What is Seedlings?
Seedlings is an event that comes to us from a monthly event series that has been running in London called Seed-Dating. This is not actually a dating event but a monthly reading group and workshop for plant-lovers to connect through seeds and the human-plant relationship. Together, we explore how seeds can be powerful metaphors for resistance, resilience, and future possibility. Through games, mapping, and creative prompts, we spark conversations, build action lists around food justice, and design ideas to support more food-growing across the city.
It’s part reading group, part conversation game, and part design lab—gently shifting between reflection, connection, and co-creation.
What we’ll explore:
Each session is grounded in a reading on seed-saving politics and practices, opening up questions around how we grow, share, and protect seeds.
For this September event, we’ll explore: “Crossings that breed resilience"
Past themes have included:
- Cultural inheritance of seeds
- Genes as currency
- The ethics of reviving ancient seeds
- Building libraries for local weed seeds
About the workshop:
Every session weaves together playful activities and serious conversation—from games and creative prompts to mapping exercises that connect big ideas to real-world growing spaces.
At the heart of the gathering is our ritual called Seed-Dating: Strangers respond to anonymous questions hidden in brown envelopes, sparking dialogues that branch into collective ideas and tangible actions.
Participants will be invited to bring three offerings:
- A question inspired by the reading
- A place they’d love to grow or save seeds
- A challenge related to that place (+object that might help solve the challenge)
Session Plan:
5:45–6:00pm | Arrival
Let your roots settle in.
6:00–6:20pm | Welcome & Introduction
An introduction to Seedlings and each other.
6:20–7:00pm | Seed-Dating
Rotating conversations—exchanging ideas, stories, and questions.
7:00–7:10pm | Break
7:10–7:30pm | Theme Deep Dive: ‘Breeding Resilience’
Group discussion with experimental plant breeder.
7:30–7:50pm | In-Depth Group Work
Speculative design prompts to translate conversations into action plans.
7:50–8:00pm | Closing Circle
Grounding, light seed-sharing, and setting intentions to carry forward.
8:00-8:30pm | Optional bring and share meal
About the wider project: Seedlings
Seedlings: A Living Toolkit for Planting Conversations is an evolving initiative that sprouted in January 2025. It’s designed to spark deeper conversations about seeds—not just how we grow them, but how we share, protect, and imagine them into the future through culture, care, and collective action.
Seedlings began as a way to connect London’s growers—many of whom work with food but rarely get space to explore the politics, histories, and futures of seed-saving. It has since become a meeting ground for growers, artists, activists, and the quietly curious—a space for cross-pollination and shared learning.
We’re now excited to grow Seedlings beyond London
To read an article about a recent event:
https://medium.com/@aspacethatgives/reading-seed-dating-may-2025-fd03ce999577
To follow the Seedlings project on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/a_space_that_gives/
