PORT ANGELES — Veteran Master Gardeners Muriel Nesbitt and Bob Cain will present information on saving and exchanging heritage seeds from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday.
The lecture will be in the Emergency Operations Center downstairs at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St. This is a change of venue from the usual site of Room 160 in the courthouse.
The session is free and open to the public but donations to help offset costs are accepted.
Nesbitt will discuss the necessity and importance of preserving naturally pollinating seeds and will cover historical information and the economic and political value of saving non-hybrid seeds to preserve biodiversity of the food supply and genetic diversity of plant species.
Nesbitt, who earned a doctorate in genetics from the University of Washington, retired from teaching biology at the University of California San Diego. She directed the Clallam County Master Gardener program from 2009 to 2012 and is a frequent presenter at the Green Thumb Gardening Tips Education lectures.
Cain will discuss the practical aspects of seed saving for vegetables and ornamentals.
He will provide information on harvesting, saving, storing and length of viability of naturally pollinating seeds.
Cain will provide websites, books and publication resources for those interested in pursuing heirloom seed saving.
A Master Gardener since 2009, Cain has 40 years of gardening experience in Scotland, Ireland, Colorado and Washington.
He writes a monthly article on plant disease for the Clallam County Master Gardener newsletter and is a frequent contributor to local newspaper gardening columns.
Cain is the 2009 Master Gardener Intern of the Year and 2011 Master Gardener of the year. He served as the Garden Manager of the Woodcock Demonstration Garden for five years and is a past president of the Master Gardener Foundation of Clallam County.
The Green Thumb Garden Tips education series is sponsored by the WSU Clallam County Extension Master Gardeners and held in Port Angeles the second and fourth Thursday each month (except November, December, and January when one presentation is offered).
The lectures provide home gardeners with education on gardening topics relevant to planting and maintaining sustainable gardens and landscapes in Clallam County.
For information, call 360-565-2679.
