Swissvale Edible Garden Tour
9:00AM-1:00PM: Open Gardens (private gardens all over Swissvale) - See how a wide range of local gardeners grow food (and more) and meet the gardeners! Stop by the Info Table at the Swissvale Farmers Market (9AM-1PM, 7301 Schoyer Ave) to pick up event guides, ask questions, and fill your reusable water bottle. The event guide and map will also be available online. Visit as many or as few garden as you’d like, in any order.
This year’s tour features 25 gardens all over the borough - no one is expected to rush around all morning and see them all! Most people set a leisurely pace and see as many gardens as they can comfortably wander around to in four hours, chatting to gardeners and other tour-goers along the way. We do recommend starting on the early side, especially if it’s a hot day.
1:30PM-3:30PM: Community Picnic at the Swissvale Farmers Market (Dickson Preparatory Steam Academy, 7301 Schoyer Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218) - It’s our summer garden party! Join us for food, activities for all ages, and entertainment.
Primary Election
Find voting information here: https://www.swissvalegardens.org/electionresources
Plant Sale at the yard sale
Pick up some plants during the Regent Square Yard Sale!
We’ll have our normal array of garden plants (tomatoes, peppers, herbs, flowers, etc), and we’ll also be joined by The Garden Girls selling native plants.
Seeds Over Swissvale
Join us for the annual Seeds Over Swissvale: a dispersed seed swap via the many Little Free Libraries of Swissvale from March 9 - May 31, 2025!
Seed Swap and Seed Packing Party!
🌱You’re invited to a Swissvale Seed Swap & Seed Packing Party! 🌱 Join the Swissvale Area Gardening Enthusiasts (SAGE) for a delightful morning of seeds and gardening community spirit at the Carnegie Free Library of Swissvale Saturday, March 1st, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM in the basement of the Carnegie Free Library of Swissvale. Whether you have seeds to share or not, everyone is welcome to join in on the fun! You’ll have the chance to exchange seeds, discover new varieties, and connect with fellow gardening enthusiasts. If you do have seeds to swap, we’ll provide envelopes to help keep everything organized—feel free to bring your own as well! Make sure everything you swap is clearly labeled. In addition to the seed swap, we’re excited to offer an opportunity to support our community initiative, Seeds Over Swissvale. Help us pack seed packets that will be distributed in local Little Free Libraries and at the Swissvale Library, providing free seeds to residents eager to grow their own gardens. As a special thank you, for every 10 seed packets you help prepare, you will be entered to win a membership to Grow Pittsburgh Garden Resource Center—a fantastic resource for all your gardening needs! Attendees will also have the chance to learn about getting involved our upcoming Swissvale Edible Garden Tour and various garden-related volunteer activities. Date: Saturday, March 1 Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Location: Swissvale Library (Downstairs) Cost: Free, everyone welcome! #swissvalegardens 🌱🏡🪴👨🏻🌾
House History Workshop
Join this free house history workshop at the Swissvale Library to learn more about your old home! Registration is required.
House History Office Hours
Our house history team invites you to ask us anything about your old home during our office hours at the library. We can help you get started, dig deeper, or get through roadblocks in your research.
Stop by anytime during office hours; to reserve a time slot, call 412-731-2300 or email carnegiefreelibraryofswissvale@gmail.com.
House History Office Hours
Our house history team invites you to ask us anything about your old home during our office hours at the library. We can help you get started, dig deeper, or get through roadblocks in your research.
Stop by anytime during office hours; to reserve a time slot, call 412-731-2300 or email carnegiefreelibraryofswissvale@gmail.com.
House History Workshop
Join this free house history workshop at the Swissvale Library to learn more about your old home! Registration is required.
Fall Plant Swap
Fall is a good time to transplant most perennial plants! If you have anything you want to divide to remove, bring it to the plant swap and see if your neighbors have anything you'd like to bring home.
2024 Swissvale Edible Garden Tour
9:00AM-1:00PM: Open Gardens (private gardens all over Swissvale) - Check out how Swissvalians grow food (and more) and meet the gardeners. Pick up at printed guide at the farmers market or view the map online.
