Nature & Nurture Seeds

Ann Arbor, MI

Est. 2012

We are nurturing a vibrant community that tends the Earth, enriches lives, and believes in healthy food for all. We honor the seeds passed down from our ancestors, seeds that nourish, connect, and inspire us. We reclaim the seeds from the hands of corporations, back into the hands of people of all colors and traditions, and celebrate in Earth’s amazing abundance. Our heirloom (open-pollinated) seed is carefully "rogued," a process where we remove any varietal off-types and plants lacking vigor. This means that our seeds are harvested from the best plants, containing genetics for vigor, disease resistance, varietal true-to-typeness and other beneficial traits. Grown and selected under organic conditions, our seeds are well adapted to growing in organic systems as well as Midwest and northern growing. See more info at About Us.

Adaptive Seeds

Sweet Home, Oregon

Est. 2009

After traveling throughout nine European countries to meet and learn from "seed stewards", Andrew Still and Sarah Kleeger were inspired to establish Oregon-based Adaptive Seeds in 2009. They focus on bringing back biodiversity to agriculture and grow hundreds of different seeds. The Pacific Northwest company’s seeds are open-pollinated and certified organic since 2013, and boast a number of other traits appealing to the ecologically-conscious grower. "NONE of our seeds are proprietary hybrids (F1), patented, PVP, or genetically modified (GMO). All of our seed is grown without chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, and NONE of it is treated." On top of this, many of their varieties are especially suited for short season/northern climates like Michigan. Andrew and Sarah also publish a blog called the Seed Ambassadors Project, on which interested farmers, gardeners, and seed savers can find educational posts as diverse as the duo’s seeds!

Back Home Farm

Blue Mounds, WI

Back Home Farm is a small family farm located in the driftless region of Wisconsin. Doug Butikofer, Back Home Farm's current owner, grew up on a family farm in the northeast corner of Iowa. The farm that Doug grew up on has been passed down for generations - since 1856. His partner, Karin, grew up on a family farm that continues to be farmed by her family near Decorah Iowa. Back Home Farm is committed to do their part to help salvage the remaining varieties from extinction, and pass them along to the future generations. They are inspired by seed elder Grandma Seitz, who grew up in the time of the great depression and saved everything including seeds (she saved them in reused envelopes collected from magazines). All of their plants and seeds are Organically grown, non GMO, Open Pollinated, and heirloom, land race varieties. 

Ann Arbor Seed Company

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Est. 2012

Michiganders and University of Michigan alumni, Eric and Meredith love good food and seek to play an active and unique role in Ann Arbor’s farming community by contributing to its health, wealth, diversity and longevity. While working as an engineer, Eric received excellent training in the world of local farming and seed saving as a volunteer with Abbondanza Organic Seeds & Produce, a local farm in Boulder, Colorado. He is looking forward to growing and selling seeds and contributing to the local food ethos of Southeast Michigan. Meredith is the daughter of dairy farmers and the granddaughter of general store owners. With a hand in a lot of what happens outside of the field and greenhouse, she is responsible for the business planning, marketing, and web presence of Ann Arbor Seeds. When not on the farm, she is a librarian at the University of Michigan.

Albert Lea Seed

Albert Lea, Minnesota

Albert Lea Seed began in 1923 as a family-owned seed store offering field seed and garden seed. Today, they are three generations strong, providing organic conventional non-GMO farmers with seed for corn, soybeans, pasture & forage, small grains, and cover crops. We get our Hairy Vetch cover crop seeds from Albert Lea.

Circadian Organics

Viroqua, Wisconsin

Circadian Organics was born out of conversation between friends, a shared love for working the land, and a desire to understand its rhythms more intimately. Dylan’s family farmed as he was growing up and Skye more recently discovered her interest in agriculture. As young farmers, they were particularly aware of the need for agriculturalists from our generation. They both have experience farming organically, and a keen hope to bring their farming skills to the next level by selling their produce to local restaurants, groceries, and markets. They launched their first growing season in the spring of 2018. Circadian started with a dedication to growing delicious, organic produce using methods that support its local ecosystem and local community. Circadian aims to be a part of a more sustainable and equitable agriculture system, using holistic and integrated pest management and regenerative soil management techniques.

