YUF CSA presents its final Summer Workshop:
Seed Saving and Plot Prepping
and
It’s now FREE
These wonderufl ladies will lead an intimate discussion on the best ways to save seeds from your plants to use in the garden next year, as well as the right way to weed and prep your garden plot for next summer’s growing season. There will also be a brief discussion on winter planting and how to help this sort of garden thrive.
As part of this workshop, participants will first spend some time with Maria outside UofT’s Hart House safely harvesting wild seeds from various garden beds around the property. Next, the workshop will move inside where Maria will lead discussions on seed saving and Elaine will provide some great info on prepping and preserving your garden bed for next year, as well as winter/early spring planting tips. Participants are also encouraged to bring seeds they collect from their gardens and around their homes. Maria recommends “following your instincts” when it comes to collecting these seeds and adds, “They should document what they are collecting, however, as seeds for some unknown item are not that useful.”
The workshop will also focus on pollination, what kind of seeds to save, longevity of various kinds of seeds, safe storage for various seeds, some tips onseed cleaning [tomatoes, etc.] and some other ways of perpetuating desired plants when no actual seeds are available. Seeds of Diversity will provide seedsamples, seed collecting envelopes, special bags and hand-outs for the workshop.
When: Monday, Sept 20th 2010 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Where: Hart House Committee’s Room [Click here for map]
Cost: FREE!!!!
Please RSVP directly to noelle@yufcsa.com with: your name and phone number
Only 10 spaces are available for this event
***
About Maria:
“As a child, I found wild plants going to seed by the railroad tracks and spread their seeds in well kept yards, much to the consternation of the tidy “lawn and boarder” gardeners. The processes of plant life have always seemed more interesting to me than the superficial appearances. About thirty years ago, I started working an allottment garden, and eventually my husband and I became avid urban farmers, raising a lot of our food organically. We expanded our growing projects onto our rooftop and as we learned about heirloom plants, it was natural to carry the seed saving impulse into the vegetable domain. As I became aware of seed saving as a social justice issue and a vital activity for preserving the food supply as well as preserving endangered species and varieties, I decided to make a point of talking to people about it We all want to protect rare life forms, but we can’t all breed pandas and whales in our back yards. But tomatoes? Hey, no problem!” – Maria
About Elaine:
Elaine Howarth is a graduate from Trent University in the environmental and political studies program, with a specialization in environmental politics and law. However, during her studies, she developed a passion for food security Moneygram fees and urban agriculture and is very active in the Toronto gardening community.