Share a Seed
What is Share a Seed?
Share a Seed is a mutual aid seed sharing and growing program founded by Slow Food DC Board Member, Reana Kim at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Share a Seed replaces scarcity with abundance by leveraging the power of community to fill resource gaps. Growers and gardeners share their spares with the project (seeds, garden equipment, soil), which are then redistributed throughout the the community. Share a Seed seeks to connect under-resourced community members to the resources, mentorship, and tools they need to get growing!
In 2024, Share a Seed and Reana moved to New Mexico (where the program continues), but Slow Food DC remains a Share a Seed partner. Stay tuned to this page and to our social media (@SlowFoodDC and @Share_a_Seed on Instagram) for updates.
“When you start thinking of them as little lives — with the potential to sustain thousands more —and not as a commodity to be hoarded, you realize there also is a mystifying grace to seeds…”
Share a Seed in Your Neighborhood
In addition to our events, Share a Seed hosts three Little Free Seed Libraries (the first ever in DC!) at:
The Well at Oxon Run (3000 Valley Ave SE). This Little Free Seed Library is located in the great Ward 8 and lives at The Well, a one-acre urban farm. Check The Well’s website for open hours, during which the library will be accessible to all.
Lederer Gardens (4801 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave NE). This Little Free Seed Library is located at a DPR Urban Farm and is accessible during all public hours.
UDC Bertie Backus Urban Food Hub (5171 South Dakota Ave NE). This Little Free Seed Library is accessible whenever the campus and/or food hub are open and can be found in the campus parking lot (entrance on Galloway St NE) in front of the food hub.
Share a Seed also tables regularly at the Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market (Lamont Plaza in NW DC, near the Mt. Pleasant Library Friends table) on Saturdays from 11am-1pm from spring through fall (typically March-October).
Share a Seed in the News
When Sharing Seeds Grows More Than Just Food, Modern Farmer
Slow Food Heroes, Share a Seed, Slow Food International
Share a Seed, Getting Communities Growing, Barebones Living
These Garden Mentors Are Growing Equity, Civil Eats
A New Seed Sharing Program Has Sprouted Up To Bridge Pandemic Shortages, DCist/WAMU NPR
New Seed-Sharing Initiative Seeks to Address Shortages, Spread the Love, Washington City Paper
Share a Seed, WUSA9 (video)
Share a Seed, Heritage Radio (video)
Have Seeds to Spare?
Share!
Mail Your Seeds
Sharing seeds is easy and fun, even if you can’t make it to an event in-person!
Fill out this brief online form to mail us your spares.
Still Have Questions?
Check out the FAQ
I WANT TO LEARN MORE/CHAT SEEDS/GET IN TOUCH!
Contact Reana@slowfooddc.org and/or visit the Share a Seed instagram here.
WHAT KINDS OF SEEDS CAN I DONATE?
All seeds are welcome, though we recommend donating seeds that are no more than one year old and have been properly stored in a cool, dry place. We also recommend that seed sponsors donate seeds appropriate to the climate of the mid-Atlantic region. Feel free to donate herb, fruit, vegetable, flower, or any other seeds appropriate for a yard, garden, or windowsill. We ask that only domestic seeds be donated and that seeds are clearly labeled.
HOW SHOULD I PACKAGE MY SEEDS?
Please make sure that your seeds are properly sealed so that no seeds are lost along the way! A ziplock bag inside a shipping envelope is a great option, or even just adding an extra piece of tape to an unopened seed packet for safety.
Please make sure all your seeds are clearly labeled. If you know the official name of the seed you’re sending (for example Early Prolific Straightneck Summer Squash), great! If not, just provide the type of seed it is (e.g., squash, chives, marigolds).
Additional information that is welcomed but not required:
Growing/care instructions if not sent in original packaging
Your personal growing tips
Favorite recipes to make (if sending produce seeds)
Share a Seed is proud to be a member of Herbalists Without Borders (HWB)! HWB’s vision is a global community where all people have access to affordable natural and botanical health and wellness. To bring that vision into reality, HWB works with community-based chapters to create educational, advocacy and grassroots model projects to fill the gaps in health justice internationally.
