Growing Together at the Native Seed Farm: Why January Is the Perfect Time to Join

There’s something about spending a morning in the dirt, especially when you know that the work you are doing will help restore native wildlands across Orange County. Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC)’s stewardship activities are a rewarding opportunity to give back to nature. If you have ever thought about joining an IRC volunteer activity, January at the Native Seed Farm is the perfect time.

Growing Together at the Native Seed Farm is an ongoing activity series where volunteers can help out on the farm. Most of the year, volunteer days at the farm focus on essential maintenance like weeding, cleaning and helping staff with everything needed to keep the fields healthy and productive. But January is different. 

During winter, while much of nature is resting, the Native Seed Farm is gearing up for one of its most exciting times: planting season. Southern California’s rainy season provides the perfect window of time to plant new seeds. This is also the rare window when volunteers get to help staff plant the seeds that will eventually grow into the native plants used in restoration projects throughout Orange County. Once grown, these native plants are either harvested for more seed to use in restoration or relocated directly to the restoration sites. 

Restoration work is essential in Orange County because the area has lost much of its natural landscape to urban growth, wildfire and invasive species, making the remaining wildlands both rare and fragile. Protecting and restoring these areas helps preserve biodiversity, strengthen ecosystem resilience and maintain the natural spaces that residents rely on for recreation, education and quality of life.

Join a Growing Together at the Native Seed Farm activity and work side-by-side with staff and IRC-certified volunteers who are eager to share their knowledge about how each species contributes to the ecosystem. IRC volunteers often say that planting days feel more personal, as you are not just maintaining the farm, you are helping create it. 

• Saturday, January 10 – Growing Together at the Native Seed Farm
• Friday, January 16 – Growing Together at the Native Seed Farm
• Friday, January 23 – Growing Together at the Native Seed Farm
• Friday, January 30 – Growing Together at the Native Seed Farm

Kick off the new year with IRC and help plant a piece of the future!