Events & Classes

The Community Agriculture Conference is an annual event to learn about all things gardening and urban agriculture. Gardeners of all levels are welcome to attend! The conference will be both in-person and virtual. Three select sessions will be streamed for free for those who were not able to attend in person. For this 16th annual conference, we will have a day of breakout sessions and networking to get to know and learn from your fellow gardeners.

Stay tuned for more information and the link to register!

In-Person Conference Location: Delmar Divine, 5501 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63112
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Students are far more capable of learning when they feel safe, seen, heard, that they matter, and that they belong. In this presentation, we will share tips and resources for building a culturally relevant garden education program. Abbey Schumacher will discuss ways in which you can grow student curiosity and participation in the garden, engage families, leverage diverse assets in your school community, and create garden spaces that reflect your school’s unique cultural landscape. Dean Gunderson will offer an overview of culturally significant crops from around the world that grow well in the St. Louis region and hold particular educational, artistic, and/or nutritional value for the school garden. This class is a part of the 2-part class series Place-Based Learning and Cultural Inclusion in the School Garden. Attendees can register for one or both!

Place-based learning is an educational approach that uses the local community and environment as a framework for teaching. This class will explore how you can harness the power of place-based learning in the garden to create meaningful, real-world educational experiences for students. Tonia Scherer will share ways to connect students to their local environment through garden projects that leverage community and enrich their understanding of regional plants, history, and culture. Dean Gunderson will discuss crops that were domesticated in the St. Louis area, such as sunflowers and squash, as well as those that were introduced from Mesoamerica, such as corn, beans, and other important wild edibles that have been used for thousands of years. This class is a part of the 2-part class series Place-Based Learning and Cultural Inclusion in the School Garden. Attendees can register for one or both!

We’re excited to partner with Stark Brother’s Nursery and Orchard to offer this pre-order sale of fruit and nut trees at a fraction of the retail value! Each tree, which normally retail for up to $75 each, will be just $20 each. Thank you to Stark Bro’s for helping us to further our mission to empower people and communities to grow food.

The trees are all grown by Stark Bro’s using their EZ Start pots which are a bottomless pot that is 4″x4″x10″. These pots encourage dense feeder-root growth for a quick and strong establishment. The size of the trees will range from 1.5′ tall to 3′ tall. Due to the discounted price Stark Bro’s usual 1 year guarantee does not apply to these trees.

This sale will offer varieties of apple, Asian pear, elderberry, persimmon, peach, nectarine, and pecan trees. Descriptions of each can be found at the pre-order link below. All pre-orders must be picked up on the pickup day and time listed below.

Order Deadline
By the end of the day on Wednesday, October 23

Pre-Order Pickup Day & Location
Saturday, November 2, 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Seed St. Louis Carriage House, 3815 Bell Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108

Our annual Garlic Sale will have hardneck garlic, softneck garlic, and overwintering cover crop seed packets. We will also have row cover, hoops and sod staples if you would like to extend your growing season. Learn more about the varieties we'll have available at the link below.

Sale Location: Seed St. Louis Carriage House, 3815 Bell Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108
Sale Time: 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Wrap up our inaugural series of food waste reduction and composting classes with a potluck meal and Compost Swap. What's a Compost Swap? A social gathering to swap composting stories, swap food scrap recipes, and swap a "big picture" perspective with a microscopic view of compost. See, touch and smell the final product under the microscope and bring your own compost to examine! Bring a side dish or dessert to share. (Main course and drinks provided free of charge.) This event is free but an RSVP is requested.

We're partnering with our friends from Greenscape Gardens and Forrest Keeling Nursery to offer a special opportunity to purchase a variety of hard-to-find native and food-producing trees, just in time for fall planting! Bring the kids and plan to stay a while - we'll be feasting on a hearty vegan harvest soup (homegrown by Greenscape), enjoy fresh apple cider, live music by Hillary Fitz, and fun activities for all to enjoy! This event will run from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Location: Greenscape Gardens, 2832 Barrett Station Road, Manchester, MO 63021

Join us October 10th for the Fall School Gardener Meet-Up & Perennial Plant Swap! Come tour a school garden in University City, meet other gardeners, and participate in a fall plant swap. This networking event is open to anyone who gardens with youth. It is not mandatory for you bring a plant to share, but it is encouraged.

Location: Pershing Elementary School Garden, 6761 Bartmer Ave., University City, MO 63130
Street parking is available on Bartmer, Sadler or Ferguson Avenue. The garden is located next to the building towards the southeast corner of Bartmer and Sadler.

It's not required to RSVP but it is preferred!

There is a whole world of edible plants that are perennial that can be grown in St. Louis while producing year after year. This class will cover the best perennial vegetables for a fall and winter harvest while we will focus on the large world of perennial root and tuber crops, there are also some other delightful vegetables we'll cover. These are great crops for schools as they can be harvested during the school year.

This class will be co-taught by Jessica Blessing-Patterson of DIG Annuals and Perennials and Dean Gunderson of Seed St. Louis. It will be held at DIG (3120 Pennsylvania St. Louis, MO 63118) and there will be examples of most of the perennial crops that will be discussed. A limited number of plants that will be discussed during the class will be available for purchase by class participants at the end of the class.

This class is free, but you must register. Spots are limited!