Seed Savers Exchange

 Decorah     Iowa

http://www.seedsavers.org     << visit website

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Seed Savers Exchange Charity Profile

Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization that saves and shares the heirloom seeds or our garden heritage, forming a living legacy that can be passed down through generations. When people grow and save seeds, they join an ancient tradition as stewards, nurturing our diverse, fragile, genetic and cultural heritage.

Seed Savers Exchange was founded in 1975 by Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy, to honor this tradition. Their collection started when Dianes terminally-ill grandfather gave them the seeds of two garden plants, Grandpa Ott's Morning Glory and German Pink Tomato, that his parents brought from Bavaria when they immigrated to St. Lucas, Iowa in the 1870s.

More than 23 acres of certified organic gardens are on public display at Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa. Each Summer 10% of each crop is planted on a 10-year rotation to renew the seed collection. Few gardeners will ever see such stunning genetic diversity.

Seed Savers Exchange Donation Information

Your year-end tax-deductible contribution will help fund SSE programs with objectives such as the following:




Sharing ongoing research and seed saving education, including more educational workshops at Heritage Farm such as an Heirloom Apple Grafting Seminar;
Expanding our efforts in regenerating the seed collection in 2008. Over 2,500 varieties are grown annually, including over 300 labor-intensive biennials;
Maintaining SSE’s functional living museums of preservation gardens and historic orchard. Over 4,000 total varieties of plants will be maintained in 2008, including vegetables, apples, grapes, flowers and herbs;
Collaborating with scientific institutions and seed saving organizations in other countries with similar missions, including cooperation with the Svalbard Global Seed Vault for secure backup storage of SSE seeds;
Developing a network of isolation gardens to maintain, evaluate, and grow out larger populations of selected varieties, free of contamination by genetically modified organisms, and reducing the need for hand-pollination techniques;
Compiling and publishing the Fourth Edition of Fruit, Berry and Nut Inventory, an inventory of non-hybrid fruits, berries, and nuts still available from mail-order catalogs that can be used as a preservation tool by gardeners, orchardists, and conservation organizations;
Maintaining and completing over six miles of trails at Heritage Farm which allow visitors to walk along the stream and through the woods past numerous isolation gardens along the entire length of the South valley of Twin Valleys

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