West Marin Revival Seed Swap

Join us next Friday evening, March 18th, 2016, 6-9pm

The S.P.R.OUT Seed Library hosts a community Seed Swap in Downtown Bolinas, young to old are encouraged to bring their seeds, starts, cuttings, garden supplies, or enthusiasm to swap. Bring your favorite meal-share along with a mug/place settings for a lively, seedy evening.

We are super excited to host this Seed Swap at The Commons, 22 Brighton Avenue, Downtown Bolinas (the old Uniquities space). Town’s newest community space, for those that knew us back in 2005, that is how we started.. on Wharf Rd….

We are loving this wet spring, the coming equinox is a sweet time to gather and prepare for the coming seasons…

Supporting Seed Saving, Community Sovereignty, Food Security  through a time honored tradition of swapping local seeds among community members. The Seed Library, started in 2005 hosted Swaps, Seed Saving workshops, Chautauqua reviews in Bolinas for years. The Seed Library is emerging with the rains from a dormancy with it’s first Seed Swap in four years. As always you do not have to bring to receive.

Medea Leones, Seedy Librarian

sproutreach@gmail.com
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The SPROUT Seed Library is a non-profit community sported seed and plant resource outreach and library in West Marin.  The SPROUT Library provides seeds and plants to gardeners who in turn grow-out select plants for seed and return some to the library for others to borrow.  Our goal is to nurture gardeners as earth tenders with uniquely suited plants for our bioregion while supporting genetic diversity and community sovereignty.   SPROUT is an acronym for the Seed and Plant Resource OUTreach.

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Community Seed Exchange- Sunday 11/25 1:30-3:30 in West Marin

Date: Sunday, November 25, 2012 – 1:30pm to 3:30pm

Location: Bolinas Community Center 14 Wharf Road, Downtown Bolinas

 

Please join us at the Bolinas Community Center this Sunday, November 25th 1:30-3:30 for all things seedy, home grown, and you!

The Maya Ark Seed Project along with the S.P.R.OUT Seed Library invite you to a fall seed exchange, film, and seed saving mentorship gathering this holiday weekend in Downtown Bolinas. Come for the beauty, get seeds and see some are art in town with open studios this weekend!

We have the ability to mentor each other and build a living seed resource here in West Marin.
Please come:
if you are interested in learning how to save seeds,
curious and do not know where to start,
if you have seeds (packets too) to share,
and as always you don’t have to bring to receive- all are welcome.

The Seed Library is launching a mentorship program to boost the gardens that are saving seed- if you are interested in saving seed please come or email- sproutreach@gmail.com if you can not make it. we would love to support you in growing out one variety for seed this coming season.

Thank you,
Enjoy

Link to our fb event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/388767301197498/

Food Justice- Seed Saving Teach-in at Oakland’s General Strike, November 2nd

 

On Wednesday, November 2nd, Oakland will be in the state of a General Strike. Called for by Occupy Oakland after the overwhelming and violent police action to enforce the 10pm-6am curfew at the plaza where protesters were camping out, this will be the first general strike in the United States in sixty-five years.

 

Frank Ogawa Plaza, named for the Japanese-American who was interned during WWII for over three years and later served 28 years on Oakland City Council in the 60’s- renamed Oscar Grant Plaza by Occupy Oakland, will be the crossroads for a multitude of marches from striking students to workers to children. From 2-5pm there will be a food justice teach-in at the plaza, 14^th Street and Broadway, Downtown Oakland.

 
Shortly after the general strike was ratified, we began sending out feelers to other seed libraries, gardeners and folks that resonate with social change through the plant world for a teach-in, reminiscent of actions I have read about during the Vietnam War protests.

 
Turns out we were not the only ones feeling the need for positive change. A consortium of food justice organizations, authors, and activists organized a teach-in/eat-in for November 2nd at the Oakland General Strike. The Seed Library will give a practical hands-on intro to seed saving along with a demo on making seed balls with edible plants. We go on at 3:45pm at the Food Justice tent/table in the north end of the plaza.

