New 'Manhattan Seed Swap' coming to Flint Hills Discovery Center

MANHATTAN (KSNT) - A new event is coming to the Flint Hills Discovery Center (FHDC).

The FHDC will give community members a chance to swap saved and leftover seeds at the inaugural 'Manhattan Seed Swap' from 1-4 p.m. on Feb. 18. Organizers hope to make the event an annual occurrence.

“It’s a chance to exchange seeds, as well as knowledge and resources with fellow gardeners and plant enthusiasts," event organizer Kelly Yarbrough said.

The event will have tables set for vegetables, annual flowers, perennials, native plants, herbs and more.

Riley County Master Gardeners will be in attendance to offer advice and answer questions. Members of Manhattan Parks & Recreation John Cook and Alfonso Leyva will give a tour of the Discovery Center's gardens and teach visitors about garden design, plant identification and seed harvesting strategies.

The FHDC gave some guidelines for the event:

• Put seeds into sample sizes using envelopes or small bags.
• Label seeds with plant names, when to plant, where it's harvested and any other relevant information.
• For bulk seeds, label bags so attendees can package and label their bags.
• Attendees are encouraged to bring containers. A packaging and labeling station will be provided.
• Participants are encouraged to only take what they will use this year.
• If you don't have seeds to contribute, you can bring envelopes or small bags to donate for seed packaging and storage.

For more information and to RSVP for the event, click here. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts.