Seed Savers Exchange

Seed Savers Exchange, commonly abbreviated SSE, is a nonprofit seed-preservation organization based at Heritage Farm near Decorah, Iowa. Its work centers on conserving heirloom and otherwise endangered varieties of vegetables, fruits, flowers, and other garden plants through collection, regeneration, documentation, distribution, and public education. Rather than operating primarily as a conventional commercial seed company, it combines a living conservation collection, a member-based seed-sharing network, a retail seed business, publishing, educational programs, and public events. The organization was founded in 1975 by Kent Whealy and Diane Ott Whealy. Its origin is associated with two heirloom plants given to Diane Whealy: a German tomato and a morning glory vine descended from seeds that her great-grandfather had brought from Bavaria in 1870. The founders established an early exchange among approximately thirty gardeners, using a short list of available seeds. That informal exchange developed into a broader network in which members preserve varieties in their own gardens, record their histories, and make seed available to other growers. A defining feature of Seed Savers Exchange is its emphasis on genetic and cultural heritage. The organization treats seeds not only as agricultural inputs but also as repositories of family history, migration history, regional adaptation, and local food traditions. Its member publications have documented the names, characteristics, provenance, and availability of thousands of varieties. Since 1975, SSE has produced an annual Seed Savers Yearbook listing member offerings. It has also published reference works including multiple editions of The Garden Seed Inventory, The Fruit, Nut and Berry Inventory, and Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners. Heritage Farm, acquired in 1986, is the organization’s principal conservation and education site. The property covers approximately 890 acres and includes organically managed production areas, preservation facilities, a visitors’ center, classes, and events. The farm’s central collection contains more than 25,000 rare fruit, vegetable, and plant varieties, which are regenerated, documented, refrigerated, and maintained for long-term conservation. Its facilities include an underground seed vault kept at below-freezing temperatures. Heritage Farm also maintains a large collection of apple varieties, including approximately 900 types, as well as White Park cattle. SSE has complemented its nonprofit preservation work with commercial distribution. It began operating a commercial seed catalog in 2000 and has supplied seeds to roughly 600 retail stores in the United States and Canada. Its broader network has included more than 13,000 members worldwide and has facilitated the circulation of more than one million seed samples, while the organization has described its collection and distribution work as covering more than 20,000 endangered seed varieties. These figures reflect the scale reported in the reference material and may change over time. Seed Savers Exchange also participates in wider conservation partnerships. In December 2007 it deposited nearly 500 varieties in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault ahead of the facility’s February 2008 opening. It was described as the only citizen-led organization from the United States contributing material for the opening. The organization also maintains seed holdings at the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition, it supports seed donations for schools and community gardens. The brand’s positioning is therefore mission-led rather than luxury- or volume-led. Its principal promise is stewardship: protecting biological diversity, keeping rare varieties in active cultivation, making historically significant seeds accessible, and helping gardeners learn how to save and share seed. Its activities connect consumer gardening with nonprofit…

Seed Savers Exchange was established in 1975 by Kent Whealy and Diane Ott Whealy after the couple became custodians of heirloom seeds connected to Diane Whealy’s family history. The plants included a German tomato and a morning glory descended from seed brought to the United States from Bavaria by her great-grandfather in 1870. The founders initially organized a small exchange involving about thirty gardeners. Participants shared seed, growing knowledge, and information about the origins of particular varieties. The organization developed around the idea that endangered garden varieties could be protected most effectively when they remained in cultivation and were shared among a committed community. Its annual Seed Savers Yearbook became a mechanism for recording and circulating members’ offerings, with entries describing crop characteristics and known histories. Over time, Seed Savers Exchange broadened its documentation and publishing program through reference works on garden seeds, fruit, nuts, berries, and seed-saving techniques. A major institutional development came in 1986, when the organization acquired what became Heritage Farm near Decorah, Iowa. The approximately 890-acre site became the center of SSE’s conservation, regeneration, storage, education, and visitor activities. The farm’s collection grew to include more than 25,000 rare fruit, vegetable, and plant varieties. Seeds are regenerated and documented, with long-term storage supported by refrigeration and an underground below-freezing vault. Heritage Farm also preserves living plant collections, including a large apple collection, and maintains White Park cattle. The site includes a visitors’ center and hosts classes and events. Seed Savers Exchange added a commercial seed catalog in 2000. This allowed the organization to make selected varieties available through a more conventional retail channel while continuing its member-based exchange and nonprofit conservation work. The organization has sold seeds through hundreds of retail stores in the United States and Canada. Its network has also included members in multiple countries and has circulated large numbers of seed samples. The organization’s preservation work extends beyond its Iowa facilities. In December 2007, SSE deposited nearly 500 varieties in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a long-term international repository that officially opened in February 2008. The deposit gave some of the varieties in its collection an additional form of backup protection. SSE also maintains seeds at the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado. Education and access have remained central to the organization’s activities. Seed Savers Exchange publishes practical guidance on seed saving and growing, documents the cultural histories of varieties, operates public programs at Heritage Farm, and supports seed donations for schools and community gardens. Its work links conservation with active use: varieties are not only stored, but also grown, described, exchanged, and taught to new generations of gardeners. Today, Seed Savers Exchange is best understood as a nonprofit conservation institution with a consumer-facing seed brand. Its activities span seed banking, living collections, member exchange, retail sales, publishing, education, and public engagement. The organization’s principal distinction is its focus on preserving the biological and cultural diversity represented by heirloom and endangered garden plants.

