Virtual Seed School

This course will take place over six weeks. Zoom webinars will be presented live each Monday at 6:00 pm Central Time from October 7-November 11. Students will also have access to a shared folder with webinar recordings and additional educational content.

This series is intended for beginning seed savers and those looking to expand their seed-saving knowledge to new crops and techniques.

Required text: The class series will be based on The Seed Garden, and students will need a copy of the book to participate.

For questions on this workshop series, please contact events@seedsavers.org, or Seed Savers Exchange customer service at (563) 382-5990. Customer service hours are 9 am - 4 pm Central, Monday through Friday.

Class Options

$110.00 Level

Included:

• Virtual Seed School

• Seed Savers Exchange Seed Saving Kit (SKU: PD0736)
  • Featuring everything you need to start your seed collection! Each kit includes lettuce bags, blossom bags, glassine envelopes for smaller seeds, and a copy of The Seed Garden.
    • The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving- Filled with practical advice for the home gardener and more seasoned horticulturist, The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving provides easy-to-follow instructions, hundreds of helpful full-color photos, and detailed descriptions on how to save seed from 75 crop types. The snapshots that introduce each crop type offer a quick reference for those must-know items like population size, plant spacing, and seed life. It’s the perfect gift for any gardener and an ideal addition to any personal garden library. Created by Seed Savers Exchange in collaboration with Organic Seed Alliance, bringing together decades of expert seed saving knowledge. Softcover, 8.5 x 11, 390 pages.
    • Lettuce Bags - Bags can be used to prevent insects from moving pollen between different varieties of lettuce, peppers or eggplants. Also useful for catching lettuce seeds before they blow away. 5 Bags (18 x 36")
    • Blossom Bags - Useful for saving seeds from tomatoes, blossom bags can be slipped over unopened flowers to prevent insects from moving pollen between different varieties planted close to one another. 10 Bags (3 x 4")
    • Glassine Envelopes - Perfect for small seeds like lettuce and carrots, glassine envelopes are air and water-resistant. 50 Envelopes (2 x 3")

$90.00 Level

Included:

• Virtual Seed School

• The Seed Garden book (SKU: SB0005)
  • Seed Savers Exchange and the Organic Seed Alliance bring together decades of knowledge to demystify the time honored tradition of saving seeds using lush photographs, clear instructions, and easy-to-comprehend profiles on specific crop types.
    • Softcover
    • Winner of The American Horticultural Society's 2016 Book Award
    • Authors: Lee Buttala and Shanyn Siegel
    • Publisher: Seed Savers Exchange (May 4, 2015)
    • 8 ½” x 11”

$60.00 Level

Included:

• Virtual Seed School

PLEASE NOTE: Virtual Seed School requires that you have a copy of The Seed Garden in order to participate. If you already have a copy of The Seed Garden, you can purchase the Virtual Seed School by contacting Customer Service at (563) 382-5990. Customer Service hours are Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Central.

Schedule

(Subject to change)
Mondays, October 7-November 11
5:30-6:00 PM Central Time: Seed Social, join for an optional social time with SSE instructors and other Seed School participants

6:00-7:30 PM Central Time: Sessions and Q&A
Recordings will be posted within the week.

Monday, October 7–The Botany of Seed Saving

This introductory lesson will explore the fascinating world of plant life cycles and reproduction. By understanding these aspects of saving seeds and key vocabulary, you can make more informed decisions about which plants to grow and how to plan your garden accordingly.

Monday, October 14–Harvesting and Cleaning Seeds: Dry Processing

This lesson will focus on processing dry seeds like beans, lettuce, and collards. Using several examples, we’ll discuss when and how to harvest for optimal results and how to choose the right tools for this work.

Monday, October 21–Harvesting and Cleaning Seeds: Wet Processing

This lesson will focus on processing seeds found in fleshy fruits like tomatoes, melons, and squash. Using several examples, we’ll discuss when and how to harvest for optimal results and how to choose the right tools for this work.

Monday, October 28–Seed Quality and Storage

In this lesson, you will learn the best practices for proper seed storage. We’ll also delve into the unique considerations for saving seeds from biennials.

Monday, November 4–Growing and Saving Seed in Your Region

This lesson, we will break into smaller groups, and you will be able to hear from and ask questions of expert growers in your region: Northern, Pacific Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic.

Monday, November 11–Next Steps: Connecting to Community

For our final lesson, we will share ways to continue your seed-saving journey and opportunities to connect with the seed-saving community.