National Seed Swap Day

Join Seed Savers Exchange to celebrate National Seed Swap Day!

Saturday, January 31, 2026, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm at the Vesterheim Commons.

This event is free and open to the public. Vesterheim Commons, 508 West Water St., Decorah, Iowa, 52101. All ages are welcome!

Festivities will include:

• Community seed swap plus seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange seed bank
• Short presentations on the seed saving and the history of Seed Savers Exchange

Who attends a seed swap?

Everyone is welcome. Never gardened before? Come and bring your curiosity! Gardened and saved seeds your whole life? Bring your seeds and stories to share.

What do I need to bring to this event?

It’s not required to bring anything to the seed swap. If you have seeds you’d like to share, please bring them! If possible, bring them in a labeled container with the crop type, variety, and year grown. If you have extra ziplock bags, paper packets, or other potential seed containers for seeds you receive, bring those as well.

Seed Savers Exchange will bring empty, blank packets and writing utensils for people to use.

At seed swap events hosted by Seed Savers Exchange, there are set guidelines for the types of seeds allowed.

Allowed

• Open-pollinated seeds.
• Locally saved seeds.
• Excess-bought seeds.
• Excess seeds donated by a seed company.

Prohibited

• Seeds or plants that are considered illegal, either federally in the United States of America or in the state of the event.
• Genetically engineered plants, F1 hybrids, poisonous, noxious, or controlled seeds, and plants.
• Patented varieties. Although gardeners can grow and save patented varieties, it is illegal to distribute them. Refer to the USDA website for a list of patented varieties.
• Unknown seed from volunteer plants.

Questions? Feel free to reach out to events@seedsavers.org.

Thank you to our event sponsors

Impact Coffee | Oneota Co-op

Learn more about seed swaps and how to organize your own event here!