'Seedy Sunday' Propagating Workshop

For our first Seed Savers' meeting in 2013 on Sunday 3 February (8.30am - 10.30am), we'll be kicking off with growing from different plant parts including seeds.

Raising seeds in toilet roll pots in a mini green house

Join in the FREE Propagating Workshop to learn more about growing edible plants from seasonal cuttings and seeds. Find out how to strike cuttings and sow seeds to maximise germination. Seed/plant material available at the time will determine what activities we'll be doing on the day!

Swap/Share: If you have a surplus of particular plants in your garden or some need a 'haircut' or prune, then please feel free to bring these along to share/swap - it's a great way to grow your garden for free. Herbs like mint, rosemary, oregano and thyme are easy to strike from cuttings.

Rosemary is a herb that strikes easily from cuttings

With the current dry weather spell we're having, many gardens are suffering from lack of moisture. Edibles like coriander, rocket, lettuces and other leafy greens and herbs are bolting to seed quickly so it's a great time to snip these flower heads off and store them for drying and seed saving at this workshop. Keep them in a paper bag (remember to label with variety and date!)

Tatsoi in flower

What to Bring on the Day

To help with seed processing, it would be greatly appreciated if you could please bring:

• a funnel (or make your own from a clean plastic drink bottle) - these are handy to tip clean seeds into the tiny packets for storage.

• any spare shallow trays or plates (this enables us to sort and blow off chaff)

• sieves & strainers (kitchen sieves of any size are useful to remove chaff from seeds)

Metal or plastic strainers/sieves and shallow oven or kitchen trays are useful processing tools.

• teaspoons (for measuring into bags)

• artist's or pastry brushes (for brushing away fine chaff from seed)  

Flat plastic plates and pastry brushes are always useful

The more of these materials we have, the more people can get involved in seed processing.

Plant & Seed Swap/Share 

• Any seeds, cuttings, plant material or excess produce from your garden you would like to share. A pair of scissors and secateurs are also handy tools for taking extra cuttings on the day.

Snip cuttings fresh if possible and bring some extra newspaper to wrap around them to keep them from drying out

We hope to see you there.
by Anne Gibson