Sow True Seed is committed to offering quality education to support our mission of seed saving and food security. We have a speaker fee of $150 plus expenses (mileage for destinations beyond Greater Asheville). If you are in a low-income area, please contact us for a reduced fee. Please get in touch for more information and to book one of our presenters. Below you can see our popular presentations, but feel free to reach out with new or custom topic ideas, we're happy to gear our knowledge to your audience.

We Offer The Following Presentations

Seed Saving

Presenter(s): Chris Smith and/or Angie Lavezzo

We have a number of versions of our seed saving class and have taught this topic all over the southeast. Happy to gear the information to your needs with the aim of offering botanical knowledge and practical seed saving skills.

Seed Starting

Presenter(s): Chris Smith and/or Angie Lavezzo

Starting plants from seeds is an essential skill for the home gardener. This class will teach you how to successfully sow, germinate, care for and transplant seeds and seedlings.  

Garlic Growing

Presenter(s): Chris Smith and/or Angie Lavezzo

Garlic Growing 101 aims to give the beginner gardener all the skills that they need to get started with growing garlic. Variety selection, garden preparation, planting, care and harvest. Simple skills for great garlic – learn how to grow in this compact session!

Monarchs, Milkweed, & Pollinator Habitats

Presenter: Angie Lavezzo

With the severe decline of the Monarch butterfly population in the news so much, we all want to do something to help. In this class Angie will walk you through how to grow the notoriously finicky milkweed from seed to maturity, and how to incorporate milkweed into our landscapes in a way that is both beautiful and helpful for Monarchs. While we will focus on the beautiful Monarch, topics covered will help ALL pollinators.

In Defense of Okra

Presenter: Chris Smith

Chris will take you on a journey to explore the growing and eating of okra. Okra is an incredible plant with many varied uses, including okra seed coffee, okra seed oil, okra fiber and much much more. Chris promises that you'll be sure to learn something new about okra, whether you're a lover or a hater.

Stem to Seed - Using the Whole Plant

Presenter: Chris Smith

Learn about applying a stem to stamen mentality to your crops so that you can get as many yields from a single plant as possible. Okra seed flour, pickled radish pods, winter squash seed oil, blueberry leaf tea and roasted broccoli stems. Lets unlock the secondary and tertiary (and even more) yields from the plants we grow.

How to Build Native Bee Habitats

Presenter: Angie Lavezzo

Our native pollinators need three things: food, shelter, and water. Angie will show you the ins and outs of building and maintaining bee houses, the importance of material selection, and where to hang them when you're done. We'll also cover plant selection for three season food availability and creating easy water sources for our very important friends.

Edible Oil Pressing

Presenter: Chris Smith

Growing and pressing your own edible and cosmetic oils is much easier than you think. Learn about suitable regional nut and seed crops; the benefits and challenges. There will be a seed press demo and samples to taste. Support regional food systems and press your own oil!

Holistic Gardening: Pollinators, Beneficial Insects & Companion Plants

Presenter: Angie Lavezzo

Angie will walk you through the benefits of attracting pollinators and beneficial insects to your vegetable gardens for boosting natural pest control, increased yields, and overall beauty. Learn which plants to choose and how to work them into your landscape to maximize their potential.

Growing Annual and Perennial Flowers from Seed

Presenter: Angie Lavezzo

We will cover all the bases in this class! Sun, shade, bed preparation, planting considerations, variety selection, tricks for successful germination, pollination considerations, fertilization, maintenance, and end of season care.

Growing and Eating Heirloom Tomatoes

Presenter(s): Chris Smith and/or Carol Koury and/or Angie Lavezzo

We all love tomatoes! This presentation was inspired by the time Carol and Chris filled in for Craig LeHouillier (author of Growing Epic Tomatoes). Explore the growing and culture of heirloom tomatoes and the incredible diversity of varieties available to the home gardener.