A little bit of planning will go a long way in streamlining and optimizing your experience at the Plant Swap. Here a few quick tips to help your day go smoothly:
Bring it all! Here's WHY!
When choosing the plants you're willing to swap, just bring them all! While we naturally encourage guests to plant, bring and swap native non-invasive species, we will accept whatever you are able to get out of the ground. If it needs to go, we'll take it off your hands. You will receive one ticket voucher per plant regardless of its status as native/non-native or invasive/noninvasive. After years of debate on this topic, we've decided to do an experiment to see how many people make the right decision on their own once the have all the information. We will be tagging all invasive plants donated to the swap to draw attention to them and encouraging guests to instead choose native options. Can you think of a better outcome than to fill that new-found garden space with a native alternative? Neither can we. Any invasive species not chosen (we hope this is MOST of them!) will be properly disposed of. We are considering this to be a learning opportunity for our community, so we hope you learn something you can implement when selecting plants for your own landscape.
Watch the weather
Once you've identified the plants that need to find a new home, next check the weather the week of the Plant Swap. Plan to dig your plants the day after the forecast calls for rain. This way your plants will be well hydrated, and the softer soil will more easily release the roots, which both minimise trauma to the plant during the move. Mark your Dig Day on the calendar and get your tools and containers ready so when the day comes, you don't have to scramble for supplies.
Bring you plants in containers and do your best to label.
Plan to bring container to hold plants during travel, and mats to protect your car from getting dirty. Most plants at the swap have been taken straight from the ground and will come with a good bit of soil in tow - your vehicle will thank you for placing an extra layer of protection!
While labels are not required, they are preferred! Having clearly labeled plants will help create a more streamlined event for both volunteers and swappers. We suggest using resources like Google or iNaturalist to help identify the plants that aren't as familiar.
Take advantage of early drop-off times.
If you plan to bring enough plants to warrant several trips to the car, we highly recommend taking advantage of our early drop off times! Volunteers will be available to receive your plants on Saturday, May 14 from 5:30-7:30 pm, or Sunday morning from 10 am-12 pm. They will have wheelbarrows and carts and are available to help you with unloading if you require it. Plants can also be dropped off during the event.
Become a Member and get early access!
While our plant swap is a community event, we do reserve 30 minutes prior to opening to the public for our members to get a "First look." Members are able to use this time to shop around and reserve plants. You can gain access by becoming a member here!
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