Seedy Saturday hosted by Green Venture, will lead 60-90 Minute webinars every Saturday in February using the online, social conferencing platform Zoom. The first webinar will begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, February 6, 2021.

Please be sure to read the descriptions below and select the appropriate ticket for the webinar(s) you would like to attend.

You will receive the Zoom link 48 hours prior to the webinar(s).

Webinar Descriptions:

• February 6, 2020 - 11:30AM-12:30PM Seeds Matter with Hawthorn Farm Organic Seeds

Seed saving basics for beginners. Take a deep dive into the world of seeds in this presentation. Discover the history of a seed, the present day state of seeds, community seed saving initiatives, and cover the basic seed saving concepts.

About the Presenter: Kim and Aaron run Hawthorn Farm Organic Seeds in Palmerston ON where they grow, clean, test, pack and distribute organic veggie, herb and flower seed.

• February 6,2020- 1:00PM-2:00PM Native Plants and Your Landscape with Halton Master Gardener

Gardeners often have favourite native plants, but what does it take to incorporate them into the landscape? In this webinar we’ll learn how to start native seeds, propagate plants and create combinations of plants for a variety of settings and/or growing conditions.

About the Presenter: Janet Mackey is a Master Gardener, Certified in Landscape Design from Mohawk College and now works to create sustainable residential landscapes for clients. Her strengths are: designing with native plants, pollinator gardens, and rain gardens.

• February 13, 2020- 11:30AM-12:30PM Indigenous Sustainable Agriculture with Mohawk Seed Keeper Gardens

The sustainable agricultural practices of Indigenous people have provided them with Food Security for centuries. Today Food Security is on everyone’s mind as we experience high food costs and shortages. Learn about some of these practices that promote a simple, healthy and land honouring connection with Terrylynn Brant, “Sera:sera” who is Mohawk, Turtle Clan and lives at Six Nations in Grand River Territory, Ontario Canada and is the owner and operator of Mohawk Seedkeeper Gardens. About the Presenter: Terrylynn is a lifelong gardener who uses indigenous agricultural methods, ceremonies and the support of such helpers as her beehives, maple sugar bush, crafts and the traditional seeds of her Nation in her gardens.

• February 13,2020- 1:00PM-2:00PM Discover Rare Produce with Tree and Twig Heirloom Farm

This conversation will focus on the benefits of growing your own fruit and vegetables such as-– reducing food miles, healthy exercise, truly organic produce, and being able to choose from a vast selection of different varieties that you’ll never see in a supermarket. Discover the odd fruit to alien looking vegetables and Heirloom tomatoes in wild shapes and sizes in this presentation with Linda Crago, Agri-food innovation award recipient.

About the Presenter: Linda Crago is a farmer of 24 years. Linda farms at Tree and Twig situated on a rolling nine-acre property, in Niagara Region, and sells fabulous organic Heirloom seed. She was awarded the Agriculture Enterprise Award at the Niagara Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and regional Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence from the Province of Ontario.

• Feb 13,2020- 2:30-3:30 Garden Design & Planning with Matchbox Garden

There are so many ways we can learn how to feed ourselves, improve our gardening skills for healthier plants and higher yields. In this webinar you will learn all about ally and companion planting, successive planting formula for harvests all season long and how to design a crop plan that you can follow year after year for proper crop rotation and soil health.

About the Presenter: Hanna Jacobs is the owner/operator of Matchbox Garden. Focusing on seed production in the market garden setting. Hanna has been farming for 15 years an operate a 1 acre market garden style farm producing seed, seedlings, and food.

• February 20,2020 11:30 AM-12:30PM The Colourful History of Hamilton’s Seed Catalogs with Erin Aults

Gardeners love seed catalogs. They are the botanical equivalent of a dream book—a grower’s wish list. This presentation takes us through the history of Hamilton’s seed and nursery catalogs and how they have evolved over the years. Leading this webinar is Royal Botanical Gardens librarian and archivist, Erin Aults

About the Presenter: Erin Aults is the librarian and archivist at Royal Botanical Gardens and the Centre for Canadian Historical Horticultural Studies at RBG. Erin gets to nerd out on heritage seed catalogues and gardening books on a regular basis and loves sharing that knowledge.

• February 20 1:00PM-2:00PM Seed Starting and Crop Planning with McQuesten Urban Farm

Learn how to maximize your garden’s potential this summer. Whether you have 20 square ft, a 1/4 acre, or more, realize the full potential of planting tight and planting often. We will talk about starting seedlings, succession planting and staggering your harvest to ensure you have fresh food from your garden for 20 weeks or more.

About the Presenter: Kevin has been farming organically for 20 years and he shares his passion and knowledge of organic growing within this community. The youngest ever recipient of the Hamilton Environmentalist of the Year. Lead Farmer, Farm Operations Manager at McQuesten Urban Farm & Co-Host Amy Bonin

• NEW WORKSHOP ! Feb 20 ,2020- 2:30-3:30 Get in the Zone We live in Canada’s most biodiverse region – the Carolinian zone, which is also home to the greatest number of species at risk. Incorporating Carolinian plants into your garden, balcony or window box can do many things: create a pollinator and wildlife show in your own backyard, reduce or eliminate the need for watering and fertilizing, give food and shelter to at-risk butterflies and insects, and bring more pollinators to your food garden. If enough of us add Carolinian plants, we’ll even create wildlife corridors, allowing species to travel along their migration routes! This workshop will introduce you to IntheZoneGardens.ca, the Continuous Carolinian Garden Facebook group, and the resources you need to start gardening with native plants. People who join the Facebook group by March 15 will have the chance to win a package of Carolinian wildflower seeds. Liz Koblyk is launching the Continuous Carolinian Garden Facebook group and a volunteer promoter of In the Zone’s incredible resources.

• February 27, 2020 11:30PM-12:30PM Gardening in the Time of a Pandemic with Victoria Bick , Dundurn Castle

Join us for this webinar to discover the meaning of community during a national pandemic. We will discover how Hamilton’s beloved Historic Kitchen Garden pivoted from a pristine Victorian garden experience to something farm-like. Hear from Dundurn Castle's staff about the impact and lessons learned from transitioning a showpiece into a food bank producer

• February 27 1:00PM-2:00PM Volunteers - Uptake, COVID-19 precautions and how to have a effective and consistent volunteer program with McQuesten Urban Farm

Back in mid-March 2020, just days before the arrival of spring, farm staff had to completely re-imagine the growing season ahead. What if the urban farm project would have to carry on without the support of community and corporate volunteers? This 30 minute presentation with Farm Manager Amy Bonin and Volunteer Coordinator. Sapphire Singh will share the story of how the urban farm adapted and grew so it could welcome back volunteers for a safe, fulfilling, and productive food and farm experience.

About the Presenter: Sapphire Singh is a long time Hamiltonian that believes in the power of soil and fresh food. She has been involved with environmental sustainability action and projects for over two decades.

This event has been made possible with the support of our sponsors

Ward 8 Councillor John-Paul Danko, Mohawk Sustainability, Hamilton Public Library, , Mount Hamilton Horticultural society, and Fresh Start Environment.

To further support Seedy Saturday and the food security movement you can make a donation here

link: https://sites.google.com/greenventure.ca/seedysaturday/support-seedy