Riverbank Heirloom Gardening Club members Terry Harper and Heidi Aufdermaur hosted a presentation this past Saturday at the Riverbank Library sharing tips on how to save seeds and the importance of heirloom gardening.

“The Heirloom Garden program went very well,” stated Vicky Holt, Riverbank Librarian. “We packed the house. There were over 50 people attending, with people standing at the back door.”

Harper and Aufdermaur were excited to share their knowledge with the guests that attended the presentation and said many seemed to be very interested in heirloom gardening.

“They wanted to know what an heirloom was and how they could grow them and keep them heirloom,” added Harper. “They wanted to know about cross pollination and why you couldn’t grow heirlooms in a community garden.”

The duo shared the need to avoid GMO (genetically modified organisms) produce and the need to plan heirloom plants with the guests. They also passed out some handouts with information and presented some gardening tips.

“Terry and Heidi did an awesome job,” said Holt. “There was an extensive time of questions and answers.”

Aufdermaur also explained to the crowd that 93 percent of the world’s seeds have been lost in the last 80 years.

“We need to support the assembly bill that would allow us to establish a seed library that would allow us to give seeds away to the community,” expressed Harper.

Assembly Bill 1810 (Levine), the California Seed Exchange Democracy Act amends the definition of “sell” in the Food and Agriculture Code to mean only commercial activity, which would clarify and reflect the true intent of the law and protect noncommercial seed sharing initiatives throughout California.

The club will next be hosting a seed swap on Wednesday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m. and the public is invited to attend. For more information, contact Harper at 209-869-1325.

There are also a few upcoming events in the month of March at the Riverbank Library that you may want to mark on your calendars. This week there is a ‘Find the Cat’s Hat’ program at the library where the Cat’s Hat has been hidden and if participants find it they can claim a prize at the library desk in celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

On Thursday, March 10 there will be an Estate Planning Workshop put on by Julie Richardson at 4:30 p.m.

A Rainy Day Craft on Tuesday, March 15 at 3:30 p.m. will feature making pictures out of cupcake holders, ribbon, and cotton balls.

For more information on library events call 209-869-7008 or visit www.stanislauslibrary.org.