SPROUT at the Far West Fest

 

the sprout seed library will return to west marin’s fantastic music festival, the Far West Fest this saturday july 16th gates at 10am at love field in pt reyes station.
to get tickets or more information: http://www.farwestfest.com

 

bring your love of music, dancing shoes and envelops/jars to pick out some of our fantastic edible, medicinal and herb seeds to ‘borrow’ for your late summer/fall garden.

we offer our seeds- take as many as you will actually plant. select one variety to grow out for seed- save those seeds and return some to the seed library- replenishing our stock for future borrowers!

 

simple hun!? no, not sure how to save seeds? come to the booth and find out about the basics to get you started.

Seed Saving Class in SF at Garden for the Environment November 6th

'wind' technique for threshing seeds

SEED SAVING!
come get tips, learn a technique or two at this Hands-On Seed Saving class at the seminal Garden for the Environment in the Sunset District, San Francisco.

Date: Saturday, November 6th, 2010
Time: 1PM – 3PM
Location: Garden for the Environment, 7th Ave and Lawton Street, San Francisco
Instructor: Medea Aranda, founder S.P.R.O.U.T. Seed Library
Cost: $15

REGISTER HERE or call GFE (415) 731-5627

This Seed Saving Workshop will be a user-friendly orientation to the mysteries of saving, harvesting and processing plant seeds. The workshop will include an introduction to the philosophy of seed saving, how to distinguish which seeds are easy to save and which are not, hands-on processing techniques and demonstrations, as well as how to store and preserve cultural seed information. Come and learn to save the tastiest veggies from your garden with Medea Aranda, the founder and director of the S.P.R.OUT Seed Library (Seed & Plant Resource OUTreach).

See you there!

Seedlings and Sowing

The last couple of days have felt like fall here on the pacific coast. The Seed Library is staged in Bolinas just 26 miles north of San Francisco, a few miles off  highway 1 at the southern tip of Pt Reyes National Seashore. Just days before the full moon we have planted three types of broccoli, cabbage, peas  and a variety lettuce in the garden. A welcome grounding in the buildup to November 13th~ The 3rd Annual Seed Library’s Fundraiser: Chautauqua Seed Fest & Revue. Excitement and a collaboration is germinating. We had a couple of tables and display at the Bioneers seed swap last saturday. Gave hundreds of seeds away and collected a few. We are expecting many local seed saving, agricultural and permaculture groups to hold space at the seed swap~ Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, Regenerative Design Institute, Sustainable Fairfax, and several Bay Area seed libraries.

Today, Thursday 21st is a leaf day in the Biodynamic System of agriculture. Though the broccoli we are planting is a ‘flower’ crop we use the suggestions as that, and hope for the best! I am saving a few starts to plant on the next flower day (a week from today! hope they live that long) to see if there is a noticeable difference. will post photos this evening. I consult my paper calendar, i was just shown this site which has lunar planting days listed form a number of perspectives. if you use it, please share your experience.

Chautauqua Seed Fest & Revue POSTPONED ‘TIL SPRING!!

POSTPONED!!!
due to some snafus at the venue we have to postpone Thee Chautauqua until spring! keep you seeds safe and happy (low moisture and dry) and stay tuned for updates.

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Bolinas, CA — On Saturday, November 13th at the Bolinas Community Center, the non-profit SPROUT Seed Library presents the Third Annual Benefit CHAUTAUQUA Seed Fest & Revue. Seed swap, community locovore dinner, music, performance, dance, storytelling~ these elements and more are the fecund seeds germinating into this wondrous afternoon & evening of sharing, entertainment and enlightenment. A true community harvest celebration, this Third Annual Benefit for the SPROUT Seed Library, the Chautauqua Seed Fest & Revue, is founded on the belief that local entertainment for local audiences is a righteous good time.

A joint collaboration with Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, OAEC, the day is a fundraiser for the SPROUT Seed Library. The Chautauqua Seed Fest & Revue begins at 4pm with a community Seed Swap offering gardeners an opportunity to share and receive a cornucopia of open-pollinated and heirloom seeds.

The festive atmosphere during the swap includes a locovore dinner, tasty libations and scrumptious desserts benefiting SPROUT. This year the stellar community supporting Midnight on the Water will be leading an open musical jam germinating the afternoon. The day culminates with the Chautauqua Review, a vaudevillian variety showcase of talented performers sure to please and inspire.

to purchase tickets in advance:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/134958