Thursday September 3rd, 2026 | 5pm – 7pm
Free and Open to the Public
The Southern Appalachians have a wildflower for nearly every habitat and season, from early spring bloomers in humid bottomlands to autumn asters on dry, rocky summits. Bringing those plants into your own garden starts with seed, and collecting it well is a skill worth learning.
Skye Cahoon, Conservation Outreach Director at Mainspring Conservation Trust, leads this workshop on ethical and sustainable wild seed collection. The focus is on what a backyard gardener can actually do: collecting and processing seed by hand, in home garden quantities, with no special tools required.
In this workshop, you’ll cover:
- How to collect wild seed mindfully, without harming the plants or their habitat
- Hand processing methods for small, home garden quantities
- The benefits of growing wild, local, native plants at any scale
- An introduction to Mainspring’s WNC Wildseed Library program
This workshop takes place in our covered outdoor learning pavilion, so dress for the weather. Bring water and something to take notes with, and plan to arrive a few minutes early to park and get settled. The workshop starts promptly at 5pm.
This event is free, though donations are appreciated to support the WNC Wildseed Library. Cash or check accepted at the event. Registration is requested through Mainspring, but not required.