Common Wealth Seed Growers

Central Virginia

Edmund Frost has been growing certified organic seed crops on the same land in Louisa County, Virginia since 2008. Edmund has worked as an anti-GMO activist and is committed to building functional alternatives to corporate control of our food, farms and seeds. He co-manages Twin Oaks Seed Farm with River Oneida.

Common Wealth Seed Growers is a collective of seed growers, creating and growing a vibrant regional seed system in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast. They sell regionally-adapted, open-pollinated, organic seeds for a limited number of great varieties. They grow all the seeds they sell, and work with many types of food plants, with a special focus on downy mildew resistant cucumber, squash, melon, watermelon and gourd seedstocks. Visit them on Seedwise to purchase seeds.

Cultivating the Commons

Avery, Wisconsin

Est. 2017

After six years of organic farmhanding, Clint Freund took the dive into seedsaving at Meadowlark Hearth Seeds in Nebraska before moving back to his home state of Wisconsin. In 2017, Clint co-founded the "Cultivating the Commons" seed growing project with Kass McKinnon. Their mission is to discover where good food comes from, the seed! Their secondary mission is bring together eaters, growers and those in between to revitalize an Upper Midwest seed tradition that carries us forward to new places. This process will prioritize seed developed and grown in the Upper Midwest. They specialize in all sorts of seed production with special interest in biennials. You’ll find both of them tooling around the garden with their two little ones in tow smelling the flowers.

Fedco

Clinton, Maine

Est. 1978

Each year, Fedco observes hundreds of varieties, selecting only the best for inclusion in their catalogs. Through their product lines and cultural hints, they encourage sustainable growing methods. They offer a large selection of certified-organic cultivars and regional heirloom varieties. Fedco is a cooperative so profit is not their primary goal; this gives worker/owners a real voice in running the company and a real stake in its success. 

Harvest of Joy Farm LLC

Shelbyville, Michigan

Harvest of Joy seeks to develop, practice, and share farming systems that mirror the resilience, diversity, and self-sufficiency of a healthy biotic community. They offer educational opportunities for those who wish to learn to grow more of their own food, and believe that local control of and responsibility for food production is key to the long-term health of our ecosystems and communities. Important pillars that they are committed to following are; healthy soil, carefully selected seeds, organically grown plants, delicious, healthful, freshly harvested produce, ecological health, energetic sustainability, economic sustainability, ongoing education, and community service.

High Mowing Organic Seeds

Wolcott, Vermont

Est. 1996

High Mowing Organic Seeds began in 1996 with just 28 varieties, many of which originated in founder Tom Stearns’s backyard. Since then, HMOS have expanded the selection and availability of organic seeds, reached out to other farmers, locally and across the country, to produce seed for the business, and established partnerships with wholesale seed companies that have made commitments to develop and produce organic seed. High Mowing Organic Seeds continues to grow many of the varieties they sell on their 40 acre farm in Wolcott, Vermont. Those at High Mowing have continually worked to produce, develop and sell only the best quality organic seeds for varieties selected for their exceptional performance in organic conditions. They believe in a deeper understanding of how re-built food systems can support health on all levels – healthy environments, healthy economies, healthy communities, and healthy bodies. 

Joannée DeBruhl

Battle Creek, Michigan

Joannée DeBruhl is a new seed grower we've started partnering with in 2021. Joannée has been farming for quite some time, but has recently been interested in seed saving. Her interest was piqued after successfully saving Orange marigold seeds for us this past growing season, and she says that now, she's "inspired to save all kinds of seeds this year!" All of Joannée's farming experience has been using certified organic methods only. Her house, where she is currently growing seeds, isn't yet certified organic, but she's still growing using organic methods. Stay tuned for more seeds from Joannée!

