Seed harvest at Blue C Community Garden Saturday, August 23rd

The Blue C Community Garden at 1968 -11th Street in Los Osos will host a free talk on saving seeds & a hands-on seed harvest by Elizabeth Johnson of the SLO Seed Exchange on Saturday August 23 at 1:00 pm. The demonstration garden was planted in March with varieties that mostly self-pollinate or don’t easily cross-pollinate. Seed harvest began in early July and will continue as each variety produces mature seeds. Attendees on August 23 will have an opportunity to harvest, clean, and package seeds from the garden for future plantings.

Farmers saved their own seeds for 10,000 years and are responsible for domesticating and breeding many of our present varieties of edible plants. Commercial seed companies have only been operating for a hundred years. “When you purchase, grow, or exchange seeds, you are taking the first step in plant breeding,” Elizabeth said.  “My goal is to encourage every person to learn one plant’s life cycle by growing it from seed until it produces seed – seed to seed.”  Seeds reflect our culture and each has a story to tell, about the people who tended it, about climate and soil type, about rainfall and microclimates, about families and communities, and about great dinners with fresh food.