2026 Seed Swap & Scion Exchange
Thanks for joining us in 2025!
Save the date: Sunday, March, 29, 2026!
At MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center in Unity
*Snow date to be called by Friday, March 28
This will be an indoor and outdoor event, so wear your woolies and come enjoy a warm drink, see old friends, meet new friends and bring home some scionwood for grafting and seeds for planting!
Gardeners and orchardists are invited to bring their seeds, scionwood and cuttings to share. If you don’t have any, come anyway!
Community members and local seed growers regularly bring an incredible variety of vegetable, fruit, flower, and herb seeds. We also regularly have over 150+ types of scionwood to share, including scionwood sourced from MOFGA’s orchards. We will also have limited quantities of rootstock for sale. Custom grafting is available by donation to the Maine Heritage Orchard.
Other items for sharing are welcome such as plants, cuttings, seedlings, hatching eggs, kombucha and yogurt starters, salves and other homemade items.
The day’s offerings also include gardening workshops, fruit tree care demonstrations, vendors, educational booths, and more.
This event is located at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center, 294 Crosby Brook Rd, Unity, Maine.
Questions? Please email [email protected]
For an Idea of What to Expect: 2025 Workshop Schedule
| Topic | Time | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor Workshops | ||
| Pruning Demo | 12:15 - 1:00 p.m. | C.J. Walke, MOFGA Orchards |
| Indoor Workshops | ||
| Propagating Woody Plants Without Grafting | 12:15 - 1:00 p.m. | Aaron Parker, Edgewood Nursery |
| Favorite Apple Varieties for the Backyard Orchard | 1:15 - 2:00 p.m. | John Bunker, Out on a Limb Apples |
| Transplanting Native Plants for the Home Garden | 2:15 - 3:00 p.m. | Ivonne Vazquez, Bas Rouge Farm & Forge |
| Q&A - Fruit Tree Pests & Diseases | 3:15 - 4:00 p.m. | Glen Koehler, UMaine Cooperative Extension |
Ongoing offerings:
- Seed & scion sharing tables
- Seed sowing and processing demos
- Conversations with seed savers
- Kid-friendly activities
- Hot chocolate and tea
- Custom grafting — a team of orchardists can graft available scionwood onto rootstock for you, in exchange for donations to the Maine Heritage Orchard. Plus, watch and ask questions about their grafting techniques!
2025 participating orgs and vendors:
- Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik (APCAW)
- Assisted Migration (Tree Giveaway!)
- B&T Bakery
- Fedco Seeds
- Maine Heritage Orchard
- Maine Tree Crop Alliance
- Native Gardens of Blue Hill
- Specialty Potato Variety Showcase from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension
- Wild Seed Project
Tips for Packaging Scionwood to trade:
- Use elastic bands or string to bunch together a single type of scionwood so that individual sticks can be removed easily, but won’t fall out of the bundle. See the example below.
- Label at least one stick in the bunch using masking tape – if you have time aim to label 5! See the example below.
- Remember: after harvesting your scionwood, store it triple-ziploc-bagged in the fridge (not freezer.)
- Each piece of scionwood doesn’t need to be very long – 8 inches is plenty!
- Keep an eye out for wood that looks like it could have problems, like the two sticks on the right in this photo. Don’t cut from trees with diseases. Last year was a very bad year for fireblight and so we’re being extra cautious; if your tree looks potentially diseased, please err on the side of caution! See below for an example of potentially diseased scionwood.
- We’ll have plenty of scionwood to share, so please don’t feel obligated to bring wood to swap. We want to share clean wood only!
Can’t make the swap in person but still want to trade?
Check out another event like this! Consider joining the Cobscook Institute for their Scion Exchange & Seed Swap on April 5th in Trescott, ME. A week later, on April 12th, the Rockport Public Library will be holding a seed sharing event called Seed Fest. Do you know of other seed swaps happening in Maine? Let us know by emailing [email protected].
Or, click here to add seeds, scionwood, or other resources you have to share to our public list, and to request varieties of seed or scionwood that you’re seeking out. The intention of this shared spreadsheet is to facilitate sharing between individuals across Maine (and beyond) using the postal service. Remember, this spreadsheet is open to the public – only share information you are willing to share broadly.
Fruit Tree Resources
Seed Resources
On the Origins of the Seed Swap and Scionwood Exchange
The Seed Swap & Scion Exchange was initiated in 1983 by the Maine Tree Crop Alliance (MTCA). After several years in Augusta and then several more at Unity College, the event found its home in 1999 when MOFGA moved to our campus in Unity and we partnered with the MTCA and the Maine Seed Savers Network to bring this event to our community. The Seed Swap & Scion Exchange has been a beloved annual event ever since! In 2023, we rang in the 40th year of this annual celebration of seeds and fruit trees. For more details about the origins of this event read Jack Kertesz’ history from his perspective as a founding member of the MTCA here.
