.

You can attend Seedy Sunday at the Lillooet Rec Centre Gym on Sunday, March 9th between 11-3pm. Admission is $2 or what you can afford. For further information on Seedy Sunday, Lillooet Food Matters, the seed library and seed saving, check out their website, lillooetfoodmatters.ca, or get in touch at lillooetfoodmatters@gmail.com. Seedy Sunday is supported by a grant from the Squamish Lillooet Regional District Electoral Area B Select Funds.