seed savers exchange heritage farm

Northeastern Iowa is a great place for a weekend vacation. There is a lot to see that does not take a lot of time to enjoy. This is one of those places. The idea of seed savers I found intriguing. This is a great place to take kids--a fantastic learning experience. It's also a wonderful place for gardeners planning what to plant.

Seed Savers is a little bit off the beaten path but well worth the effort to go to. The gardens are just beautiful and a photographers delight!! ( My husband got to try out his brand new lens !) We really enjoyed out time in the little gift shop, tons of fabulous seeds to pick from and I especially loved the heirloom bean varieties that I was able to purchase to take home to my daughters, for them to try making soups out of. We didn't have enough time while we were there to see the Heritage Farm with their Livestock but plan on doing this this year on our visit there to Decorah. I am looking forward to going and getting some seeds for my two daughters who both have a garden.

Seed Saver's is one of our family faves. The grounds are so pretty and covered with beautiful plants. Walk the paths to find fun wild life like little green toads. Don't forget to feed the chickens!

We visited last summer during the Heirloom Tomato festival and I was very impressed by the beauty of the gardens and grounds. The gift shop is filled with things you'll want to buy, including a great selection of seeds, dried beans for cooking, books, and clothing items. We took a hayride that was being offered that day to the pasture where we learned about the beautiful herd of Ancient White Park Cattle that live on the property. There are also Heritage ducks and chickens to check out. Take a nice walk through the woods to the apple orchard and see the most diverse selection of apples in the United States. Gorgeous place, educational and fun!

Enjoyed the lovely fall garden, and got some 2014 seeds on sale. Great prep for next spring. Got Christmas beans as gifts for pals and will return to hike the trails. A very pleasant show room.

We have been ordering seeds from Seed Savers Exchange for years and were happy to finally visit. The farm is so pretty, set in a verdant, quiet valley. The shop has lots of nice gift items, and of course, seeds! The woman manning the shop was friendly and informative. We were the last visitors of the day. The sun was low on a bright September day. It simply glowed. And made us glow inside.

On the way to Decorah we stopped at Seed Savers to see the gift shop and gardens. They also have lovely walking paths. I would go again.

And frankly, that should be anyone who eats. Just a few miles outside of charming Decorah, IA, Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization that is focused on preserving and disseminating heirloom varieties of plants--fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, etc. Seed-saving as an activity was commonplace many years ago; however, it seems to be a lost skill.Visiting Seed Savers is a delight (and I'm not even much of a gardener!) The Lillian Goldman Visitors Center offers visitors a chance to ask questions (as well as shop for seeds and related merchandise, such as gardening books). Plus, the bathrooms are very clean! Outside on the grounds, one can wander the diversity garden, where herbs/vegetables associated with different countries (e.g. Germany, Korea, Italy, Mexico) are found. There's an herb garden and other places as well, including a wonderful walking trail. A children's play area features interesting structures made from willow branches. It's not just plants--Seed Savers also works to ensure that heritage breeds don't go extinct. A visitor can see heritage poultry and the Ancient White Park cattle, which is an old, rare horned breed.The staff was very friendly and helpful. I learned a lot and would visit again.

We stopped by the amazing farm after reading about them in a local article. The grounds are spectacular! There were a lot of trails and so green and lush. We spent a lot of time walking and never got tired of the scenery! The shop has an amazing amount of seeds available for purchase and the staff was very helpful. There are also a lot of books and gardening tools available. Plan to spend a couple of hours in order to enjoy this are to its fullest!

My husband being a gardener, we wanted to make sure we took in the Seed Savers Exchange on our trip to Decorah. It was June and end of season. They had plenty of plants available for purchase. And they were half price. We took home a couple of heirloom plants and are enjoying watching their progress in our garden. We also purchased some jellies and seeds for next season. They have gardening accessories and gifts for purchase. Brewed coffee is there with a request for a donation for the beverage. The grounds are lovely. They have flower gardens to enjoy. Their employees are very pleasant and enthusiastic. We walked a little way down their lovely walking trail. Wish we had time to go further.

Stopped by on a rainy cool day but warmly greeted by all the many workers...planting spring seedlings, cleaning up the garden area for the summer growing season.would like to go back when they have events...looks like a lot of family fun! "Cool cows! "

Really enjoyed visiting here on a great spring day. I picked up some plants and seeds that are unique. We also strolled along one of the trails. There happened to be a speaker the day of our visit so we enjoyed listening to him as well.

SeedSavers is a smallish garden center with LOTS of seeds, some small plants and small trees for sale. My husband shops here every spring & this was my first visit. There are gardening tools, books, accessories (baskets, markers, gloves, etc.). We took a walk along the river after shopping. They are working with Iowa DNR to naturalize the river after draining a pond and will restock brook trout. We saw lots of wildflowers and birds. The trees are just starting to leaf out so it's easy to see the birds in the trees.There is an interesting cildren's play area made of woven willow branches.

We were going to Iowa to visit family so I managed to get this stop added to the trip. This is a farm just north of Decorah and because it was still winter we could not do anything outside. The real stars of the gift shop were the couple of hundred seed packages, which were all 25% off. They have a nice selection of books and other cute gardening things. I would love to come back in the summer.

Just a few miles outside of Decorah is a farm where they grow and save heritage seeds and apples. There is a lovely gift shop where you can buy these seeds and other garden related paraphernalia and books, unique stationary and cards. You can stroll the gardens and orchards and admire the vegetables. Throughout the year there are special events such as tomato tasting and a salsa contest. They hold an annual gathering every July with special speakers and upon occasion there are concerts held on the grounds.