In this online forum with plenty of room for question and answer, we will go over all of the considerations when planting a garden for seed saving. What cross pollinates with what? Will your watermelon cross with my pumpkin? We will discuss vegetable species pollination and how to get high quality seed that is true-to-type. We will also discuss seed cleaning through threshing, winnowing and saving storage methods.

Living Earth Center is honored to host Zachary Paige- manager of North Circle Seeds, a new Minnesota Seed Company growing regionally adapted, sustainably grown seeds with a circle of mainly Minnesota growers.

Zach is the Food Sovereignty Coordinator for the White Earth Band of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. He has worked for the White Earth Land Recovery Project organizing the Indigenous Farming Conference in Callaway, MN for the past 6 years. Under native leadership, he aided in the formation of the Upper Midwest Indigenous Seed Keeper Network involving over 15 tribes in the region. He holds a Masters degree in Plant Breeding from Iowa State University where he studied carotenoid and protein content in open-pollinated maize adapted to the Northern climate. He has a small farm in Vergas, MN where he farms hardneck garlic, poultry, and stewards many varieties of rare and diversified vegetable seed.
Join the class to learn some basics to build onto for future in depth courses, make some friends, ask some questions and build a common seed saving community!

Cost: $15 (plus fees). Scholarships are available. Nobody is turned away for inability to pay! Email lpeterson@ssndcp.org for details.

Format: Online