WILDSEED’s goal is to support returning generations of Black and Indigenous farmers and soil stewards of color with land, equipment, and infrastructure to establish their own cultivation. We envision an Agro-Ecological Community Farm with interdependent adjacent plots for horticulture and agriculture, incubating cooperative yet autonomous operations.
Farms stewarding land at WILDSEED
Monti Lawson and Catalyst Collaborative Farm are beginning their 2nd year farming at WILDSEED. Catalyst Collaborative Farm is a BIPOC and Queer-owned initiative committed to transforming the agricultural landscape by fostering inclusivity and sustainability.
Their mission is to develop an equitable food system that not only nourishes but also empowers the diverse communities they serve. This year they are growing an abundance of peppers, herbs, and sunflowers. Follow them on Instagram to stay up to date with upcoming events!
We continue to provide no cost access to prime agricultural land to Sweet Freedom Farm who grow and distribute vegetables, grain, herbs, medicines, and maple syrup, prioritizing incarcerated beloveds and their families. This year they are growing traditional African and Indigenous field crops focusing on growing sorghum for grain and syrup,
We are also partnering with Sarah Elisabeth of Sage Herbalz to develop a mandala medicine garden teeming with healing plants that boost immunity, fortify the nervous system, and address trauma and common diseases. The purpose of the garden is to offer free herb distributions to the local community. The garden is fully installed and this year we are adding calendula, sun root, valerian, echinacea, and more. Look forward to receiving free products
September 7 at the Fall Block Party! Reach to Sarah at sarah@sageherbalz.com if you want to join her any Friday afternoon through November to tend to the garden.
Room To Grow
WILDSEED offered a .2 acre garden and barn-space at no cost to a Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC) grower to cultivate this season and beyond. This beautiful garden was lovingly created and tended by our friends at Linke Fligl, a former queer Jewish chicken farm and cultural organizing project that operated on WILDSEED lands from 2016-2022. Through growing nourishing food, cultivating land-based community and organizing for reparations, Linke Fligl co-created Jewish cultural practice for collective healing, resilience and liberation.
This year the space was offered to Natasha Strickland a black farmer and herbalist and the owner of Ancestral Moon Farm. Natasha will be growing multiple vegetables and savory herbs weaved in between each row of vegetables. There will also be a section on the farm dedicated to the human body where medicinal herbs are grown, and Natasha using these herbs to make medicine. The farm’s mission is to grow healthier food options & create holistic medicine for bipoc community members.
We’ve also been establishing native perennials in a terraced garden and food forest, companion planting apple and pear trees with mushrooms comfrey, mullein, creeping thyme, tulsi, lavender, rosemary, solomon’s seal, trillium, geranium, currants, gooseberry, anise hyssop, African marigold, chamomile and more. Big thanks to Krista Speroni and True Foods Hudson Valley team for helping design and establish these edible and medicinal groves, and Jared and Stefanie of Future Fruits who have been teaching us how to care for our apple, pear, and peach trees in the orchard.