Lupine Knoll Farm

Williams, Oregon

Est. 2001

The late Jonathan Spero is the main mind behind Lupine Knoll’s awesome breeding program, which specializes in sweet corn varieties. Based in Oregon, Spero developed the Solstice broccoli – a really great brassica choice for home gardeners because of its extended harvest season. The projects at Lupine Knoll continue to demonstrate much needed innovation in organic seeds.

Photo cred: Seed Revolution Now!

Meadowlark Hearth

Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Est. 2010

Beth and Nathan Corymb always knew they wanted to farm biodynamically – Beth grew up on Nebraska land that her grandparents homesteaded and always knew she wanted to return, and Nathan spent time interning at Sativa biodynamic seed in Switzerland and Bingenheim biodynamic seed in Germany in the 1990’s. Motivated to grow seed because of the scarcity of their favorite varieties, the Corymbs began farming Beth’s grandparent’s land - as Meadowlark Hearth Seeds - in 2010. In addition to seed and vegetable production, the Corymbs also raise heirloom dairy cows and Berkshire pigs. The Corymbs truly love Nature and have worked to reflect this in their farming practices. 

Marc Boone

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Everyone who knows about paw paws knows about Marc Boone. Marc has been growing paw paws on his farm for over 30 years, and also grows persimmons. To learn more about paw paws, click here. 

Paririe Road Organic Seeds

Fullerton, North Dakota

Est. 1977

Prairie Road Organic Farm has been certified organic since 1977. A primary focus of their farm is “to feed themselves and to eat well”. They have bred and selected vegetable varieties that perform well agronomically in their own organic gardens, are well adapted to the northern growing region, and bring joy to their table! Their varieties need to perform well, but as Dan’s brother, David, so aptly states, “They also need to be beautiful and delicious.” All of their seed is grown on their farm near Fullerton, ND, which has been certified organic since 1977. They began producing certified organic vegetable seed for organic seed companies in 1997.

Seed Revolution Now!

San Francisco, California

After first meeting while working in a Chadwickian garden in Santa Cruz, CA in 1974, Steve and Moria Peters set out on a lifetime journey centered on organic agriculture and seed saving. After helping to establish a community land trust in upstate New York, Steve earned an Ag degree from Cornell. Later, both worked at the Rodale Institute in PA. Moria was an estate gardener in Santa Fe, while Steve worked for Seeds of Change. He also served a stint with Native Seeds/SEARCH. Their combined experience in working with plants totals around ninety plus years. Upon finally returning to California, they founded Seed rEvolution Now! Seed rEvolution Now is one of many small, bioregional seed companies that have been springing up as a reaction against the trend toward the monopolization of seed and, indeed, our entire food system. They work in and around the San Francisco Bay Region, collaborating with organic produce growers and gardeners. They raise some crops themselves, both for seed and in comparison trials. They also carry seed grown by long-time organic seed specialists. They strive to empower growers to grow and save seeds that nourish the people who grow the food as well as their communities.

Seven Seeds Farm

Williams, Oregon

Seven Seeds Farm is Don Tipping's family farm in Williams, Oregon. The folks at Seven Seeds Farm have been growing certified organic seed for many national scale mail order seed companies for the past 19 years, including Siskiyou Seeds. Education is also an important aspect of Seven Seeds’ philosophy, and the farm hosts a number of classes and workshops in a variety of sustainable agriculture related topics. Don helped to found the Siskiyou Sustainable Cooperative which manages a 150 share CSA, commercial seed growing, an equipment co-op and internship curriculum among 12 cooperating farms. Don is currently serving as the president of the Family Farmers Seed Cooperative.

