Strathcona County Library and Alberta Avenue Community Hall
Mar 22, 2026
ENPS kicked off the 2026 growing season with attendance at two local seed exchanges!
From ENPS Volunteer Cherry Dodd:
On February 28th, ENPS was very excited to be present at the very first Seed Exchange of the year, held at the Strathcona County Library. It was too early to get our hands in the soil but we could play with seeds instead. We brought a good selection of native seeds for people to take home and try. We also brought the "care" cards for each species, so people could take a pic of the flower and the growing instructions.
This annual event, taking place in Sherwood Park, is always an informal, fun time. What made it different this year was the increased interest in native seeds and native plants in general. We were busy the whole time and nearly ran out of envelopes for the seeds that we were giving away. Melissa Penny gave a great talk in another room about native plants for birds and we had a lineup at our table after that. Interest in native seeds is really taking off!
From ENPS President Kathleen Mpulubusi:
Seedy Sunday 2026 was held on Sunday, March 22 at the Alberta Avenue Community Hall. For ENPS it’s the unofficial start to the new garden season. As always, we had a large display of native plant seeds for sale, the culmination of four Seedy Tea events, where our volunteers prepared and packaged the seeds.
This year the Seedy Sunday organizers had vendors split into 2 different rooms. This was a welcome improvement which gave more room and lessened the crowds. Business was brisk with people asking lots of questions about suitable plants for different locations in the garden. It was gratifying to meet people who are already growing native plants, as well as people eager to try growing for the first time. As always, many thanks to our crew of volunteers who helped to make this day possible.