COOKEVILLE — Tennessee Tech’s Oakley Farm, located in nearby Overton County, will be the site for the annual heirloom seed swap on Saturday, Oct. 2. This event is free and open to the public.
Seed savers and vendors from as far away as Michigan are expected to gather at the Oakley Farm to buy, sell, share and swap corn, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, okra and cantaloupe seeds.
“We normally have several hundred people attend each year and have had people come from all over this part of the country,” said Michael Best, a professor of agricultural economics and director of the Sustainable Mountain Ag Center. “We have seed vendors set up who sell and trade seeds they grow from several states in the southern Appalachians, Indiana and Michigan. You don’t have to have seeds to trade to participate, you can come and purchase all kinds of heirloom seeds while you are here to get started growing these wonderful great tasting varieties!”
There will also be more than 160 different kinds of beans and tomato seeds from the 1,500-acre Oakley Farm. This is the third year Oakley Farm will be the site of the annual seed swap, which had been held for 10 years in Berea, Kentucky before moving here.
“There’s a lot of interest from the people who came to the last seed swap two years ago. The event wasn’t held last year due to covid. They are coming back this year,” said Best. “We have a lot going on at the Oakley Farm. We have hydroponic tomatoes, basil and beans still growing in the greenhouse and all kinds of green beans in the field.”
The seed swap will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until approximately 4 p.m. Oakley Farm is located at 295 Deck Cove Lane, Livingston.
