Seed Saving Workshop at Taliesin: Hands-On Class in Spring Green, WI

At the edge of the Driftless Area in Spring Green, Wisconsin, Taliesin Preservation’s Grow and Gather: Seed Saving class offers a practical, hands-on introduction to seed stewardship set within a distinctive cultural landscape. Held at the Hillside School (6604 HWY 23, Spring Green, WI 53588), this three-hour workshop is led by kitchen gardener Abbie Gale Lehman and is open to participants ages eight and up. For $35 per person, small groups (maximum 20) move between short classroom talks and outdoor demonstrations across prairie fragments, oak savanna, and carefully tended garden beds.

The lesson begins with plant life cycles, pollination dynamics, and seed anatomy, giving participants the language to identify self-pollinating versus cross-pollinating varieties. Abbie demonstrates how to selectively harvest pods, florets, and seed heads, then how to clean, dry, and store seeds for reliable germination. Everyone takes home a packet of Taliesin seeds to try at home.

The setting amplifies the lesson. The Driftless Area was not scoured by glaciers, so steep ridges, coulees, and remnant prairies persist; limestone outcrops, loamy soils, and vernal wetlands create microhabitats for native grasses, wildflowers, and pollinators such as bumblebees and monarchs. Learning on these grounds ties seed techniques to local ecology, helping you choose regionally adapted varieties rather than generic seed sources.

Practical notes: check-in is at the Hillside School, but the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center (6604 HWY 23 Trunk) houses restrooms, water fountains, and the Riverview Terrace Cafe if you want a post-class drink. Bring a refillable water bottle, gardening gloves, sun protection, and closed-toe shoes; long sleeves and tick checks are recommended.

The course blends practical technique with cultural context: Taliesin Preservation’s mission is to preserve both the built and natural environments, and this class reinforces stewardship at a human scale. A minimum enrollment of seven is required for the program to run, and short-form social media clips are permitted while audio recording and commercial reproduction are restricted.

Whether you’re a backyard gardener, educator, or forager, Grow and Gather: Seed Saving provides hands-on skill, regional perspective, and a packet of seeds — a small, practical artifact that helps the Taliesin landscape continue to live and to be planted in your own yard. Reserve early; minimum enrollment of seven is required.