Special Event for Heirloom Seed Lovers

This week marks the beginning of the home and garden show season in Minnesota. In addition to big shows, such as this week’s Minnesota Home and Patio Show and the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show, there will be dozens of seminars, hort days and gardening events sponsored by garden clubs and University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners. MSHS will be at all the big shows and copies of Northern Gardener will be included in the packets at many of the smaller events, too.

This year, MSHS is sponsoring a very special program for vegetable gardeners and all lovers of heirloom seeds during the Minneapolis home and garden show.

Diane Ott Whealy, co-founder and vice-president of Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa, will present two of three free programs for gardeners at the Minneapolis Convention Center. These programs are free to anyone (you do not have to buy a ticket to the home and garden show) and will be held in Room 103, just outside the show floor. They will be held on Saturday, March 2, and Sunday, March 3. We also should note that meter parking is free in downtown Minneapolis on Sunday.

Here are the programs:

• Planting and Saving Heirloom Seeds. Saturday, March 2, 4 p.m. Presenter: Diane Ott Whealy, Co-Founder and Vice President of  Seed Savers Exchange.
• What’s “New” with Heirlooms. Sunday, March 3, 10 a.m. Presenter: Kelly Tagtow, Seed Savers Exchange. New heirloom introductions in 2013, and the unique and valuable stories behind the seeds.
• Planting and Saving Heirloom Seeds. Sunday, March 3, 11:30 a.m. Presenter: Diane Ott Whealy, co-founder and Vice President of  Seed Savers Exchange.

Door prizes will be given out at the talks on Sunday, and the 2013 Seed Savers Exchange catalog will be available in limited quantities. Seed Savers Exchange seeds will be available for purchase during the entire Minneapolis Home and Garden Show through the Minnesota State Horticultural Society in Room 103.

Diane is the author of Gathering: Memoir of a Seed Saver. She talks more about the impetus for writing the story of Seed Savers Exchange in the video below.

If you want to attend the show before or after the talks, tickets for the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show are available for purchase at the door or at online. Presentations on the Garden Theater Stage are arranged by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. The full presentation listing can be seen at our website. Also, do not forget to stop by our booth on the show floor and check out the books and other gear we have for sale.