Plant Pop-ups & Seed Stories

I finally did it. In spite of all my introverted tendencies, and the desire for any reason to cancel plans and stay home, I dragged the mister and a whole truck bed full of plants to Interwoven, my friend Rhonda Fazio’s art studio in New Bedford, MA.

I’ve habitually started WAY too many seedlings over the fast few years, and Rhonda had been wanting me to do some kind of plant related event at her place since I started gardening again three years ago, so we put together a last-minute pop-up sale just to test the waters.

I brought plants, seeds, some books, and some stories. And while it was not a blockbuster even (that’s ok), I came away with a renewed sense of purpose and encouragement toward more than just my plants and my garden. It reinforces that people ARE really interested in seed saving and gardening, and that they wouldn’t mind learning about it from/with me!

Full disclosure, I am not a formally trained individual. Yes, I grew up gardening, worked a few summers at a couple garden centers, took one horticulture class in college, and obsessively wander the internet in search of interesting information, BUT there is no certificate, no degree, or any thing like that.

But I suppose if I were to teach/guide some kind of class the best way, I think, would be to approach it as: “Here’s where I am at in my learning. I’m not a trained expert or an authority, but I can explain what I’ve learned, and from where/whom.” And then maybe we can all move forward together as a community.

It’s become more apparent to me that a lot of education these days (in all fields of inquiry) comes from people who have very little long-term experience (sometimes just surface-level grasp at best) and I don’t want to perpetuate the belief that a little bit of knowledge bestows the authority to teach others. Having long-term experience in other fields, I recognize that there’s plenty that I don’t and can’t know about gardening/seeds yet because I’ve only been back at this for three years. That’s said, I do, however, recognize that even three years can help someone else catch up a little.

Could be fun right?

Local conversations working up to possible group activities/projects? Possibly building toward some kind of “institutional” support/backing/guidance? There are quite a few organizations that are supportive of community organizing, and I think a connection to a wider group (even just through a shared sense of spirit) could help build a critical mass of interest locally.

In terms of a group ethos, I think love and joy are the key to success. Yes, we know why seed-saving and adaptable crops are critical and urgent. But everyone is so overloaded, so while we can’t ignore or suppress the heaviness, I think focusing on what we can do, and do it in ways prioritizing the spreading joy to our communities, could ease the barriers to adaptation. I’m not talking toxic-positivity, but more of a “yes, and…” kind of thing. “Yes, there are heavy things going on in the world, and we can work to perpetuate joy centered around a common interest.” Additionally by focusing on things we agree on and things we are FOR, maybe we can also work on ways that we can remain open to entire communities, as mixed and flawed and complicated as they may be.

In our efforts to support joy in ourselves and the community, and using this common interest as a central anchor, individuals could share their unique amalgam of skills, interests, and connections within the context of the group. For example, I’m an artist (a painter and printmaker by trade), and printmaking has always lended itself to mass communication and organizing. There are some interestingly low-tech ways that can be taught to all experience levels that would enable folks to make their own seed packet designs, event posters and notices, etc.

Think about what you could bring to such a group!