Photo cred: osseeds.org

Seven Tree Farm

Vassalboro, Maine

Est. 2001

Roberta Bailey & Rob Lemire have a passion for garlic and hot peppers. They plant their garlic and other specialty crops in the rich soil of the Kennebec River region of Maine. They rotate 6 plots with seed, garlic, grain, and cover crops. Bailey, who planted her first garlic seeds nearly thirty years ago, is truly a garlic pioneer in her home state of Maine - a region where garlic wasn't really being grown much until she devoted herself to cultivating and sharing the awesome plants. Although Bailey doesn't take full credit for Maine's garlic boom, Mainers are now growing about 70 different varieties of garlic!

Photo cred: pressherald.com

Siskiyou

Williams, Oregon

Est. 1997

Siskiyou Seeds is a Family Farm based Seed Company in SW Oregon growing Organic & Biodynamic since 1997. Although they are blessed with abundant summer sun in the “banana belt of southern Oregon”, the Siskiyous can be a challenging place to garden with their winter rainforest/summer desert climate of harsh extremes. The varieties that they offer in their catalog have proven themselves through years of homesteading, filling countless harvest baskets, and serving as the foundation for many nourishing meals. Their farm produces most of the open-pollinated & heirloom seeds they sell on their home farm. They also work with a network of certified organic family farms throughout the West to bring customers high quality, vigorous, well adapted and unique varieties of vegetables, flowers, herbs and grains.

Sherck Seeds

Bristol, Indiana

John Sherck runs this seed company from his farm in Bristol, Indiana. John's goal is to provide a regionalized source of open-pollinated seed, for staple crops like rice, wheat, barley, dry beans, and many others. John aims to take the finest staple crop varieties he can find and trial them out on his farm to see how they perform in Northern Indiana. While his farm is not certified organic, John has been growing, utilizing organic and sustainable inputs and methods for over 25 years. For those interested, John's open-door policy at the farm welcomes anyone to stop in and see how they grow.

Skinny Farm of Scio

Dexter, Michigan

Nature & Nurture Farm Friend Tim Redmond is our go-to contact at Skinny Farm of Scio justdown the road from us in Dexter, Michigan. Skinny Farm is an organic and biodynamically managed vegetable farm in Scio Township, Michigan offering bi-weekly and monthly produce and flower bouquet shares. They also specialize in gourmet garlic, hops, and other produce. We get both our German White and German Red garlic varieties from Tim.

Uprising Seeds

Bellingham, Washington

This Washington based company is made up of Brian, Crystine, Rio, Eric, Rowan, and baby Meira. They are a small, family run organic seed farm and the culmination of years of fresh market farming, variety trialing, seed production and breeding work, and most importantly, a decades-long love affair with food and its power to bring people together. Founded on a common passion for healthy and sustainable food, the farm now produces many varieties of seeds and has a number of trialing and breeding projects going. At Uprising Seeds the core belief is that the health of our relationship with the land, the seeds, and ultimately the food that sustains us has the power to shape our present and define our future. As Washington’s first 100% organic certified seed company, the growers at Uprising Seeds are true pioneers in the organic, open-pollinated, heirloom seed endeavor.

Wild Garden Seed

Philomath, Oregon

Est. 1994

Frank and Karen Morton's Wild Garden Seeds are leading growers and breeders of organic, open-pollinated seeds. Frank has developed dozens of original vegetable, herb, and flower varieties, taking advantage of the climate and soil of Oregon's Willamette Valley: "a world class place to grow specialty seeds." On-farm breeding projects produce the highest quality seeds, bred for traits like seedling vigor under organic conditions. Having grown salad greens for restaurants for nearly two decades, Frank is a master of such projects. An accidental cross during his salad green production propelled him into the world of crop breeding, and he’s since become an expert and a mentor for other farmer/breeders including Erica and Mike (Nature & Nurture Seeds). Between this expertise and a desire to improve regional ecology, the Morton’s Wild Garden Seeds is an excellent resource for those seeking ecologically-sound growing practices and varieties.