** EVENT POSTPONED DUE TO LOCKDOWN**
Seed Swap & Community Bike Ride
- When: Sunday, 15 August 2021, from 11.30am (bike ride) and 1-5pm (seed swap and programme of events)
- Where: Seddon Uniting Church Hall, cnr Gamon & Mackay Sts, Seddon 3011
- RSVP: Participation at these events is free. Register your interest here or book your tickets in the Calendar of Events below.
Permaculture Out West (POW) presents “Pollinate the West” – a seed swap and community bike ride festival! If you’re a Westie* and want to share or receive seeds, meet like-minded growers across the West, or join our “pollinating cyclists” to deliver seeds across Maribyrnong, then come along to Seddon on 15 August 2021. We’re planning on holding talks, workshops and kids’ activiites..
Ways to participate:
- DONATE SEEDS: drop off your surplus seeds at a seed collection box at one of the community hubs mapped out below.
- RIDE WITH US: join other cylists to deliver seeds to our neighbours across the City of Maribyrnong.
- PRE-ORDER SEEDS: place a pre-order for seeds that you can collect at the seed swap or have delivered by our cylists.
- ATTEND THE SWAP FESTIVAL: collect your pre-ordered seeds, bring along more seeds and any spare seedlings, bulbs, cuttings or excess fruit and veg from your garden; and bring your family and friends for a workshop, talk or other activity.
Information about these and related events will be published on this page. Be sure to check back for updates or register your interest here. (We’re also inviting community organisations and hubs to participate in making or hosting a seed collection box, or “hive”, over the coming weeks. If you’re able to decorate a box before 16 July, or can host a box from mid-July to early August, please register your group’s interest, using this same form.)
*This event is open to anyone who is living or working in Melbourne’s West – that includes the municipalities of Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay, Moonee Valley, Brimbank and Wyndham (along with neighbouring suburbs, like Kensington). We also welcome participation by our paid-up POW members, wherever you are!
These project is made possible throught the generous time and efforts of our POW members and volunteers, for whom we’re most appeciative!
POW’s ‘Pollinate the West’ project is proudly supported by Seddon Community Bank.
You can drop off your surplus seeds at any of these locations (until Friday, 6 August – cob, being the closing time noted in each site pin in the map)
Please drop your seeds into the seed collection boxes that are located at community centres, neighbourhood houses, shops and other public-accessible venues across the City of Maribyrnong.
Click on the location closest to you to see the venue’s address and opening hours.
If you have loads of seeds to donate, please get in touch so we can arrange a direct pick up:
- email us at info@pow.org.au
- message us on Facebook
Dividing up seeds (optional): It would be greatly appreciated if you could divide seeds up into packs suitable for one garden, for one year. That would save our volunteers a heap of time! We need to make every seed count and share them as widely as we can.
Thank you to all the hosts and to the community gardens and other non-profit groups in our community who have decorated a seed collection box. POW is delighted to support your good works!
Once the seed donation period closes, POW will collect the boxes, catalogue the seeds and create an “order form” to send out to interested growers. Growers will be invited to select the free seeds they’d like to sow in their garden. Depending on your interest and where you live, you’ll be able to receive your seeds:
- in person, by registering to attend the seed swap on 15 August
- by bike, delivered to your home by our “pollinating cyclists” (within the City of Maribyrnong only)
- in exceptional circumstances, by post (e.g. for paid-up POW members living remotely)
See the Event listing below for more details on how to register your interest in receiving seeds.
calendar of events & activities
Learn how to raise your own vegetable seedlings in time for spring
About this event
Fill your vegie beds with homegrown seedlings in time for spring. In this hands-on workshop you’ll learn all the secrets of propagating vegetables from seed, focusing on low and no-cost methods.
This My Smart Garden event is proudly presented by Hobsons Bay City Council, as part of Permaculture Out West’s Pollinate the West festival.
Please note that this is an event for Melbourne gardeners only. Gardening is very context specific and we will not be taking questions relating to other areas. If you live outside Melbourne, please contact your council to find out what free sustainable gardening events are available locally.
Register for this free event here.
To find out more about My Smart Garden, please visit https://www.mysmartgarden.org.au/
About this event
Register for this event here.
To find out more about Wayapa, please visit https://wayapa.com/.
More details to come, including a catered kick-off to power our pollinators! Tickets for this free event will go ‘live’ on 1 August 2021.
Bookings essential – RSVP here.
We’re developing the program of talks and activities for the day, with more information to come. There will be three sessions for the events held indoors, including a swap table for items brought on the day (seeds, bulbs, cuttings, seedlings, surplus fruit and veg from your garden, or gardening magazines). We’re also planning on some outdoor activities, including a planting station for kids to get their hands dirty!
Tickets for these free sessions will go ‘live’ on 25 July 2021. Bookings essential – RSVP here.