Extension Master Gardeners divert garden seed from the landfill to those in need
Through a novel seed distribution program, New River Valley Extension Master Gardeners provide unsellable garden seed to individuals and organizations in need.
If you have ever purchased a packet of garden seeds, you may have noticed the current year printed on the outside of the package. Seed companies must test and label seed to be sold each year — but what happens if those packets haven’t been sold by the end of the year?
“Expired seed from previous years can no longer be sold and will often be thrown away,” said Wendy Silverman, Extension Master Gardener coordinator for the New River Valley, which includes Montgomery, Giles, Floyd, and Pulaski counties. “It’s still good, usable seed, but the germination rates have started to decline so companies can’t sell it, and many big-box stores simply throw it away. Instead, we collect all those seeds, sort them, and distribute them to community organizations or give them away at our events.”
In 2024, the New River Valley Master Gardeners provided more than 29,000 seed packets with an original retail value of more than $52,000 to local community gardens, 4-H programs, schools, and nonprofits.
For example, the group regularly provides seeds to local schools who might use them for school gardens or educational programming. Public libraries also request seeds to stock their free seed programs. Many local community gardens, as well as the New River Valley Glean Team, request seeds which are used to grow food. Food pantries request seeds to hand out to their patrons.
“We have an order form, and local groups will ask us for certain things they need for events or for their community garden,” Silverman said. “Extension Master Gardener Volunteers sort the seeds and then fill the order for the group. We keep an updated list of what we have, and groups can make requests for certain varieties.”
In addition to collecting seed from big-box stores, Silverman has cultivated relationships with seed companies and receives large amounts of seed that are out of date. In this way, seed companies can donate product that would otherwise be discarded.
“Free seeds are a good giveaway for farmers markets or plant clinic booths, where we provide education and answer questions,” Silverman said. “We can help people figure out how to grow a new variety and encourage them to do research-based gardening practices.”
The germination rate is the percent of seed that is viable and will germinate and grow within each package. Although year-old seed might have a slightly lower germination rate than the rate printed on the packet, many year-old seeds will still grow and are fine to plant the next growing season. To account for the slightly lower germination rate, New River Valley Master Gardeners advise those receiving their seed to double seed by planting twice what is recommended on the package.
Extension Master Gardeners bring the resources of Virginia’s land-grant universities – Virginia Tech and Virginia State University – to the people of the commonwealth. Contact your local Master Gardeners through your local Extension office or learn more about gardening in Virginia and the Virginia Extension Master Gardener program.
