Seed to Seed (Sowing)

This is the first event of two of a new project for 2025, devised in collaboration by The Wash House Garden, Glasgow Seed Library and Glasgow Community Food Network's Food and Climate Action project. It will be a unique oppprtunity to tend a plant from seed to seed.

The project will focus on a special variety, Desert Spirit – a diverse and beautiful landrace of squash that was originally selected for taste by Wild Mountain Seeds in Colorado. We are growing this squash in honour of Casey Piscura, farmer, plant breeder, and community seed saver.

Over the course of the growing season, participants will learn skills related to:

• Sowing and seedling care
• Keeping notes to document the condition of the crop
• Hand and insect pollination
• Landraces and how they are created
• Soil care and plant nutrition
• Roguing and selection
• Harvest and storage of seeds

This first practical workshop will introduce the project and involve sowing and inoculating squash seeds.

It will be facilitated by Meg Edwards of Glasgow Seed Library (please see Meg's biography below). At the end of the growing season, a second event will include a community meal and harvest celebration.

Some of the squash seeds will be deposited in Glasgow Seed Library for the community to borrow and grow in 2026, and some will be distributed as part of a national crowd breeding initiative led by The Gaia Foundation.

Please arrive 10 minutes before the start of the workshop for a prompt start.

Teas and coffees will be provided. Please bring your own snacks, bottle of water and lunch. You're welcome to bring your own cup too.

We recommend wearing suitable clothing and sturdy shoes for gardening. As the Glasgow weather is quite unpredictable, please bring warm layers of clothing, and a hat.

All gardening tools will be provided.

Access information

The Wash House Garden is sloped with rough ground, and may be suitable for off-road wheelchair users. There is a composting toilet on site, with public accessible toilets in a nearby pub around 100m away.

Please email satya.dunning@glasgowfood.net for more information or to make an access request.

Getting here:

Closest transport links are: The garden is located a 2 minute walk from bus stops serving buses 61, 240, 255 from the city centre going down Gallowgate. Carntyne train station is a 15 minute walk away. There is free on-street parking just outside the garden. Bikes can be brought in and stored in the garden.

About the organisers:

The Wash House Garden are a Workers Co-operative of Queer Community Growers, stewarding a beautiful piece of land in East Glasgow. We seek to actively contribute to the struggles for food sovereignty and land justice in Glasgow, Scotland and beyond.

The Wash House Garden was borne out of a desire to feel a sense of mutual support and solidarity in a society in which communities have been decimated across the generations, and to grow and eat delicious food that nourished body and soul, soil and planet in spite of our globalised, environmentally damaging, and frankly bland modern food system.

Faced with these at times overwhelming issues, and in the hope of inspiring ripples of change, here in Glasgow’s East End we are taking a small step in the direction we would like to see our society, environment and economy move in.

We are thankful to be working in partnership with Glasgow Community Food Network as part of the Food & Climate Action project.

Glasgow Seed Library is a collection of seeds and a community of growers. Throughout the year, we run free workshops, talks and events around seed saving, community growing, food justice and earth care. The library stocks organic and open-pollinated vegetable, herb and flower seeds for everyone to borrow, grow and save. By learning to save and share seed locally, we can nurture unique varieties and adapt our plants to a changing Scottish climate.

Glasgow Community Food Network's Food and Climate Action project, funded by The National Lottery, the Food & Climate Action Project is a five year partnership between Glasgow Eco Trust, St Paul’s Youth Forum, Central and West Integration Network, The Wash House Garden & Urban Roots, and is led by Glasgow Community Food Network.

The FCA project aims to co-design alongside communities a kinder, fairer & more resilient food system for Glasgow.

Project activity spans across 3 main strands of work: Movement Building, Food Education & Urban Agriculture.

Meg Edwards is a community gardener, artist & facilitator, passionate about seed saving and the prospect of a resilient food system. As Seed Librarian and Grower for the Glasgow Seed Library, she is participating in the Gaia Foundation’s Crowd Breeding project, cultivating genetically diverse populations. With a background in therapeutic horticulture and people-focused work, her values are focused on empowering communities through curiosity, connection, and sustainable food production within shared growing spaces.