The Wakehurst Seed Festival, including the Seed Swap, at Kew's Millennium Seed Bank

Sat 28 September 2013, 11am-5pm

Following the success of our Great Seed Swap, held at Wakehurst for the last two years, this year Kew's Millennium Seed Bank is hosting the Wakehurst Seed Festival, including the Seed Swap.

Photo of visitors swapping seeds at Wakehurst's Great Seed Swap in October 2012 (Photo by Nicky Toothill)

Event details

Date and time: 28 September, 11am-5pm
Venue: Millennium Seed Bank, Wakehurst Place (How to find us)
Price: Free on entry to the Garden (ticket prices)

About the event

Seed swaps encourage and inspire people to grow vegetables and fruit and to experiment with different varieties, particularly heritage and traditional types that were once so important in British gardens. Gardeners are able to swap seeds from plants they have grown at home for seeds from a range of garden vegetables and flowers grown by other enthusiasts.

Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst has the largest wild seed collection in the world.

Gardeners will be able to swap seeds from plants they have grown at home for seeds from a range of garden vegetables and flowers grown by other enthusiasts.

You don’t have to bring seeds with you to swap: seeds from allotment and community groups and specialist growers will be available for a small donation.

Experts from the Millennium Seed Bank will be sharing their expertise on saving and storing seeds but seeds from the Seed Bank will not be used in the Seed Swap.

There will be seed suppliers, food stalls, experienced growers and local producers along with informative talks, practical demonstrations on seed saving and storage, and behind-the-scenes guided tours.

There will also be a wealth of expert advice and information on hand to help you make the most of your own plot, whether you have a large garden, a small backyard or even just a window box.

Visitors will also be able to find out about the vital work of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank and discover how Kew is helping to safeguard the world’s most endangered plants.

Get involved - Adopt a Seed, Save a Species

We have successfully banked 10% of the world's wild plant species and we have set our sights on saving 25% by 2020.

Without plants there could be no life on earth, and yet every day another four plant species face extinction. Too often when we hear these kind of statistics there is little that we can do as individuals, but thanks to the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership and the Adopt a Seed, Save a Species campaign there is something that you can do to ensure the survival of a plant species.

Adopt a seed for just £25 | Save a plant species outright