The demand for seeds has skyrocketed amid the pandemic resulting in seed shortages. Awareness of the importance of seeds and the need for regional seed saving has never been greater. The Great American Seed Up presents Seed Up Saturday on February 27 to support and guide home gardeners looking to expand their planting repertoire and knowledge.

Seed Up Saturday is a free Zoom event with classes on seed saving, including the following: terminology, basics, myths, storage, attracting pollinators to your garden and much more. The three-hour event will take place from 2 until 5 p.m. MST. Participants can sign up online at http://www.SeedUpSaturday.com .

“We are excited to host this event for beginners to advanced gardeners,” said Greg Peterson, co-founder of the Great American Seed Up. “The most important thing we can do right now is discover where our food comes from and how to grow our own. To do that we need a steady supply of seeds."

The mission of the Great American Seed Up is to educate the community about home gardening and the importance of seed saving. Seed saving is imperative if we are to assure a secure and regenerative agriculture system. The organizers believe that we should rely on seeds we can grow and save ourselves. The Great American Seed Up helps jump start the process of reclaiming this ancient tradition by offering heirloom seeds whose plants produce seeds that are easily saved. When seeds are grown, saved, and replanted, they accrue benefits from climactic adaptation that allow us to select for hardier crops, are more pest-resistant and produce tastier food.

Speakers include the cofounders of the Great American Seed Up – Host of Seed Up Saturday, Greg Peterson, founder of The Urban Farm, a third-acre farm in Central Phoenix dedicated to empowering people to plant their own gardens. Bill McDorman, cofounder and lead educator and Belle Starr, cofounder of the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance (RMSA), a grassroots seed conservation non-profit created to assure a diverse supply of local seeds through community-based seed stewardship. And Kari Spencer, a master gardener, master farmer and author of City Farming, A How To Guide to Growing Crops and Raising Livestock in Urban Areas.

To assure that participants have access to bulk, open-pollinated seeds, The Great American Seed Up offers a solution with Seed Up In a Box. Seed Up In a Box is an easy way for home and community gardeners to purchase heirloom seeds at a significant savings. These boxes come with bulk seeds and supplies that can be divided up and shared among friends and community gardens. More than 75 types of vegetable, herb, grain and flower seeds are available to choose from.

Registration is now open online at http://www.SeedUpSaturday.com. The Great American Seed Up is presented by Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance, The Urban Farm, and The Micro Farm Project.