1:30PM-3:30PM: Community Picnic at the Swissvale Farmers Market (Dickson Preparatory Steam Academy, 7301 Schoyer Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218) - Food, activities for all ages, and entertainment! This is our summer garden party.
Community Fire at 3ROC
Garden Tour Hosts, Volunteers, Planners, and Supporters:
We’d like to invite you to Three Rivers Outdoors Club (3ROC) on Friday 7/19 from 5-7pm for the community fire to hang out and chat with other gardeners. This is the evening before the tour. It will be outdoors and there is a parking lot nearby for accessibility.
Basic Smart Gardening for Everyone with Denise Schreiber
Join Denise Schreiber and the organizers of the annual Swissvale Edible Garden Tour for an informative talk all about gardening, for new and experienced growers! This is a great way to ensure a strong start to the growing season and meet other gardeners in your area.
Denise Schreiber grew up in a gardening family in Swissvale. She was the greenhouse grower and horticulturist for Allegheny County Parks until she retired. She has written for Pennsylvania Gardener (now defunct) as their Ask the Expert, currently writes for several trade magazines, writes web content, and is the co-chair of education and director at large for GardenComm. She has a horticulture degree from CCAC and a B.A. from Carlow University. Denise is also an All America Selections Trial judge and Mrs. Know It All on KDKA radio's The Organic Gardener.
Make Your Own Slippers! - Wet Felting Workshop
Join us to learn about the art of wet felting and make your own slippers! Swissvalian Heather Mikes will be facilitating this fun, casual beginner workshop. Adults and children ages 10+ are welcome if accompanied by an adult.
This program is a fundraiser for the annual Swissvale Edible Garden Tour and the suggested donation is at least $25, which includes instruction and materials. Please register below and donate via our website, Venmo or Paypal (@swissvalegardens).
Materials to bring along if you have them (if not, we will have extra to share):
Empty spray bottle
Plastic shoes or bubble wrap
Scissors
Towels
We’ll be in the lower level of the library - the entrance is facing McClure Ave. There is free street parking along Monongahela Ave and McClure Ave.
House History Workshops
Most of our homes in Swissvale are at least 75 years old, and along with the character of an older home comes a lot of history. Hollen has been collecting a variety of resources most relevant to Swissvale homes and is partnering with the library to share.
2024 Swissvale Edible Garden Tour
9:00AM-1:00PM: Open Gardens (private gardens all over Swissvale) - Check out how Swissvalians grow food (and more) and meet the gardeners. Pick up at printed guide at the farmers market or view the map online.
1:30PM-3:30PM: Community Picnic at the Swissvale Farmers Market (Dickson Preparatory Steam Academy, 7301 Schoyer Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218) - Food, activities for all ages, and entertainment! This is our summer garden party.
Serviceberry Meet-up
On Friday, June 9, from 5:30PM-7PM we'll gather by the serviceberry trees along the busway path, above the S Braddock overpass where the steps and ramp come up, to hang out, gather serviceberries, and make serviceberry and mulberry syrup! We'll bring a camp stove and stuff to make some berry syrup on the spot.
BYO (bring your own) cup so you can have a drink - we'll mix the syrup with sparkling water and ice (plus lime or lemon and mint, we'll see what we have). You can also bring a bag or container to collect berries to take home if you want.
Feel free to pick serviceberries and mulberries on the way over, too! Some of us have our favorite spots around Swissvale to check out every June.
Plant Sale at the Dari Delite!
Come get your tomatoes, peppers, herbs, flowers, and more! And an ice cream and/or hot dog. :)
Tomatoes!
Brandywine
Cosmonaut Volkov
San Marzano
Mortgage Lifter
Moskvich
Artisan Bumblee
Ukranian Purple
Sweet Million (cherry)
Red cherry
Peppers!
Shishito (mild)
Habanero (hot)
Craig's Grande Jalapeno (hot)
California Wonder (sweet)
Iko Iko (sweet)
Jupiter (sweet)
Flowers!
