It's official: Sow Revolution opens its doors on 1st October. After months of building, this is the moment the swapping actually starts, browsing what other gardeners have to offer, listing your own surplus, and connecting with growers near you and beyond.
You don't need to wait until launch day to get started. The best thing you can do right now is spend some time with your seed stash, work out what you actually want to grow next year, and get everything else packaged up and ready to list. Here's how to spend the next couple of weeks.
We're Launching on 1st October
From launch day, Sow Revolution is open for everyone: create your profile, list the seeds you'd like to swap, browse and match with what other gardeners are offering, and arrange to exchange by post or in person, whichever suits you both.
The more seeds people have ready to list on day one, the better the swapping gets for everyone straight away, so the run-up to October is the perfect time to get your own stash sorted.
Step One: Go Through Your Seed Stash
Get everything out, tins, drawers, that one shoebox, and lay it all out where you can see it properly. For each variety, ask yourself honestly: will I grow this again next year?
Sort into rough piles: seeds you definitely want to sow yourself, surplus you'll never get through and would rather see growing in someone else's garden, and anything you know you're not going to use. Be honest about viability too; if seed is well past its typical shelf life for that crop (onions and parsnips fade fast, while squash, tomatoes, and beans often last for years), it may be worth a germination test before you count on it, or before you offer it to someone else.
Step Two: Package Your Seeds Properly
Loose seeds in an old bag or a rolled-up bit of paper are an easy way to end up with a muddle of mixed varieties. Give each variety its own paper envelope (a simple fold-and-seal design works fine, no need for anything fancy), and keep different varieties well apart while you're working so nothing gets mixed up.
Once packaged, store envelopes somewhere cool, dark, and dry until you're ready to list and post them. A biscuit tin in a cupboard does the job far better than a windowsill.
Step Three: Label Everything Properly
Good labelling now saves you time later, since it's exactly the information you'll be asked for when you list a seed on Sow Revolution. On each envelope, note:
Variety: the full name, not just 'tomato' or 'bean'. Future you (and whoever you swap with) will thank you.
Quantity: an exact count if you've got one, or just mark it as approximate if you're estimating.
Source: whether the seed is home-saved, shop-bought, or a freebie from someone else.
Date saved: even an approximate month and year helps whoever grows it next judge freshness.
Notes: anything worth passing on, growing tips, flavour, whether it's open-pollinated or heritage, how it performed for you.
If you can, take a quick photo of the packet, the plant, or the harvest too; listings with a photo are always more appealing to browse.
Ready for Launch Day
Do this now, and when 1st October arrives you can go straight from creating your profile to listing a stash of properly sorted, labelled seeds, rather than starting from a jumble in a drawer.
Spread the word too. The more gardeners bring their surplus on launch day, the more variety there is for everyone to discover from the very first swap. See you on 1st October.