Seedy Saturday Kicks Off the 2026 Growing Season in Kimberley

Seedy Saturday returned to Kimberley this past weekend (March 7th, 2026), bringing together local gardeners, community organizations, and curious first-time growers for a lively day of seed sharing and growing inspiration.

Hundreds of seed packets went home with local gardeners throughout the day — helping encourage more food to be grown (and shared) across our community this year.

The event was organized by Ashley from the Wildsight Community Garden, with support from fellow Kimberley Cranbrook Food Network member and local garden group KEGG (Kimberley Edible Gardens & Greenhouse), and hosted once again in Lindsay Park School’s charming elementary library — creating a welcoming space for people to connect around gardening, food, and the upcoming growing season.

Several other community organizations helped make the day both informative and interactive. Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy and Nupqu hosted engaging information tables (complete with some much-appreciated swag, activities, and Easter baskets for seed collecting), while Sarah from Top Crop Too shared a wealth of local growing knowledge and contributed some great door prizes — along with her always infectious enthusiasm for gardening.

Dennis from 107.5 2day FM also stopped by to capture a group photo and record a short interview about the event (before leaving with some seed packets for a variety of bush beans for his own backyard growing).

One of the nicest parts of the day was seeing the spirit of sharing that continues to grow in Kimberley. Some people came by not just to pick up seeds for their gardens, but also to donate seeds they had saved from their own gardens last season. Friendly conversations about gardening filled the room throughout the afternoon — from seasoned growers to beginners and everyone in between — and the excitement for the upcoming growing season was easy to feel in all.

The next generation of gardeners also got involved. A few kids rolled up their sleeves and planted pepper seeds to take home and grow, while others happily filled their baskets with seeds they were excited to plant in their own gardens.

The Kimberley Seed Library Returns This Week

If you missed out on all the seedy action at Seedy Saturday in Kimberley this weekend, don't worry too much — because the Kimberley Seed Library will be returning to the front room of the Kimberley Public Library starting Tuesday, March 10, with a large inventory of seed packets that will be freely available to community members throughout the growing season during regular library hours!

And with the Cranbrook Seed Library already up and running again since Cranbrook’s Seedy Saturday on February 14th, both communities now have local seed library initiatives available to the public as the growing season gets underway — you can learn more about both programs over here, or by swinging by your local library to find out more in person (maybe even pick up some gardening books while you're there).

Upcoming Seed Starting Workshops

If the recent Seedy Saturday events have sparked your interest in growing food this year — or if you're just getting started but not sure where to begin — there are several upcoming opportunities to learn the basics of seed starting at both the Cranbrook and Kimberley public libraries.

On March 21, the Cranbrook Public Produce Garden will be hosting a Seed Starting for Beginners workshop at the Cranbrook Public Library, offering a hands-on introduction to starting plants from seed.

In Kimberley, two additional seed starting workshops will take place at the Kimberley Public Library, hosted collaboratively by KEGG (Kimberley Edible Gardens & Greenhouse) and the Wildsight Community Garden on April 14 and April 21.

These free workshops are a great way to build confidence, ask questions, and get hands-on experience starting plants for the upcoming growing season — but don't forget to register with the respective library if planning to attend (as space is limited and spots are limited).

Grow a Little Extra This Season

As people begin planning their gardens this year, the Kimberley Cranbrook Food Network also encourages gardeners to consider taking part in the Plant a Row, Share a Row initiative.

The idea is simple: plant a little extra in your garden with the intention of sharing some of the harvest with friends, neighbours, or community programs such as the local Food Banks and Food Recovery Depots located in either Kimberley or Cranbrook.

Because strengthening local food security isn’t something that any single garden or gardener can tackle alone — but when many gardens/gardeners grow a little extra and share what they can, it can make a meaningful difference across our interconnected communities.

So thanks again to everyone who came out and helped make this year’s Seedy Saturday events such a welcoming and inspiring start to the growing season — and here’s to another season of locally growing, learning, and sharing together across our interconnected communities!