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‘I want to be a giver.’
Terrence Kerwin , Seed Savers Exchange fellow member , reflects on how he first became involved in the Exchange and why he heel seeds on it .
I would guess that I ’m an unusual member of Seed Savers Exchange , though in all probability everyone thinks that ! I ’ve been an SSE member since about 1980 , but I did n’t fall in the Exchange until three year ago , when I offer two tomato varieties , ‘ Alaska ’ and ‘ Siberian . ’ My strange aspect is that I live and garden in Silverton , Colorado , at 9,318 feet in elevation [ USDA Hardiness Zones Map ] . It is a challenging place to garden , and that ’s what take a shit it fun .
I became an SSE member to access to other gardeners ’ information about what I could arise here . I got advice and source from legion people , but few things worked well enough to offer seeds myself . Barbara Carlson , an Exchange lister in Alaska pop the question the final piece of advice that did the trick . In a nutshell , she indicate out that growing plants successfully in sturdy climates was n’t the result of magic seeds ; it was , instead , due to using thing like cold frames and rowing covers . Once I listened , I was able-bodied to grow things much more faithfully . I listed eight varieties on theExchangein 2024 and fully bear to double that in a year or two .
Terrence Kerwin sits alongside his dog and one of his raised garden beds.
As much as I understand the need to keep these plant miscellanea hold up , I have not see any magic seed that will grow here and bring forth yield or seminal fluid without a small help . To me , the other side of the SSE is the people involved and their willingness to proffer aid . Back in the early 1980s , I was given seeds by numerous people — most of whom have belike happen away . When we think of preserving cum for “ future generations , ” we ( I , at least ) incline to leave that we have been that “ succeeding generation ” to so many people who saved semen before us . They are long run low , yet their bequest of germ is still with us , alive today and hopefully into the hereafter .
I palpate the need to mention planetary mood modification and how the gardeners of the worldly concern might react . Genetics is not motionless over time . We judge to keep our seeds “ complete , ” but they never are the same year to year even if just by random mutation . This is a good thing when regard changes in climate . Whatever seed is saved will tardily react to climate change and will roll with the punches ( perhaps not the good phrasal idiom ) . It has been doing this for thousands of generations . The history of metric grain crop and how they ’ve changed over millennium is enough to make you rethink keeping your seed “ utter . ”
Most of us have developed landraces of crop [ a locally adapted assortment of a plant that has evolved over time ] whether we mean to or not . I have mean to rise whatever I could . Unfortunately for me , I really am not fond of the root crops and most of the greens that bring forth here . So , I center on the crop I enjoy such as snap peas and snow peas . I ’ve not achieved much other than having plenty to eat . … We have three apple trees that produce , barely , and they are erstwhile trees . I ’ve draft the help of others in SSE to round up seeds of Malus pumila potential to grow here .
Terrence Kerwin sits alongside his dog and one of his raised garden beds.
I think I ’ve always been a nurseryman , but the seed - save side of the interest has little to do with the harvesting . It is driven by want to be a part of the innate world . I do n’t want to just be a taker ; I desire to be a creator , a conferrer . That ’s part of horticulture , get food from a seed — from almost nothing . For me , this is a good matter .
Terrence Kerwin listed 13 variety show on the Exchange in 2025 .
Hope and Practice
Upward! Terrence Kerwin uses trellises in his garden.
To fete Seed Savers Exchange ’s 50th anniversary , we are featuring the work and inspiration of Exchange Lister in the " Hope and Practice " serial .
Crops for high-elevation
Not all harvest grow well at gamey elevations , but snap peas and rootle vegetables like common beet and carrot do .
Sweet and crisp , this snap pea plant is a perennial bestseller among Seed Savers Exchange client .
Few crop can beat the Beta vulgaris when it comes to performing in high ALT .
A staple of many home gardens , carrots can thrive even in mountainous , high - altitude gardens .
When you make a purchase from Seed Savers Exchange , you help fulfill our non-profit-making mission to protect our food and garden inheritance .
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Seed Savers Exchange is a tax - exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit system dedicated to the preservation of heirloom seeds .
