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In a bid to encourage home gardening and sustainable living, Rockbridge Area Master Gardeners Association (RAMGA) is hosting a free seed event Saturday, Jan. 20, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Rockbridge Area Relief Association (RARA) building at 350 Spotswood Drive, Lexington.
The event will be preceded by a presentation on seed starting by Master Gardener and horticulturist Faith Vosburgh at 9 a.m. featuring informative handouts and examples of seed starting equipment. This initiative aims to provide the community with access to a variety of seeds to promote self-sufficiency and a deeper connection to the environment.
RAMGA members have been busy harvesting from local gardens, then processing and packaging seeds from over 90 different varieties, including annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, and even shrubs.
Each entry has been researched and recorded on the RAMGA website in an online Seed Library (https://www.ramga.org/ seed-home) to include information on plant description, cultural requirements, and planting instructions, with pictures and web links for even more information. Visit RAMGA Seed Library in advance to help select seeds for projects such as feeding birds naturally or designing a butterfly or hummingbird garden. Information on the site also details collections of native species and plants that tolerate deer and rabbit browse.
In addition to seeds grown, harvested and prepared by Master Gardeners, donated seeds from several commercial seed suppliers and community gardeners will also be available. Those suppliers include the Rockbridge Farmers Co-op, Seeds of Italy, Seed Savers and Burpee.
Beginning in February, the RAMGA seed collection will be available at Rockbridge Regional Library at 138 S. Main St. in Lexington. Seeds will be available for free “check-out” while supplies last. Anyone who doesn’t have a library card can visit www.rrlib.net, call (540) 463-4324, or visit the nearest branch in Goshen, Buena Vista, Glasgow, Lexington or the bookmobile to get one.