Strawflower
Chamomile
Celosia - Chinese Wool
Snapdragon
Lavender Cloud Nicotiana
Borage
Calendula
Herbs!
Sage
Cilantro
Thyme
Fennel
Parsley
Dill
Basil (Genovese, Lemon, Lettuce Leaf, Tulsi/Holy, Purple, Blue Spice, Elidia, Thai)
More:
Tomatillo - Everona
Artichoke
Eggplant
Raspberry
Rhubarb
Plant Sale at the Yard Sale
Visit us during the Regent Square Yard Sale! We’ll be on the corner of S Braddock and Sanders St (across from D’s) with plants for sale and a giant nose to pick (to learn about air quality).
Plant Sale at the Still Mill
Join us at Still Mill Distillery on Noble Street for a plant sale with a side of locally-made spirits and cocktails!
Plant Sale at the Library
Join us at the Carnegie Free Library of Swissvale for the first plant sale of the year!
Seeds Over Swissvale
Free seeds and seed swap via our little free libraries around Swissvale!
2022 Swissvale Edible Garden Tour
Save the Date!
The 4th annual Swissvale Edible Garden Tour will be on Saturday, July 23! Join us for Open Gardens (10AM-2PM), followed by a community picnic at the Swissvale Community Garden (2PM-4PM). Details will be added to the event website as they are finalized, including a garden host and volunteer sign up form and donation/sponsorship opportunities.
Intro to Veggie Seed Starting
Learn to start vegetable plants for the spring & summer garden with success! Free to attend and materials included for Swissvale residents!
During this FREE Zoom workshop for adults and children ages 12 and up, participants will discover the secrets to indoor vegetable seed starting success to get a jump start on this year's garden. Swissvale residents have the option to receive everything they need to get started in advance of the workshop, including seeds, pots, and seed starting mix (dirt). You don't have to have a green thumb to join us - this class is for everyone - from total beginners to gardening, to seasoned gardeners who've never started seeds, to those who have started seeds but want a few extra tips and tricks. Join us to discover the joy of watching a tiny seed turn from a simple sprout to pounds upon pounds of fresh, healthy food! Registration is very limited - please register soon - and by February 20 at the latest. Delivery of supplies to Swissvale residents will be made on February 21. Those wishing to donate to support the Swissvale Eduible Garden Tour and the Swissvale Community Garden's projects for this year, including additional classes, raised beds, and more can do so via the registration form. No donation is expected or required! Register here: https://bit.ly/SwissvaleSeedStarting
Seeds Over Swissvale
Join us for the second annual Seeds Over Swissvale: a dispersed seed swap via the many Little Free Libraries of Swissvale from February 26 - May 15, 2022! In 2021 we started swapping seeds remotely as some seed suppliers were restricting sales due to increased demand, and in-person seed swap events were cancelled or in limbo. While that’s still the case, we think Seeds Over Swissvale is here to stay — it’s a great way to get started for the season, and it’s fun to go in a hunt for unique seed varieties all over town. Here’s how it works:
--Check the map for locations: https://bit.ly/SeedsOverSwissvale Inside each Little Free Library you’ll find small plastic containers of seed packets.
--Take anything you want - no need to have seeds to trade! However, please don’t take the whole plastic container!
--Please take only what you think you’ll need - each packet should contain around 10-20 seeds, so take 1 packet for every 3-6 plants of that type that you hope to start. Please take whole packets only. If there are more than you’ll use, bring back the seed packet re-labeled later, share with a neighbor, or save them for next year (in a refrigerator works best).
--If you have seeds to share: please put them in SMALL envelopes/bags and put them into the plastic containers - no large/regular sized seed packets, please (we have limited space in the containers). Feel free to snag some empty ones from the box, or create little ones from paper and tape!
--Label your little envelopes with the name of the fruit/veggie/herb/flower variety and approximate #s of seeds within, plus any other helpful info.
--Feel free to swap garden books and magazines, too!
