Stewardship Stories Archives - SeedSavers

Pepper 1231: ‘Martin’s Carrot’

Hailey Abbey — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 20:12:03 +0000

'Martin’s Carrot' pepper was preserved for many years by the Martin Family and donated to Seed Savers Exchange in 1996 by Dr. William Woys Weaver.

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Memories from SSE’s 50th Anniversary

Hailey Abbey — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 21:06:54 +0000

At Seed Savers Exchange’s 50th Anniversary Celebration and Conference this past August, guests of all ages were invited to step into the hayloft of the barn and take part in one of our most meaningful activities: the 50th Anniversary Scrapbook.

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Hope and Practice: Charles Hoehnle

Meredith Burks — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 20:58:57 +0000

“I just enjoy growing things. I never get tired of watching things grow and develop.” – Charles L. Hoehnle
Charles has been saving and sharing seeds through the Exchange since 1991—and gardening even longer. From his roots in Iowa’s Amana Colonies to his blue ribbons at the Iowa State Fair, Charles’s life is a testament to the quiet power of stewardship, tradition, and seed saving.

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Hope and Practice: Craig LeHoullier

Meredith Burks — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 18:03:16 +0000

Hope and Practice with Craig LeHoullier: ‘Participating in Seed Savers Exchange Changed My Life.’ It is hard for me to believe, but my discovery, joining, and total immersion into Seed Savers Exchange happened in 1986. SSE was a mere child of 11, and I was a young husband, father, and relatively inexperienced gardener of 30. Though I am still a husband and father—and soon-to-be grandfather—my gardening experience has grown significantly, with much of the credit going to the life I’ve lived as an SSE member.

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Peg Davis: The Tomato Lady

Hailey Abbey — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 17:11:55 +0000

Peg Davis of Snow Spring Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley finds happiness and purpose in growing and stewarding heirloom tomatoes, including 'Peg O' My Heart, which she recently donated to Seed Savers Exchange.

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Hope and Practice: Jane Frandsen

Hailey Abbey — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 18:12:37 +0000

Jane Frandsen, Exchange lister, recounts why and how she began saving seeds: 'Seeds Are Amazing Things.’

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Hope and Practice: Robert Lobitz

Sara Friedl-Putnam — Fri, 30 May 2025 20:28:49 +0000

Robert Lobitz—one of the most active members of Seed Savers Exchange—had many listings in the Yearbook from 1984 up to 2006, when he passed away.

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Hope and Practice: Christina Wenger

Sara Friedl-Putnam — Fri, 16 May 2025 13:59:11 +0000

In the first third of the 20th century, the agricultural valleys of California were full of sweet peas grown for seed.

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Hope and Practice: Niki Stevens

Sara Friedl-Putnam — Thu, 01 May 2025 18:31:15 +0000

My path to seed saving started around the age of four. I knew that those red things (tomatoes) my mom had picked were bad news.

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Hope and Practice: Jay Tracy

Sara Friedl-Putnam — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 15:22:33 +0000

While gardening in Arizona, I discovered the snake melon and carosello cucumbers as well as many other muskmelons that, for millennia, have been cultivated as delicious cucumbers.

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