We’ve been doing a good job recently of getting out on the weekends, now that the weather is nice. This Sunday we spent the day at Heritage Farm, the headquarters of Seed Savers. For us, this meant a drive (they’re outside of Decorah, Iowa, which is in the northeast corner of the state, whereas we are in the southwest corner), but the predicted thunderstorms stayed away, and it turned out to be a beautiful day full of sunshine. I took part in an apple grafting workshop (more on that later), and we both enjoyed wandering around the place.

As you might expect, there isn’t a whole lot going on in their demonstration gardens at the moment. Their apple orchard was full of blossoms, though, and the property stretches far back into a valley between bluffs and along a creek. Our part of Iowa, though not at all flat, doesn’t have much in the way of bluffs, and the sight of rocks is a bit of a rarity for us, so that was exciting. And there were beautiful little forest wildflowers in bloom, spring beauty, trout lily and the like.

We like Seed Savers as an organization, and it was interesting to see in person where our values match up. I love the independence that comes with saving seed and the genetic diversity associated with open pollinated heirloom seed, and in these ways, we’re a great match. On the other hand, I think I had hoped for more from the Heritage Farm in their gardening practices, use of space, and the way they use the place to educate visitors.

I can’t say I was disappointed, but it did make me feel like I should be doing more. Like if I can envision something better, why am I not out there making it happen?

It’s good to be back home at our Headquarters, re-inspired and with plenty of work to keep me busy.