🌱 PlantSwap 2026: When Gardeners Take on the Weather, and Win!
Grosbreuil composting site – a Saturday morning in May
It was forecast. Confirmed. Certified by three weather apps and the neighbour's grandmother: a Noah-worthy downpour was supposed to drench our PlantSwap 2026. The clouds had even taken the trouble to position themselves above Grosbreuil the evening before, just to build suspense.
The actual result? Half an hour of drizzle, and that was that. Apparently, even the rain thinks twice before taking on a crowd armed with trowels and ecological conviction.
🏆 Joseph: The Man Who Doesn't Hang About
No sooner had the tables been properly set out than Joseph was already there. First to arrive — one wonders sometimes whether he'd simply slept on site. Within minutes, he had taken over a third of the first table with military precision worthy of the D-Day landings, but with ‘Beefsteak’ tomatoes.
That kind of passion can't be faked.
📚 Philippe: The Living Encyclopaedia of the Plant Kingdom
Hot on Joseph's heels came Philippe. Philippe is the man you ask when you want to know the exact hour to transplant an Espelette pepper under a gibbous moon with a moderate westerly wind. He has an answer. It is detailed. It is probably correct.
Once again this year, his contribution filled out the stall generously — and our botanical knowledge along with it.
🌿 A Cast of Unsung Heroes
But let's be fair: PlantSwap is above all a team effort. Behind every tray of young seedlings stands a volunteer who sowed in February under their veranda, turned their pots in March, lost a few plants in April, and ultimately triumphed in May. To all these champions of the compost heap: a huge thank you!
💡 The Idea of the Year
Between swaps of cocktail tomatoes for giant basil seedlings, a suggestion took root (fittingly enough): what if everyone specialised? Tomatoes for some, peppers for others, squash for the brave, herbs for the poets… Enough to offer an even wider variety next year — without stopping anyone from bringing along whatever else their garden happens to produce.
Something to ponder over while turning the compost this summer.
🥂 The Well-Earned Glass
The morning wrapped up as it should: gathered around a well-deserved drink, under a finally-forgiving sky, with the quiet satisfaction of people who know their plants have gone to good homes.
See you in 2027. Bring your seedlings. And a raincoat — just in case.
Compostons Ensemble – because gardening is better together 🌍
