Did you miss out on our Native Plants Festival and Sale this season, or get so hooked that you want to learn more about growing native plants? We have many ways you can learn more about native plants at upcoming events this fall and winter!
Collecting and sowing seeds from native plants is one of the best and most affordable ways to grow your own native plants. As you may have heard us say before, native plants support the most wildlife because they are coevolved with our native insects, all of which become food for a variety of other organisms that make up our native ecosystems. As with any other kind of wild harvesting, seed collecting needs to be done in the proper way to minimize negative effects on wild plant populations.
Our first Seed Saving Walk was this past Thursday at Gilsland Farm, held in collaboration with our partners at Wild Seed Project. It was a great way to start the seed-collecting season, and we learned about collecting native seeds in an ethical and sustainable manner.
We’ve got plenty more Seed Saving Walks planned for this fall at several of our sanctuaries around the state. Join us!
Oct. 26: A collaboration with Wild Seed Project at Josephine Newman Sanctuary in Georgetown on October 26.
Oct. 29: We’ll be at Fields Pond Sanctuary in Holden on October 29.
Nov. 2: A second walk at Gilsland Farm on November 2.
Nov. 4: Another walk with Wild Seed Project at Hamilton Sanctuary in West Bath on November 4.
Nov. 18: Our last walk of the season is November 18 at Mast Landing in Freeport.
Of course, collecting seeds is only one part of the equation: they need to be sowed in order to grow plants! Luckily, we also have a few Seed Sowing Workshops on the calendar this winter. SAVE THESE DATES: We will again collaborate with Wild Seed Project on our workshops at Gilsland Farm on December 2 and 16. We will host a third workshop at Fields Pond Sanctuary on January 6 (snow date January 13). Keep an eye out for registration for these workshops, coming soon!
