the team

About Us

Cass and Tina are the co-founders of San Diego Seed Swap.

We are a couple of pandemic gardeners who met via social media in 2020 and instantaneously decided they wanted to share their love of gardening with the community. In just 48 hours of thinking about it, San Diego Seed Swap was born.

We love to connect local gardeners with each other through social media, free in-person swap events and community service opportunities.

A LITTLE ABOUT CASS

Cassandra was born and cultivated in San Diego, California in 1982. She began her gardening journey in 2010 with a fairy garden for her eldest daughter only to be disappointed and discouraged due to lack of knowledge and resources. Fast forward to 2017 when her youngest daughter was gifted tomato seeds. She took a deep dive on the internet to get her family growing (so much info). After months of growing (with its ups and downs), to her surprise they actually grew tomatoes, and they tasted amazing! That new found love for growing their own food really took over. It led her to educate herself, explore gardening techniques & grow new foods (all while failing and trying again). Her garden space in 2017 was 4’x10’ space filled with containers and 2 fruit trees. Then came 2020 with lots of time for gardening, she was growing in every area of her of 1/4 acre property in the heart of the city.

As a San Diego native, she is devoted to encouraging individuals, families, and communities to make small changes to their lifestyle to reduce their carbon footprint and help build a healthier, more sustainable world. Through her work with San Diego Seed Swap, she is committed to giving people access to the resources they need to connect with the natural environment and discover the joys of gardening in their own homes. She is devoted to educating the local community on the impact that food has on our lives and how it is connected to achieving better health for us and future generations. 

A LITTLE ABOUT TINA

Tina is passionate about gardening, native wildlife and reducing her environmental footprint. Her family rents a home in a wonderful city neighborhood in Paradise Hills, San Diego. 

Their back alley wasn’t used for anything other than for the power company to access the power pole once in a blue moon.

Within a few months of moving in, she got permission from her landlord to convert that area into an urban garden! She believe’s in growing fresh vegetables, herbs, fruits and composting her food waste.

A big part of what influences her garden is that she’s a Wildlife Conservationist. She went to school at Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt) and got a B.S. in Wildlife Management and Conservation. That means she’s conscious about her gardening techniques for the sake of local wildlife and her family’s health.

She hopes that you will enjoy seeing what San Diego Seed Swap is doing for the community and will be participating in the next swap but most importantly are inspired to grow your own food.