#FARMsterdammers
AMSTERDAM SEEDS AND PLANTS SWAP 2023
Saturday 20 May 2023
This spring…grow your own food !!
- Pick up vegetable plants in the streets of Amsterdam.
- Let’s do some urban gardening!
- Take part in the initiative and grow your vegetable garden
Several locations in Amsterdam (NL)
Click on the map
The idea
The purpose
We are a small group of people preparing extra plants for sharing, which we hope will help a few families in some neighbourhoods of Amsterdam to start their vegetables.
But what if we were more people all around the city?
We would really love it if you could help us to fill the city with plants.
Together, we can aim to have a pick-up point for plants in every neighbourhood of Amsterdam on Saturday 20 May 2023.
In previous years we had over 20 different pick-up points in the city! Let’s try to cover the whole Amsterdam map together.
Space is not a problem
It doesn’t matter if you only have a small pot on a window sill, a balcony or a huge garden with chickens. Many varieties of plants can also grow in small spaces! Everybody can grow some vegetables.
Take part!
Join our Facebook Group
(There are over 1000 Farmsterdammers exchanging info, tips and plants already!!)
Do you have seeds at home?
Then please plant them, the sooner the better, so that on that date the plants are ready for others in your area.
When you leave the plants in the street, please try to label them so that people know what they are taking.
Of course you can also pick up a few plants from others, while keeping a collaborative spirit!
Invite others to take part
Please share the idea with others who could be interested in doing urban gardening and/or are willing to grow seeds for their neighbours and themselves.
Remember that it takes some weeks until the plants are ready to be transplanted, so please grow the seeds as soon as possible. That way they will be ready for that day.
No seeds at home?
No worries! There will be plants available for you.
If you’d like to help sharing plants with others, but you don’t have any seeds to grow, you can always try to get some seeds by participating in a seed exchange or buying some organic, non hybrid seeds in a local shop.
Did you know that it’s also possible to save seeds from the vegetables and other ingredients in your kitchen?
Share your experience
Let us know how your plants evolve!
You can post your comments, pictures or any questions about gardening on social media.
We can use the hashtag #farmsterdammers, share our experiences and learn together!
What plants can you share with others?
Starting a garden is something relatively easy, but not all the varieties
of plants react in the same way to transplantation. Here some suggestions:
What kind of containers can you use to prepare the seedlings?
Seed trays are the ideal receptacles for growing seeds, but if you don’t have any, no worries. You can reuse some empty yoghourt pots, egg or milk cartons, empty toilet rolls, small pots or planters, etc…
Just make sure you make some hole(s) in the bottom of the recipient, so that the water can drain well.
We have included some photos for inspiration.
Just put in some imagination, a bit of good organic soil, some beautiful organic non-hybrid seeds… and try to keep them happy!
Please try not to use plastic materials when possible. If you need to use them, at least try to reuse old ones. We encourage you NOT to buy plastic!
Some useful materials:
* List of Amsterdam Suppliers
* Food, farming and more (ASEED)
* Amsterdam local resources, initiatives and books (Cityplot)
* Cityplot – Amsterdam Urban farming initiative
* Reclaim the seeds Festival ( intro | website )
* No seeds, no soil, no space? No problem! (The Guardian)
* Guidance on seed saving and seed sovereignty
* Seed saving guide (PDF)
FARMSTERDAMMERS MAP 2023
Would you like to host a sharing point?
Please send us an email at info@farmsterdammers.org, including the following information:
–NAME OF THE LOCATION (the name of your community garden, your bio-shop, the corner where you’ll set up a table with friends or neighbors, etc.)
–ADDRESS
–OPENING HOURS
–NOTES: Any relevant info for the day, a link to your project, etc.
IMPORTANT TIPS FOR FARMSTERDAMMERS DAY 4.0
Including what to take, how to drop off or pick up plants, and what to expect of the day
Idea
The main idea is that people with plants to share can give them to others, so that more people can start growing their own food at home.
What can I take with me?
Some people say that they don’t have plants but they would like to participate, bringing something as well.
Well, the event was originally conceived for sharing plants, but for instance seeds or anything related with gardening (some home made compost, tools, pots, a gardening book, etc.) will also be welcome. This is totally up to each of us.
Don't you have anything to share?
