We are thrilled to be supporting the first Crop Swap event in Forbes.

Central West Lachlan Landcare (CWLL) are looking forward to working with the Forbes Riverside Community Garden (FRCG) to host the first Forbes Crop Swap on Saturday, 21 February 2026.

Make sure you save the date to join us at the Garden, located on Reymond Street between 8am and 9am! The Garden will be open as normal that morning as well.

Crop Swap provides opportunities for locals to share excess produce and is an opportunity to reduce food waste and share produce to enable people to eat better, at no cost. Fresh, local and delicious locally produced goods can be swapped.

Some suggestions for items to swap include, homegrown fruit, vegetables and herbs, eggs, nuts and flowers. Seeds, seedlings and cuttings can also be swapped, along with baked goods and homemade treats.

This is also an opportunity to check out what is growing at the FRCG and meet some of the volunteers.

If you aren’t already growing produce and need space, consider contacting the FRCG about a plot of your own. There is still time to get planting to prep your own contribution for Crop Swap! That would make such a fantastic story on the day!

An important part of Crop Swap is engaging with other swappers, exchange ideas and learn about other interesting plants that others are growing….even hearing about ‘fails’ that other people have had all contribute to the learning process.

The ethos of Crop Swap isn’t new of course. Many from my generation and earlier would remember families regularly swapping produce. Visiting a relative or friends would always have involved sharing whatever fresh produce was in the garden. There is nothing like feeling the joy of giving.

Some ideas for crops that might be in abundance in February are: tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum, zucchini, cucumbers and melons. You also may have beans, sweet corn, leafy greens, leeks, spring onions.

Just a heads up regarding things that probably aren’t required for Crop Swap….books and magazines of significant quantities or anything that is not fresh from your garden or kitchen.

We would love to be hosting further events in 2026, and will be keen to hear back from the community, whether they would like to see regular Crop Swap events in Forbes.

For further information on this article, please go to www.centralwestlachlanlandcare.org, twitter, facebook or Instagram @cwllandcare