Seed Saving of Native Plants
2026-10-17 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Massabesic Center, 26 Audubon Way, Auburn, NH, United States
Discover the best practices for wild seed saving of native plants. While many seeds are available from commercial suppliers, preserving seeds of the plants around you helps promote wild, local ecotype varieties over cultivated hybrids, which often have lower-quality nectar and pollen content. We’ll dive into why the practice of seed saving, which dates back 1,000 years in human history, is so important. Learn how planting locally collected seeds can enhance native plant communities in your backyard and the wildlife these habitats support.
Saving and cultivating your own seeds is easy to do, but knowing what kinds of seeds to save, what they look like, when to harvest them, how to process and prepare them for storage is crucial to ensure successful germination. You’ll leave this class with the resources and knowledge to save seeds next growing season.
Presenters:
Donna Miller, UNH Extension Advanced Master Gardener
Stacey Scaccia, UNH Extension Master Gardener
Logistics:
This in-person workshop will take place both indoors and outdoors. The lecture portion will take place in the main conference room at the Massabesic Center. After the presentation, we’ll head outdoors to get hands-on collecting seeds in the gardens.
Dress for the weather for the short, easy walk from the dirt parking lot to the building, and for outdoor exploration of the gardens. The garden trail is a short distance walk over flat-packed gravel suitable for most mobility devices including walkers and wheelchairs. An email will be sent out the day before the program with weather expectations and other details. This program will take place rain or shine.
This program is intended for adults. Children are welcome, however in the event of disruptions, we ask that children are accompanied by a guardian to enjoy the Nature Lab or gardens until the presentation concludes. Accommodations for persons with limited mobility, sensory concerns, or other accessibility needs can be provided if you contact Massabesic Center Director Kimmie Whiteman in advance.
This program is brought to you through an on-going partnership between the University of New Hampshire Extension’s Master Gardener Program and New Hampshire Audubon. The Demonstration Gardens at NH Audubon’s Massabesic Center provide a place for sharing best practices in eco-friendly home and community gardening, which enhance human health and well-being and wildlife habitat.
Cost:
$10 for NH Audubon members and UNH Ext. Master Gardeners
$15 for non-members
Support our programs and join or renew your membership today! Not sure of your membership status? Email our member services department or call (603) 224-9909 x310.
Registration required by October 15th. If you miss the registration deadline, please email Kimmie Whiteman to inquire about availability. Walk-ins will be accepted if space allows, but late registrants may miss pre-workshop or cancellation communications. Limit 30 attendees. By attending this event, you and anyone you register on behalf of agree to NH Audubon’s Outdoor Education Program Liability Release & Agreement Waiver.
PayPal Disclaimer:
NH Audubon’s ticket system utilizes PayPal to process payments. Users are not required to use PayPal to check out; a guest option is provided. PayPal is a trusted way to pay online.

NH Audubon Fourth Quarter Book Club Meeting - Rebugging the Planet: The Remarkable Things that Insects (and Other Invertebrates) Do And Why We Need to Love Them More by Vicki Hird
2026-11-12 18:00 - 19:30 | NH
Join us for the 2026 fourth quarter NH Audubon book club book discussion via Zoom of Rebugging the Planet. In this book, author Vicki Hird passionately demonstrates how insects and invertebrates are the cornerstone of our global ecosystem. They pollinate plants, feed birds, support and defend our food crops, and clean our water systems. They are also beautiful, inventive, and economically invaluable. Rebugging the Planet shows us small changes we can make to have a big impact on our littlest allies. The meeting, facilitated by Community Outreach Coordinator Anita Fernandez, will focus on themes, reactions, and takeaways from this book.
Purchase this title through NH Audubon’s Nature Stores (at the Massabesic or McLane Center) and mention the book club to receive a 10% discount. If you purchase all four 2026 book club books, you will receive an even larger discount. You can also purchase this title online at https://nh-audubon-nature-store.myshopify.com/products/rebugging-the-planet-by-vicki-hird.
The other book club books and their meeting dates are as follows:

March 12, 2026 – Everyone’s Trash: One Man Against 1.6 Billion Pounds by Duncan Watson
May 14, 2026 – The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne by Chris Sweeney
August 13, 2026 – Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian

Please RSVP below and you will receive the Zoom link and a list of discussion questions before the meeting.
