Nestled into the rolling hills of the Raccoon River Valley, our little 1880's farmstead is just a small patch on a giant quilt of pastures, timber, and cropland, but we take pride in knowing that no matter its size, we're doing our best to carry on the 140+ year legacy of our farm. Having not been raised in agriculture we've been humbled by the vastness of our ignorance when it comes to farming, but we've also been blessed by a community of farmers who have been eager to share their wisdom with a couple of outsiders.
Our gardening journey began a little more than fifteen years ago. We were working our way through college, and I thought that if I learned to garden, I could potentially grow some food that was of a higher quality than what our small grocery budget could afford us. Unfortunately, we didn't have much space, so I approached some retired neighbors who had a large garden and were looking to downsize. They generously offered us not just a sliver of their garden, but the majority of it. We would later come to appreciate an even greater gift they had bestowed on us, access to a lifetime's worth of accumulated gardening knowledge. Our mentors, Bob and Colleen, were incredibly patient and kind. In fact, Bob barely cracked a smile one year when he informed me that the volunteer potato plant I had carefully transplanted was actually a common weed. Several garden seasons later, it seemed we had tilled up most of the neighborhood. Our own yard was tilled right up to the sidewalk, and we had even grown a pumpkin patch on another neighbor's farm outside of town (access to which required a quarter-mile hike and walking heel-to-toe across a beam that spanned a creek). We'd outgrown our space and as I had finally finished my doctorate, it was time to move on.
We finally put down roots in Guthrie County, Iowa and quickly cut our very own garden, large enough to accommodate my growing collection of heirloom seeds, which at this point supplied not only our garden, but also those of family and friends. After years of sharing seeds and personal notes about hundreds of heirloom varieties someone suggested selling seed and I decided to give it a try. The rest, as they say, is history. Over the years, our little catalog has evolved from a modest selection of seeds out of my personal library into a comprehensive offering of over 500 varieties (and counting). It is important to note, however, that despite their growing numbers, these selections represent a mere fraction of those we have trialed, with the balance being rejected because they lacked vigor, productivity, dependability, or flavor. While we will always be seed savers and preservationists, our ultimate mission remains unchanged: to grow nutritious and flavorful food for our family, and now to help you do the same for yours. As such, we will never offer a variety that we wouldn’t put in our own garden or serve on our own table. I hope that within our catalog you will find something worthy of the precious space in your home garden and if you have questions, I hope you will not hesitate to ask. We love to talk gardening.
-Becky and Dave Weeks
