Seedy Saturday in Waterford ‘grows big’

Chris Abbott

Editor

Is spring in the air?

For gardeners, all it takes is a little planning, and spending an afternoon at the 2026 Seedy Saturday in Waterford will help.

“It’s Saturday, Feb. 7th,” said Jen Thompson, coordinator of Waterford’s third annual Seedy Saturday at the high school.

Vendor market hours have been extended to 12-5 p.m. this year. About 55 vendors have been confirmed, an expanded group from last year’s show, and vastly expanded from the inaugural show two years ago. Both gymnasiums will be used.

“An additional hour this year because it was very, very busy last year.”

There will be a mix of seed vendors, specialized equipment (like rain storage containers), artists, guest speakers, homestead farmers, and much more, including an expanded children’s zone, and “interesting and fun” door prizes.

Updated posts will be made on Facebook (including Waterford Seedy Saturday), she said, and in the community, highlighting individual vendors.

“We’ve got a good group of people coming. We had our base group, which people really enjoyed, and we’re building on it.”

Admission is a canned food donation or monetary donation to the Waterford and District Food Cupboard, the local food bank. Last year, more than $900 was donated along with several hundred pounds of food.

“The Waterford Food Cupboard, in turn, was able to be generous with other food banks in the area… and push that into Simcoe and surrounding areas. This is something I am very proud of. It’s just so nice to be able to say ‘This is our community.’”

If you have garden questions, Grand Erie Master Gardeners will be on site, and multiple horticultural societies.

“Frey’s Hatchery will be there, the major distributor for (poultry) chicks in the spring. So if you’re buying backyard chickens, this is the major distributor that you would go through. You often see them advertising through Minor Bros. They will be there to answer the good questions like ‘what is a good backyard chicken?’ They’ll talk about what they have and answer your questions.

“With Minor Bros. being there, too, you could put in your chick order after you’ve had the conversation about the birds.”

Solar power and small windmill options can be explored at the show.

“We’ve also got people coming who advocate for native seeds and pollinator projects. Small-scale flower projects. Seeds of Diversity will be here, and a couple greenhouse companies are coming. People from the mushroom community will be coming to talk about artisanal mushrooms. I’ve also got a couple of apiaries – beekeepers - coming as well. I’m trying to get some maple syrup producers, but they are hard to reach at this time of year.

“Ultimately, I’d like to be able to say ‘What do you want to do on your property?’ ‘How do you get what you can out of the land that you have?’ That’s my goal. I am inviting people in to do the things that they are good at, to connect with people in their own expertise. People who garden tend to have that additional ‘next-step’ and I want to make sure somebody is there to answer those questions.

“It’s a good mix of specific and curated vendors that will appeal to people who enjoy gardening, people who want to homestead, and people who are centred on ‘how do I make this sustainable?’ It’s amazing, I am very pleased with how things are shaping up for this event.”

Feedback from the 2025 Seedy Saturday ‘we need more food!’ was heard, and organizers, led by Thompson at WDHS, and Heidi Mungal at Generations Marketplace, will be ready on Feb. 7 with ‘hot food’ available. They also heard about the need for more homesteading services.

“That’s quite important,” Thompson noted.

Feedback also suggested a ‘staggered’ seed exchange.

“Instead of putting all the exchange seeds out at once, which meant people had to be there at 12 p.m. so they did not miss it, we’re going to be rolling it out. ‘Rounds’ of seeds – we’ll refresh the tables (every hour) if you want to trade for seeds. My goal is to make Seedy Saturday more and more user friendly.

“We are greatly supported by the students and staff at the school, so I think this has become something Waterford District High School is very proud of. It gives our green industry kids a chance to see what green industry can be in the community and it gives kids who are looking for volunteer hours a chance to experience volunteering in a comfortable, familiar environment.”