1. 2008Svalbard Global Seed Vault opens

   The global repository opens with Seed Savers Exchange among the contributing organizations represented at the opening.

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2. 2007Initial Svalbard seed deposit

   The organization deposits nearly 500 varieties in preparation for the opening of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

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3. 2000Commercial seed catalog begins

   SSE adds a commercial catalog to its member exchange and conservation operations.

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4. 1986Heritage Farm is acquired

   Seed Savers Exchange purchases the property near Decorah, Iowa, that becomes its principal conservation and education site.

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5. 1975Seed Savers Exchange is founded

   Kent Whealy and Diane Ott Whealy establish the organization and organize an early exchange among approximately thirty gardeners.

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A mission-driven nonprofit seed brand and conservation network focused on heirloom varieties, genetic diversity, cultural heritage, seed exchange, and practical education for gardeners and growers.

• Heirloom vegetable seedsCrop seeds

  Seed Savers Exchange distributes seeds for historically significant and endangered vegetables, including varieties maintained through its conservation collection and member network. Catalog and exchange descriptions generally emphasize variety history, growing characteristics, and the importance of continued cultivation.

• Flower and ornamental plant seedsGarden seeds

  The organization preserves and shares flower and ornamental plant varieties, including the morning glory associated with its founding story. These offerings extend its conservation mission beyond food crops to plants with family, regional, and cultural significance.

• Heritage fruit, nut, and berry materialPerennial crop material

  SSE maintains living collections of rare fruit and other perennial plant varieties at Heritage Farm. Its documentation and publications cover fruit, nut, and berry diversity, while the farm is also known for maintaining approximately 900 apple varieties.

• Seed Savers YearbookAgricultural publication1975

  The annual Seed Savers Yearbook records seed offerings from members and provides information about crop identity, characteristics, and known provenance. It supports the exchange network by connecting growers who preserve and share unusual varieties.

• Seed to SeedGardening education

  Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners is an educational publication focused on practical methods for growing crops and saving their seed. It translates the organization’s conservation expertise into guidance for home gardeners.

• 2007Svalbard Global Seed Vault contribution

  International

  SSE contributed nearly 500 varieties to the newly established international backup repository in Svalbard, Norway, linking its citizen-led conservation work with a global seed-security project.

  Outcome. The varieties became part of the repository’s long-term backup collection.

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• School and community garden seed donation program

  United States

  Seed Savers Exchange supports seed donations for schools and community gardens, extending access to heirloom varieties and seed-saving education beyond its membership and retail channels.

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• 2007Place seeds in an international backup repositoryStrategy

  Long-term conservation of rare varieties benefits from geographically separate backup storage in addition to living collections and facilities at Heritage Farm.

  What changed. SSE deposited nearly 500 varieties in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault before its public opening.

  Aftermath. The contribution provided an additional preservation location for varieties maintained by the organization.

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• 2000Add a commercial seed catalogStrategy

  Seed Savers Exchange had developed through nonprofit preservation and member-to-member exchange, but broader access required a more conventional distribution channel.

  What changed. The organization began operating a commercial seed catalog while retaining its conservation collection, member network, and educational programs.

  Aftermath. The catalog enabled SSE to reach retail customers and contributed to distribution through stores in the United States and Canada.

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• 2007Seed Savers Exchange deposits heirloom varieties in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault

  In December 2007, Seed Savers Exchange made an initial deposit of nearly 500 varieties for the global seed repository that opened in Svalbard in February 2008.

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• 2000Seed Savers Exchange expands commercial seed distribution

  The organization began operating a commercial seed catalog, adding a retail distribution channel to its member exchange and conservation activities.

  Product launch
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1. Seed Savers Exchange
2. Seed Savers Exchange official website