No worries, you can also go to one point with nothing to share, and depending on the availability, pick up some plant(s) for you. If you do so, you can still give back and reciprocate in the future. With the plants you take home there is still a huge opportunity to help at a future stage, since we will ask everybody to please keep seeds from the healthier plants, so that you can share them with others next year, in this or other events like the Reclaim the Seeds Festival. That would be super important. We will explain more about the reasons soon.
Am I supposed to stay in the point for long?
Not at all. It’s totally up to you!
Some people might just go to the point they choose, share some plants and leave. Others might want to stay for a while, or the whole morning/afternoon while reading a book, drinking tea or interacting with others who join. It will be totally up to you and the conditions of the space where you are sharing plants. For instance, a few of the points are private spaces that this day will open their doors for people sharing and picking up plants, and these spaces have their own opening hours (there are some notes about this in the information of each point when you click on it in the map).
Covid-19
Please remember that we also need to take care of social distancing, and that we don’t gather in a number that could be unsafe. Please take care of yourself and others, let’s not forget that we are currently living a very particular and challenging situation!
Decoration of the space
Be as creative as you’d like!
We are trying to make available for each of the sharing points a little poster and some brief information about the idea.
But of course we would love it if you also want to hang some party flags, prepare any colourful scene or do whatever you fancy.
Some tips for the drop off / pick up points
We all are either going to share or pick up plants, that need to be carried in a way that is safe for them until we transplant them.
For people sharing plants:
We recommend that you bring them in a way that is easy for people to carry. Ideally you can have some reused receptacles, or newspaper (this works really well!) with which you can make little containers (better if the plants are already prepared for people to pick up).
Labels for plants: Please help others to know which plants you are offering by leaving a simple label for each kind of plant, or by telling them.
For people picking up plants:
Please try to do the same. Bring something that can help you to pick up some plant(s), seeds or anything else. Newspaper is again very recommended, as well as a bag or a box that can help to bring the plants home safely. You never know, but paper, scissors, pencil…all could be useful!
Sharing is the most important: We ask you not to take too many plants with you, please, so that others can also start growing vegetables, even if it’s with just one or two plants. Of course, if there’s a lot of availability, or maybe it’s the end of the day and the plants are there for you…then, please just take them! You can always take a few plants and share them with friend, family, neighbours… again, this is about collaboration and solidarity!
Plants too small to be shared on Farmsterdammers Day?
No worries, that’s totally fine! In that case just take care of them until you can share them with others in a few weeks. We have already seen some of you chatting and agreeing to share plants soon. That is wonderful!
Pictures / videos and updates on social media
Anything that you can post during the day in the Facebook Event will help everyone to see how things are going. We will appreciate it if you can take some pictures or videos and share them on the day or the day after. We think the Farmsterdammers Event would be the best place to do so, because it is public. Also nice if you decide using the hashtag #farmsterdammers when posting on other social media channels like Instagram.
And what if it rains?
We really hope this text helps to understand that this is a really open and flexible idea, and that we are all creating the “rules” together.
This is the 4th edition of the Farmsterdammers Day, organised in just a few weeks and with only a few people behind it, but also with the huge help of the community that we started to build together some years ago. We can do it again together!
SUPPORT VOEDSELPARK AMSTERDAM
This is our chance to preserve a green piece of Amsterdam for future generations. To create a place where urban farmers grow food for us on the most fertile ground in the city. A place where everyone can enjoy and learn from nature. Where knowledge about agriculture, sustainability and biodiversity can be gained and shared. And where we will work towards a truly green and sustainable economy.
The City of Amsterdam wants to turn the Lutkemeerpolder into a distribution centre. Instead, we are going for Voedselpark Amsterdam. Together we will buy up the land for all future generations!
Your donation would only be charged if the Food Park actually continues
Reasons to grow a garden
Follow us and keep in touch!
info@farmsterdammers.org
Join our Facebook Group
(There are over 1000 Farmsterdammers exchanging info, tips and plants already!!)
Please follow us on social media , where we will be sharing more information and tell your friends, family, colleagues, class-mates, etc, about it.
We still need to create a map with the final locations of the plants for Saturday 20 May 2023. Let’s build it together!
Looking forward to seeing pictures and updates of your plants in the following weeks.
Happy gardening!!!
Farmsterdammers interview
Broadcast Amsterdam
Listen to the podcast that we recorded together with Cathy and Geli from the Amsterdam Kitchen radio show at Broadcast Amsterdam.