--Share on the facebook event or on instagram where you’ve added seeds, something you were excited to find, or any questions you have for fellow gardeners and seed swappers. Use the hashtag #SeedsOverSwissvale and #SwissvaleGardens
Want to get involved by helping to keep Little Free Libraries stocked with seeds? Fill out this form to Adopt a Box: https://bit.ly/SOSAdoptaBox2022
Intro to Veggie Seed Starting
Learn to start vegetable plants for the spring & summer garden with success! Free to attend and materials included for Swissvale residents!
During this FREE Zoom workshop for adults and children ages 12 and up, participants will discover the secrets to indoor vegetable seed starting success to get a jump start on this year's garden. Swissvale residents have the option to receive everything they need to get started in advance of the workshop, including seeds, pots, and seed starting mix (dirt). You don't have to have a green thumb to join us - this class is for everyone - from total beginners to gardening, to seasoned gardeners who've never started seeds, to those who have started seeds but want a few extra tips and tricks. Join us to discover the joy of watching a tiny seed turn from a simple sprout to pounds upon pounds of fresh, healthy food! Registration is very limited - please register soon - and by February 20 at the latest. Delivery of supplies to Swissvale residents will be made on February 21. Those wishing to donate to support the Swissvale Eduible Garden Tour and the Swissvale Community Garden's projects for this year, including additional classes, raised beds, and more can do so via the registration form. No donation is expected or required! Register here: https://bit.ly/SwissvaleSeedStarting
2021 Swissvale Edible Garden Tour
2021 Swissvale Edible Garden Tour Digital Event Guide (Pickup printed guides at the Swissvale Farmers Market and Carnegie Free Library of Swissvale)
Buy 2021 Swissvale Edible Garden Tour Merch (through August 14)
2021 SEGT Artwork is a collaboration between Lauren Braun and Sam Laffey.
Pop-Up Plant Sale
Join us at the Carnegie Free Library of Swissvale (Monongahela and McClure) for a pop-up plant sale! We’ll have a variety of vegetable and flower seedlings for $3/pot — everything from cabbage to chamomile and stevia to strawflower. From 1-3 there will also be Mother’s Day Floral Card Paper Making with the Paper Lady/Make It to Grow Residency
Spring Plant Sale Benefitting Swissvale Community Garden
It's the most wonderful time of the year for gardens - it's time to get planting! Many veggie and flower varieties will be available for pick up and limited delivery via online sales starting May 2, and new varieties will be added during the month of May. Most plants are $3/pot. 100% of proceeds benefit projects of the Swissvale Community Garden, and all plants have been lovingly started from seed by Swissvale resident volunteers. Inventory will be updated here beginning May 2: https://swissvaleaction.square.site/ Watch this space for future announcements, like pop up in-person sales!
Seeds Over Swissvale
Join us for a dispersed seed swap via the many Little Free Libraries of Swissvale through May 15! As more people get into gardening, some seed suppliers are restricting sales due to increased demand, and in-person seed swaps are not feasible during COVID, we’re meeting that challenge with Seeds Over Swissvale! Here’s how it works:
Find small plastic containers of seed packets in the Little Free Libraries around Swissvale. Check the map at https://bit.ly/SeedsOverSwissvaleMap for all 14 locations!
Take anything you want - no need to have seeds to trade!Please take only what you think you’ll need - each packet should contain around 10-20 seeds, so take 1 packet for every 3-6 plants of that type that you hope to start. Please take whole packets only. If there are more than you’ll use, bring back the seed packet re-labeled later, share with a neighbor, or save them for next year (in a refrigerator works best).
If you have seeds to share: please put them in SMALL envelopes/bags and put them into the plastic containers - no large/regular sized seed packets, please (we have limited space in the containers). Feel free to snag some empty ones from the box, or create little ones from paper and tape!
Label your little envelopes with the name of the fruit/veggie/herb/flower variety and approximate #s of seeds within, plus any other helpful info.
Feel free to swap garden books and magazines, too!
Share in the discussion on Facebook and Instagram when and where you’ve added seeds, something you were excited to find, or any questions you have for fellow gardeners and seed swappers.