Seed to Dye to Seed

Start Date: 25th February 2026
Duration: February – September 2026 (9 live sessions across the growing season)
Format: Online – Live seasonal sessions + garden demonstrations
Tutor: Tristan Lienhard (Organic Gardener, Seesaver & Educator)

Grow your own dye garden from first sowing to seed harvest.

Seed to Dye to Seed is a structured seasonal grow-along designed to guide you through the full cycle of growing dye plants — from planning and propagation through harvest, seed saving, and preparing the soil for the next year.

This is not a short course. It is a steady seasonal journey inside the Academy, moving in rhythm with the garden.

Once you have booked your place, we will guide you through to the Academy and provide access details and Zoom links.

What’s Included

• 9 live online sessions (theory + live garden demonstrations)
• Step-by-step seasonal guidance from February to September via the Academy
• Practical instruction on sowing, planting, tending & harvesting
• Indigo harvest session
• Seed timing, drying & storage guidance
• Recordings available throughout the running of the series
• 4 weeks continued access after the final session

You’ll Learn

• How to plan and start a dye garden
• Sowing and propagation techniques
• Managing plant health through the season
• Harvest timing for leaf, flower & seed
• Seed stewardship and storage
• Preparing beds and sowing green manures

About the Tutor

Tristan Lienhard is an organic Gardener, professional seed saver and educator working with dye plants specifically across growing, harvesting and processing. Through the Academy, Tristan supports learners in developing a grounded, seasonal understanding of dye plants and seeds — connecting soil, plant and pigment through practical experience.

Who This Is For

• Beginners starting their first dye garden
• Gardeners curious about growing dye plants
• Fibre artists wanting to grow their own colour
• Makers looking for seasonal structure and guidance

Pricing & Access Options

Season Pass – €95 SOLD OUT

This pass gives you access to the full Seed to Dye to Seed online series, including:

• All 9 live sessions
• Recordings available throughout the series
• 4 weeks continued access after the final session
• Access to the free Academy space where the series is hosted

This option is ideal if you are joining specifically for the dye garden grow-along.

Full Membership – €65/year

Full Membership includes:

• Seed to Dye to Seed (this entire series & recordings)
• Indigo Week
• Dye & Fibre Week
• Dyeworks: Real Conversations (winter series)
• Full access to the Academy Resource Library
• Year-round access to the Academy

If you plan to engage beyond this seasonal series, Full Membership offers broader access at a lower annual cost.

In a nutshell

• 🌿 9-session seasonal grow-along
• 💻 Live online + garden demonstrations
• 🌱 From seed to harvest to seed again
• 📼 Recordings available + 4-week replay window
• 👨 Tutor: Tristan Lienhard

🌿 INDIGO WEEK 2026

Missed Indigo Week live? You can still join us.

All Indigo Week recordings are now available inside the Natural Dyers & Growers Academy, allowing you to work through the programme at your own pace while still benefiting from community support, live discussions and ongoing indigo-focused events.

Across Indigo Week, we explored indigo from many different perspectives — history, culture, cultivation, fermentation, vat making and practical dyeing.

Bringing together historians, researchers, artists and practitioners from around the world, Indigo Week offers a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of indigo as both a colour and a living process.

In addition to the recordings, members are invited to join our continuing indigo activities, including live dyeing sessions, vat troubleshooting, the Sukumo Make-Along and future Academy events.

🌿 INCLUDED IN YOUR MEMBERSHIP

✔ Full access to all Indigo Week recordings

✔ Access to the Full Membership Resource Library

✔ Live Indigo Dyeing Session 

✔ Indigo Vat Troubleshooting Session

✔ Ongoing vat support inside the Academy

✔ Access to the Sukumo Make-Along

✔ Full Academy Membership for one year

✔ Garden Series & recordings

✔ DYEWORKS Conversations & recordings

✔ Future live Academy events

🌿 INDIGO WEEK RECORDINGS

Dominique Cardon

Since the Dawn of Time: Purple and Indigo Across Cultures

A fascinating exploration of indigo and purple dyes through history, archaeology and global trade traditions.

Rosa Chang

Indigo Shade Map: Stories of Indigo, Culture and Community

Exploring indigo through storytelling, cultural connection and contemporary practice.

Britt Boles

Sukumo Making: Process, Practice and Material Transformation

An in-depth introduction to the traditional Japanese process of producing sukumo.

Britt Boles

The Sukumo Fermentation Vat: Structure, Management and Practice

Understanding, building and maintaining the living sukumo vat.

Jennifer Lienhard

Live Indigo Vat Making

Step-by-step demonstrations of:

• Fermentation Vat
• Organic Fruit Sugar Vat
• Mineral (Iron) Vat

Tristan Lienhard

Indigo Research & Plant Trials

Insights into indigo cultivation, processing and variety trials.

🌿 CONTINUING THE JOURNEY

Indigo Week was designed as the beginning of a longer exploration rather than a standalone event.

Members can continue their learning through:

• Ongoing vat support and troubleshooting
• The Academy community
• The Sukumo Make-Along
• Future indigo-focused sessions
  

🌿 LEARN MORE

Before joining, you may enjoy reading some of our Indigo Week articles:

• From Sukumo to Living Vat: Completing the Indigo Journey with Britt Boles
• The Organic Fruit Sugar Vat: A Different Path to Blue
• Indigo Week presenter articles and session summaries

Happening Around Apple Oak Fibre Works – Tagged "Indigo Week" – AppleOak FibreWorks

🌿 FULL MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED

Indigo Week is available through the Natural Dyers & Growers Academy.

Annual Membership: €65

Your membership includes Indigo Week recordings, Academy events, resource libraries, discussions and ongoing learning throughout the year.