Free the Seeds event planned for March 5-7
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News from Land to Hand Montana
KALISPELL/ COLUMBIA FALLS — Free the Seeds returns to the Flathead Valley March 5–7, 2022, for the seventh year of workshops and a free seed giveaway. This year’s event features two locations for the open-pollinated seed giveaway and free virtual workshops that promote real seeds, real food, and real skills: Seed Bundle Giveaway: 9 a.m. – noon, Saturday, March 5, at Flathead Valley Community College (west parking lot) in Kalispell and at the ImagineIF Library in Columbia Falls.
Virtual Workshops:
Saturday, March 5
— 2–3:30 p.m. | Building Community Seed Gardens by Robin Kelson (The Good Seed Co.)
— 4-5:30 p.m. | From Seed to Potent Skin Care by Annegret Pfeifer (Kettle Care Organics)
— 6-7:30 p.m. | Community Conversation Panel – Inform Our Future
Sunday, March 6
— 1-2:30 p.m. | Mushroom Cultivation by Shawn McDyre (Sun Hands Farm)
— 3-4:30 p.m. | Pickling Your Garden by Julie Laing (Twice as Tasty)
— 5-6:30 p.m. | Kids’ Cooking Class by Farmer Whitney (Land to Hand MT)
Monday, March 7
— 5-6:30 p.m. | Seed Starting 101 by Nathan Christianson (Raven Ridge Farm)
All workshops will be virtual. Free registration is required to attend.
Each virtual workshop will feature an expert presentation and plenty of time for questions and answers. At the Community Conversation, presenters will lead an open discussion with panelists and then the floor will open up and participants will be encouraged to engage in the conversation.
Links for the free virtual, interactive workshops and Community Conversation are available on the Land to Hand MT website. Sign up and learn more at: landtohandmt.org.
Besides giving away seeds, Free the Seeds welcomes seeds saved by local gardeners to pass on to other growers. Heirloom, open-pollinated, and non-genetically modified (non-GMO) seeds can be donated at ImagineIF library locations in Columbia Falls and Kalispell. Many of the seeds being given away at this event have been grown and saved by previous attendees.
Seeds can also be mailed to Land to Hand MT, PO Box 4404, Whitefish, MT 59937. Volunteers interested in joining seed-packing parties before the fair or helping at the event can sign up at: landtohandmt.org. Sponsors make this free event possible; donations can be made through the Land to Hand MT website.
Over the last 6 years, more than 7,000 people have attended this free event. Upward of 85,000 packets of non-GMO, open-pollinated seeds have been given away, with about half collected locally and packed by local volunteers.
Free the Seeds is a program of the nonprofit Land to Hand MT and has a mission of building a sustainable and resilient future through real seeds, real food and real skills. Free the Seeds can be found online at: landtohand.org/programs/free-the-seeds and on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
