Join us in the food forest on for a hands-on seed saving workshop with returning guest lecturer Tomia MacQueen of the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance and Wildflower Farm NJ.

Seeds carry more than the promise of next season’s plants. Saving and sharing them is a practice of stewardship, connecting us to the plants we grow, the people who have tended them before us, and the communities who will carry them forward.

Tomia will introduce participants to the foundations of seed saving, from understanding when seeds are ready to harvest to gathering, processing, and storing them for future planting.

Along the way, we’ll explore why seed stewardship matters and how saving seeds can help preserve plant diversity, cultural knowledge, and community relationships. Then we’ll head into the food forest to put that learning into practice, working directly with plants and seeds growing in this shared place.

Whether you’re an experienced gardener or completely new to seed saving, come ready to learn, get your hands in the garden, and discover how something as small as a seed can connect one growing season - and one generation - to the next.

When:
November 7th, 12pm-2pm

Where:
Montgomery College Food Forest
Corner of Philadelphia Ave & Chicago Ave
7719 Chicago Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, 20910 (map here)

Cost:
$15 per adult
Children under the age of 16 go free with a paying adult

About the Speaker:

Tomia MacQueen is an educator, grower, and steward of seed knowledge. She is a founding member of Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, and owns and runs Wildflower Farm in New Jersey.

Ujamaa is an incredible collective doing beautiful work to protect seed heritage, support Black farmers, and keep the knowledge of growing alive and in community. Their presence brings a deeper layer to this workshop - a reminder that seeds are not just the start of plants, but part of a much longer story of care and continuity.