Getting to know seeds

Overview:

Before planting seeds, researching with them, or going forward in our engagement with them, it’s very important for us to get to know them and their particularities as a way of being in good relation with the land. Sensory activities and learning about their preferences are a good way to do this. 

There may also be stories, songs, and traditions that go along with getting to know particular seeds. We ask that you take extra care in making sure the seeds you are bringing to participants are represented in an appropriate way. Are you the right person to be bringing these seeds to participants? If not, time spent on finding an Indigenous or local seed keeper to return the seed(s) is the first step of this activity. For more questions regarding this, please see the “Working with Seeds as More-Than-Human Relations” section. 

Objectives:

1. Familiarizing ourselves with different seeds

2. Visual and tactile engagement with seed relations

3. To make connections with how seeds are part of our everyday lives 

Suggested Supplies:

1. Broadcloth square cut outs or fabric that participants can place seeds onto 

2. Seeds of facilitator’s choice. Heirloom seeds and seeds cultivated in a good way are preferable (more notes on this in the “Working with Seeds as More-Than-Human Relations” section). If seeds do not have packaging information on them, for example, heirloom corn, be sure to have an information card with growing information for participants to read about. 

3. Paper

4. Pen/pencil  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. After laying seeds out on a table, allow participants to pick a seed or multiple types of seeds to engage with. 

2. Begin to explain the 3,2,1 activity below. Write instructions on a board or chart paper.

3. 3,2,1 Activity – Ask participants to write down: 

• 3 Things You See: Record 3 things you see when you look at the seed. Think about size, colour and shape. 

• 2 Things You Feel: Notice two things that you feel when you are with this seed. This can be tangible or intangible. Think about textures, smells, density, weight, and quantity, OR memories/ points of reference. For example, does this look like rice you usually eat? Thinking of food memories and familial memories can be helpful. 

• 1 Thing You Learned About The Seed: This can be found on the information card the facilitator prepared or on the seed packaging itself. For example, what soil does this seed like to grow in? (dry, loamy, sand, clay). When does this seed like to be planted? 

Facilitator Note: The 3,2,1 prompts can be adjusted depending on the age demographic. For younger participants, the emphasis should be on the senses and noticing.

1. Encourage each participant to share back their reflection with the seed they chose to get to know.

1. This activity can be a good point of departure in starting a growing space. Collectively, you’re doing research on the growing environment you need to steward for your seeds to grow well.

2. This activity can also offer reflection for what native seeds need in order to thrive. Is the current area you’re planning to plant the seeds in suitable for the native seeds you’re getting to know? Why or why not? A part of getting to know seeds means getting to know the traditional territories and land they are planted in. 

Facilitator Note: While concluding the activity, facilitators can draw similarities between getting to know seeds and getting to know a friend's preferences. The more we know about our friends, the more our relationship can grow.

Authored by Kaitlin Rizarri for the Tkaronto CIRCLE Lab, in conversation with on-going farming & earthwork in Tkaronto