A Super Seedy Year in 2022!
MN SEED 2022 Year in Review
The Seed Keeping cycle is a staple activity of the MnSEED program: the progressive steps of collecting, processing, and sharing native plant seeds. The aim is to bring many folks along during this cycle, elevating the community of practice of seed keeping.
“The seedkeeping cycle that MN SEED highlights is an example of the programs I try to support; Opportunities for community members to learn small skills that when stringed together become impactful and aid self-sufficiency. Seedkeepers elevate sustainability, climate change adaptions, and the ecology of built environments.”
MN SEED Bounty in 2022
I am so honored to be a part The MN SEED team which includes Dawn Lamm of the Como Community Seed Library and Courtney Tchida of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. Our project activities are made possible in part by support from a Capitol Region Watershed District , Lawns to Legumes, and numerous collaborators including:
So many dedicated participants, many who come regularly to our events to share knowledge.
MN Seed received the 2022 Watershed Outreach Program Award from Capitol Region Watershed District!
MN SEED was covered recently in a Midway Monitor article.
The following article shares highlights from the past season.
MN Seed Collection Events in 2022
Locations:
Capitol Region Watershed District HQ
Monarch City
Gibbs Farm
NE Middle School Rain Garden in Minneapolis
21 Roots Farm
The collected and cleaned seeds create connections and opportunities for participants to grow even more native plants that increase biodiversity and pollinator support.
Tabling Events in 2022
D10 Celebrate Spring, in Como Park neighborhood in St. Paul
Mighty Midway Festival, at Hamline Elementary in St. Paul
D10 Pick Up and Party, in Como Park neighborhood in St. Paul
V-Fest at Arts Us, in Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul
Donate Good stuff Eco-Fair, at Como Park neighborhood in St. Paul
Climate Carnival at Lily Pad Community Garden in Frogtown, St Paul
Hamline Midway Coalition Annual Meeting, in Hamline Midway neighborhood in St. Paul
Participating in events opens the eyes of community members to the potential native seeds can have in their landscapes.
Seed Cleaning Events in 2022
Gibbs Farm Apple Festival
Urban Roots
In 2022 we collected, cleaned and distributed over 100 varieties of native plant species seeds to program participants, and we distributed over 1600 seed packets through events. In total we collected over 1.6 million seeds worth more than $1,300.
Expanded Community Connections
The MN SEED Project supported 2 Lawn- to-Legumes Neighborhood Demonstration projects, The Bee Line and The Saint Paullinator Project, as well as numerous other gardening efforts such in private and public spaces including rain gardens, pocket prairies, boulevard plantings, meadow restorations, and K-12 school gardens.
The MN SEED Project played a key role in the success achieved by the Hamline Midway/Frogtown Bee Line project. Processed and packed native pollinator plant seeds shared by the MN SEED program rounded out 233 seed starting kits that ended up propagating 90 different species. Over 2,000 plants were grown in this community propagation effort for a value of $9,000. These plants were installed by 80 community members in public spaces, mostly along Pierce Butler Route, in support of their Lawns to Legumes neighborhood project.
