Visiting a Seed Company

[digitS']

I know that @ninnymary visits the Baker Creek retail store. Do others of you have that opportunity?

I am 100 miles from Irish Eyes Garden Seed. They sell lots of seed potatoes. You know, shipping costs for a box of potatoes ..!

Pasco Washington has Logan-Zenner Seed. I don't know if they have a retail store but it's about 150 miles.

@buckabucka lives between Johnny's and Pinetree Seeds! Curious to know if @Carol Dee has been to Sand Hill Seed. If I understand the locations, it may be close.

Steve

 

[Carol Dee]

No Steve I have not, where is it located? Sis has been to Seed Savers in Dubuque, Ia.

 

[Carol Dee]

I just looked it up! My goodness that is CLOSE (maybe a 15 to 20 minute drive) I did not even know they where there! May have to show it to DH and make a trip. Thanks.

 

[digitS']

Interesting company.

They have been around for quite a long time, have some uncommon choices, and poultry! Really, chickens and seeds ... one might think that the birds might raid supplies

Steve

 

[ninnymary]

Since the Baker Creek store is about 45 minutes away from me, I like to plan it and consider it a field trip, haha. I drag my husband along promising him a nice lunch somewhere. I always stop for chicken feed at the feed store there. Feed is almost half the cost. I have also discovered Central Milling in Petaluma that has about 20 different freshly milled flours. Couple weeks ago I bought #100 pounds! It too is about half the cost of King Arthur flour.

So now I have 3 reasons to go to Petaluma. For seeds, feed, and flour. Definitely worth the time and drive. Besides it's a beautiful drive.

Mary

 

[Carol Dee]

Interesting company.

They have been around for quite a long time, have some uncommon choices, and poultry! Really, chickens and seeds ... one might think that the birds might raid supplies

Steve

I will have to keep DH away from the chickens or he will want to bring some home! No More Chickens in my yard.

 

[flowerbug]

Interesting company.

They have been around for quite a long time, have some uncommon choices, and poultry! Really, chickens and seeds ... one might think that the birds might raid supplies

Steve

perhaps a good use of old seeds to feed the birdies.

 

[flowerbug]

I know that @ninnymary visits the Baker Creek retail store. Do others of you have that opportunity?

I am 100 miles from Irish Eyes Garden Seed. They sell lots of seed potatoes. You know, shipping costs for a box of potatoes ..!

Pasco Washington has Logan-Zenner Seed. I don't know if they have a retail store but it's about 150 miles.

@buckabucka lives between Johnny's and Pinetree Seeds! Curious to know if @Carol Dee has been to Sand Hill Seed. If I understand the locations, it may be close.

Steve

i have not found any local enough growers to visit, but i now have more contacts since attending the seed swap.

never know who you will meet or what may happen...

my local greenhouse people are getting into things so we share some common interests and at various times i've been tempted to put an application in when they post their seasonal workers wanted signs, but it is very hard for me to consider getting away to work when there is always plenty to do here.

 

[Zeedman]

Almost every year since 2000, DW & I have driven the 200 miles to visit Heritage Farm in Decorah IA, Seed Savers Exchange's headquarters. We go there to observe their grow outs, since anything which does well there tends to do equally well in my location. To me, being able to evaluate plants in the field - rather than viewing a catalog photo - is priceless. That is particularly true in a bad year, when you can observe which plants are hardy enough to keep producing.

Their grow outs also include heirlooms from their enormous preservation collection, which often have little descriptive info in the annual Exchange listings. Observations of those varieties are particularly important to me; varieties first observed there have formed the backbone of my collection, and are a substantial part of my garden each year.

There is no admission charge to visit the farm, and visitors - whether members or not - are allowed to hike the numerous trails that meander throughout the property. There are hundreds of varieties being grown there on any given year, in numerous widely-separated locations... think of it was the nation's largest publicly-accessible test garden. Nearly all of the seeds (and garlic) offered in their catalog can be purchased in their store, as well as a large selection of garden & food-related books. Well worth the drive.

I'd really like to visit Sand Hill Preservation one of these years; Glen is a former curator for many of SSE's heirlooms, and has an impressive collection. I'm not sure they can accommodate visitors, though. If anyone has been there, I'd appreciate hearing about their experience.

 

[Carol Dee]

YES Seed Savers Exchange is Decorah IA is were Sis has visited, I would love to get there someday. Not a too long trip, can be done in a day.