Greetings, Bounty community, 

We recently had our first seed exchange and giveaway on January 28. Community organizations such as schools, community gardens, and nonprofits were invited to take as many seeds as they could use. Community members were encouraged to bring some of their favorite seeds to share and to take home varieties they were excited to try. 

Petaluma Bounty often receives seed donations from local businesses. We use most of the seeds on the farm to grow the produce we sell at our farmers market and farm stand, but we do end up with some leftover seeds. We save seeds from year to year but they slowly lose viability. In order to maximize the use of donated seeds, we invited community members who would be excited to find a home for the seeds.

To add to the event, we asked Master Gardeners to support us with their wealth of knowledge. They were a great resource, sorting through the flower seeds to identify varieties that can become invasive or have significant water demands. Many community members were grateful for the Master Gardeners’ advice to find what would best suit their needs and spaces. 

The best word I can use to describe the event is “fun.” More than 18 community members attended as well as representatives from at least 10 different community organizations. Community organizations included Farm to Pantry, a young farmer who was a recent graduate of Bay Area Farmer-to-Farmer Training Program, Lydia Commons, North Bay Children’s Center, and many more! (If you or someone you know works with a community organization and would like to be added to our community contacts list, please email Maria at education@petalumabounty with their contact info!) Community members were from all over Petaluma with a few people who came over from Sonoma! This was the first time on the Bounty Farm for four of the attendees. Community members brought a variety of radishes and lettuces, poppies, coriander, and cover crops. 

Throughout the event, people were talking, laughing, and exchanging advice, stories, and smiles. It brought us joy to see the Bounty Farm being used as a place of gathering. We are hoping to host several similar events in the future, including a cookbook exchange and plant pot giveaway! Have other ideas of community events that the Bounty could host? Comment below and let us know!