Gathering seed from native plants and sowing it yourself is a fun and inexpensive way to increase the biodiversity of the land under your care! Join this BEAT-organized workshop led by Amy Pulley of Wing and a Prayer Nursery to learn how to properly collect and store different types of native seeds.

During this workshop, Amy will focus on the protocols and practical processes for collecting native perennial seeds, both in your garden and in the wild. When is the seed ready to harvest? How much seed should be taken from a plant? How do we clean seed and store it safely? We will gather ripe seeds from the gardens at BEAT’s Environmental Leadership & Education Center and examine the amazing differences between seeds and what their shapes and sizes might tell us about the plant.

Amy will give participants resources for learning what it takes to germinate and grow plants from your seed, and she will briefly cover a few of the basics of seed propagation. This is a skill that we can all develop, and Amy is happy to answer questions, suggest resources, and cheer you on! Everyone will go home with some seed to plant and a list of species that are easy to grow from seed.

Envelopes for seed storage will be provided, but we welcome folks to pull some intact used paper envelopes from their recycling and bring those along. If you have a small magnifying glass or loupe, please also bring those with you. (We will share if you don’t!)

This workshop is free, but donations are welcomed. Space is limited to 15 participants. You must register to attend. Register here.

DATE: Saturday, October 21

TIME: 1:00 PM – 3 :00 PM

LOCATION: BEAT’s Environmental Leadership & Education Center, 20 Chapel Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201

Email team@thebeatnews.org with any questions.