Two-Day Event Provides Locals with the Ultimate Resilience Tool—Seeds! Online FREE registration (limited time), Walk-Ins $7.50

Supply chains break. Grocery store shelves are sparse. Climate chaos accelerates. Corporations tighten their grip on the food supply. Tariffs drive up the cost of imported seed varieties. International mail to the U.S. disrupted.  Again and again, the systems we depend on reveal their fragility.

But one truth endures: “When systems fail, seeds prevail.”

That’s the rallying cry of the 11th annual Great American Seed Up, returning November 7th and 8th to North Phoenix Baptist Church. This year, to put more seeds in the hands of more people, registration is FREE. Everyone must register to reserve a spot. Walk ins are still $7.50.

More than a seed-buying pop-up, The Seed Up is a radical act of community resilience. Participants gain direct access to climate-hardy, open-pollinated seeds in bulk—along with the knowledge to grow, save, and share them.  Bypass the big box and mailorder distribution systems that comprise 90% of the cost of a normal packet of seeds.

“We’re not just offering seeds—we’re handing people food sovereignty,” says Greg Peterson, Urban Farm founder and Great American Seed Up (GASU) cofounder. “Because if you think a couple racks of seeds at a big box store will save us when the trucks stop rolling—or when tariffs price small growers out of access—you haven’t been paying attention. When systems fail, seeds prevail.”

• The Seed Bazaar — bulk non-GMO, open-pollinated vegetables, herbs, grains, flowers & more at massive discounts
• Education, not sales pitches — classes and presentations on seed-saving, local adaptation, and climate-resilient growing
• A plan for the future — because fragile supply chains, corporate control, and trade wars leave us vulnerable

“Seed saving isn’t optional anymore—it’s survival,” says Bill McDorman, seed educator and cofounder of Seed School. “Tariffs, climate shocks, supply breakdowns—all of it proves the same point: the only stable seed supply is the one we create locally.”

Why Now?

• Grocery stores carry just a 3-day supply of food
• Corporate seed control is expanding
• Seed diversity is crucial to climate adaptation
• Climate change is destabilizing agriculture
• Tariffs are inflating seed costs and shrinking access

When global systems are stretched thin, seeds offer local stability, sovereignty, and survival. GASU is rebuilding the local seed economy—an underground food movement rising up in plain sight.

Special Friday Night Feature – Bill McDorman “Who Owns Our Seeds”

Bill McDorman, cofounder of the Great American Seed Up, will deliver a powerful presentation on the urgent issue of seed ownership. For millennia, seeds were a shared resource sustaining communities. Today, corporate consolidation and patents place control in the hands of a few global companies, limiting biodiversity and farmer independence. McDorman will explore how seed libraries, swaps, and open-pollinated varieties empower people to reclaim sovereignty. How can we shift the tide and return seeds to the people?

Friday, November 7th

• 3:30 PM – Doors open for pre-registered attendees
• 4:00 PM – Walk-ins welcome ($7.50 per person)
• 6:00 PM – Keynote: “Who Owns Our Seeds”
• 8:00 PM – Event ends

Saturday, November 8^th

• 9:00 AM – Doors open for pre-registered attendees
• 9:30 AM – Walk-ins welcome ($7.50 per person)
• Classes
  • 10:00 AM – AI for Gardeners
  • 11:00 AM – Basic Seed Saving
  • 12:00 PM – Seed Libraries
• 2:00 PM  – Event Ends

In an effort to get more seeds into the hands of more people, registration is free this year. However, all participants must register in advance for select access times to the Seed Room. Registrants will also have access to a library of online seed-saving classes & live presentations.

Register at GreatAmericanSeedUp.org.

Can’t attend in person? Explore Seed Up In a Box, the bulk seed kit for community events and seed libraries everywhere.