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.
We will cover
- basic reproductive biology in flowering plants
- general terminology to understand cross pollination, genetics, selection, plant improvement, and basic plant breeding. We will also cover low-tech seed harvesting, cleaning tools and techniques.
Lastly, we will dream into what a Southern California Community Seed Hub might look like. Don Tipping, originally from Orange County, is a leader in seed and food sovereignty. We look forward to you joining us to learn from him these methods to be a part of the solution!