By Nicole Gearhart
Beacon Correspondent
Visitors to the Midway General Store in Wetmore have a chance to grab some little packets of spring thanks to a seed swap organized by Wetmore resident Daniela Schaefer.
“I have a greenhouse at my house and a nice big garden as well, and that’s my passion,” Schaefer said. “I just thought it would be a nice idea to share some of the stuff that I’ve grown and cultivated and see what everybody else has — sharing the gardening love.”
Schaefer said all seeds she placed at the store are heirloom and non-GMO, and have been packaged and labelled. She said vegetables, herbs and flowers are all available, and flowers have been marked as either annual or perennial.
“My favorite part of gardening is actually collecting the seeds, and so I collect them, I dry them, clean them and put them in little envelopes,” Schaefer said. “And I have way too many seeds for myself to use, so I figured this would be a good idea and a good way to help the community, too, if anybody has or wants a garden.”
Schaefer said she has been working on spreading the word about the Seed Swap via the “Munising Informed” Facebook page, and the Midway General Store has shared information about the swap on its own Facebook page.
“Just the other day, I stopped in Midway and they said they’ve had a bunch of people come in,” Schaefer said. “Nobody’s dropped off seeds yet, but people have looked through and taken a few packs and whatnot. So there’s some interest, and I’ll leave it up there for as long as they’ll let me.”
Mike San Antonio, who has owned Midway General Store for about five years with his wife, Erica, said he was happy to host the seed swap.
“People were asking, interested in seeds and stuff,” San Antonio said. “So she brought it in, and people have been coming in and switching them out with other seeds, or taking them if they need it.”
Schaefer said the San Antonios were receptive when she suggested the seed swap. She said this is the kind of thing the Midway and its owners are all about.
“They’ve really turned it into a great thing, and they love the community,” Schaefer said. “That’s their whole thing — it’s all about community.”
San Antonio agreed they like to support the community and facilitate activities like the seed swap whenever possible.
“There are a lot of things that come about throughout the seasons, like people will do gardening and vegetables and will bring in whatever they have to help other people out,” San Antonio said.
Schaefer said she anticipates that things will pick up with the swap as the weather warms up, but she’s happy to see some interest now.
“I’m sure in the spring there will be more interest, because it’s time for planting. But September, October is when I collect the seeds and dry them, and so I figured I’d put it out now for anybody who is like me over plants — a weirdo,” Schaefer said with a laugh.
The Midway General Store is located at N251 H-13 in Wetmore.