Seed School at the Ecology Center 

6/11-12, 2022


Along with Sun, Soil and Water, Seeds are a cornerstone of civilization. 

Oftentimes it is the element that affords us the greatest involvement and invites the curious gardener to literally participate in Creation of new and improved varieties.

Seed Saving used to be an intrinsic aspect of farming and gardening, until seed companies came along in modern times. 

We invite you to join us for a two-day intensive workshop in Seed Saving to rekindle these age-old relationships. Our instructor is Don Tipping, the founder and operator of Seven Seeds Farms and Siskiyou Seeds. His family farm in southwest Oregon has been biodynamic and organic since 1997 and is lauded as one of the best examples of permaculture farming in the Northwest. His seed company, Siskiyou Seeds, has been a formal seed operation since 2009, born out of the flower and vegetable fields on the farm. They currently grow over 700 varieties of vegetables, flowers, herbs and grains. Originally from Orange County, Don Tipping is a passionate educator and farmer who we are very eager to partner with.

Alongside Don Tipping, team members from The Ecology Center will adapt the information to our bioregion. With a newly blossoming seed program at our farm, there is no better time to share the knowledge within our community towards true seed sovereignty.

The two-day workshop will include lectures and activities with a cornucopia of knowledge on seed biology, the history and action of seed keeping and seed saving, human history, harvesting techniques, and so much more.

We will cover:

  • Basic reproductive biology in flowering plants
  • Plant parts and actions
  • Cross pollination
  • Genetics and selection
  • Plant improvement and basic plant breeding
  • Seed harvesting, cleaning tools and techniques 
  • Wet and dry seed saving
  • Hands-on harvesting at our farm (vegetables and flowers)

Lastly, we will dream into and envision what a Southern California Community Seed Hub might look like.

This two-day workshop is open to both beginners and experienced gardeners and farmers. It will be a deep dive into seeds and a huge step on our community journey towards seed and food sovereignty. 

We will provide lunch but we recommend you bring other snacks, a reusable water bottle, sun protection, close-toed shoes, and a notebook.

 

The event is two consecutive days, all day- 8:30am-5:30pm. We will provide a small lunch on Saturday and Sunday, June 11th and 12th.

https://www.theecologycenter.org/event/seed-school/