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Shop Support Give a Gift Membership Become a Member Volunteer Donate Exchange Renew Your Membership Resources GardeningSeed Saving Resources Community Seed Resources Seed Packet Donations Visit Our Farm Our Library EventsOur Mission Our Story Our Leadership Financial Information Impact Report Job Opportunities Blog Shop / Support / Give a Gift Membership Become a Member Volunteer Donate Exchange / Renew Your Membership / Resources / GardeningSeed Saving Resources Community Seed Resources Seed Packet Donations Visit / Our Farm Our Library Events/ Our Mission Our Story Our Leadership Financial Information Impact Report Job Opportunities Blog / Blog Stories and tips to make you a better gardener, cook and seed saver. Shop / Support / Give a Gift Membership Become a Member Volunteer Donate Exchange / Renew Your Membership / Resources / GardeningSeed Saving Resources Community Seed Resources Seed Packet Donations Visit / Our Farm Our Library Events/ Our Mission Our Story Our Leadership Financial Information Impact Report Job Opportunities Blog / August 18, 2023 The Power of Telling a Good Story August 18, 2023 / Gabriel Goeddeke As I found out during my time as the membership and development intern at Heritage Farm, Seed Savers Exchange is all about stories. Read More August 18, 2023 / Gabriel Goeddeke / Comment April 07, 2023 Thin to win! April 07, 2023 / Sara Friedl-Putnam What?! I have to toss some of these perfectly healthy seedlings I worked so hard to start? Which do I save and which do I not? That is the reaction of many a new gardener upon first learning that thinning seedlings is a necessary step to ensure healthy growth of plant starts. The reality is that, if left in crowded environs, your seedlings will eventually suffer. Read More April 07, 2023 / Sara Friedl-Putnam / Comment March 08, 2023 How to sow seeds in winter March 08, 2023 / Sara Friedl-Putnam Did you know that there are certain seeds that you can sow outside right now when the temperatures are still cool and there’s still snow on the ground in some parts of the country? Read More March 08, 2023 / Sara Friedl-Putnam / Comment December 01, 2022 SSE introduces 11 new varieties for 2023 December 01, 2022 / Sara Friedl-Putnam It takes time—years, in fact—dedication, and plenty of effort to move” a precious heirloom variety from the Seed Savers Exchange seed bank into our seed catalog, but we think that work was more than worth the effort for the 11 new varieties we’re introducing in 2023. Read More December 01, 2022 / Sara Friedl-Putnam / Comment New varieties , catalog , garden planning , gardening October 17, 2022 Seed Savers Exchange welcomes Mike Bollinger as new Executive Director October 17, 2022 / Meredith Burks The Seed Savers Exchange Board of Directors has named Mike Bollinger of Decorah, Iowa, executive director of Seed Savers Exchange. Read More October 17, 2022 / Meredith Burks / Comment September 13, 2022 Working and learning: An intern’s experience at Heritage Farm September 13, 2022 / Sierra Kruger This summer I had the wonderful opportunity to create community, strengthen my gardening abilities, grow connections with knowledgeable individuals — and share what I have learned in the process of it all — here at Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. Read More September 13, 2022 / Sierra Kruger / Comment July 21, 2022 Garden pests, be gone! July 21, 2022 / Sara Friedl-Putnam If you have a garden of any shape or size, the odds are good you also have some bothersome garden pests. Yes, aphids and slugs, Japanese beetles and stink bugs (among many other pests!) unfortunately view your beautiful plants as a bountiful buffet upon which to feast. Read More July 21, 2022 / Sara Friedl-Putnam / Comment All posts , Education , How-to gardening , pest prevention , garden management , healthy soil May 11, 2022 How to Harden Off and Transplant Your Seedlings May 11, 2022 / Sara Friedl-Putnam You’ve spent time, energy, and effort nurturing those veggie, herb, and flower starts—and now it’s time to introduce them to the great outdoors. But before you move your seedlings from your home or greenhouse into your garden—or, in gardening lingo, transplant them!—you’ll want to harden them off. Read More May 11, 2022 / Sara Friedl-Putnam / Comment March 11, 2022 Indoor Seed Starting 101 March 11, 2022 / Sara Friedl-Putnam There may still be snow on the ground in parts of the country, but as those much-longed-for seeds for the new season arrive in the mail, the thoughts of enthusiastic gardeners and seed savers everywhere inevitably drift to spring and the annual rite of starting seeds indoors. Read More March 11, 2022 / Sara Friedl-Putnam / Comment How-to , Education seed starting , starting seeds indoors , tips , Growing Tips February 23, 2022 SSE’s ADAPT program: grow, learn, give back! February 23, 2022 / Sara Friedl-Putnam What is Seed Savers Exchange’s Community Science ADAPT program? In short, it’s a fun and exciting way to get involved in SSE’s mission to preserve and share our food crop heritage. Read More February 23, 2022 / Sara Friedl-Putnam / Comment BlogNext Shop / Support / Give a Gift Membership Become a Member Volunteer Donate Exchange / Renew Your Membership / Resources / GardeningSeed Saving Resources Community Seed Resources Seed Packet Donations Visit / Our Farm Our Library Events/ Our Mission Our Story Our Leadership Financial Information Impact Report Job Opportunities Blog / Seed Savers Exchange is a nonprofit, member supported organization that collects, preserves and shares heirloom seeds for our future. Since 1975, SSE and our supporters have collected the seeds and stories that would otherwise have been lost. SSE on Instagram Seed Savers Exchange's Heritage Farm proved an exquisite setting for a recent Decorah Area Chamber young professionals gathering. Highlights of the event included an opportunity to chat with Michael Washburn, SSE's new preservation director, and to tour the newly repaved Diane's Garden. #SeedSaversExchange#DecorahAreaChamber#BetterTogether This position supports Seed Savers Exchange by assisting Heritage Farm visitors in Decorah, Iowa. Duties include helping customers purchase merchandise related to the SSE mission and answering questions about Seed Savers Exchange and Heritage Farm trails and gardens. When not working at the Visitors Center, this position supports Seed Savers Exchange with seed packing and order fulfillment. Please visit seedsavers.org for more details or to apply. #SeedSaversExchange #NowHiring #NEIowaJobs Nothing escaped the eagle eyes of Michael Washburn, SSE preservation director, and Sara Straate, SSE seed historian, when they recently examined the tomatoes in the Evaluation Garden at Heritage Farm. SSE staff regularly check the tomatoes and other crops growing in the garden as part of the multi-year Collection to Catalog” process whereby SSE introduces select seeds from its collection to its annual catalog. Notes from their observations–on height, yield, and other physical characteristics–at Heritage Farm will be combined with data from other ADAPT participants growing these varieties across the country. Curious about joining the ADAPT program in 2023? Learn more at https://www.seedsavers.org/community-science-adapt. #SeedSaversExchange #Evaluation #CollectionToCatalog #CommunityScience #Tomatoes #TomatoSeason #GardenTrials Did you know that the number of cabbage varieties in the commercial seed trade has decreased by 52 percent in just three decades, from 199 in 1981 to 95 in 2020? You can help preserve the remaining varieties, and bolster biodiversity, by planting this biennial crop and saving its seed! To save cabbage seed, select at least three firm, ready-to-eat cabbage heads in the fall. Remove the plants, roots and all, and store them in a root cellar, refrigerator, or cold basement, being sure to keep the roots damp and cold during the...