Cool Art, Cool People, Cool Plants, Cool Seeds, Cool Study, Cool Medicine, Cool Skies...
One of Cord's Sculptures
The Cool List:
Seeds adapt to wherever they are grown. The seed sellers listed below are growing or collecting seed here in our climate, our mountains, our desert, our Colorado. All this seed is strong and can be grown elsewhere of course, but for those looking for adapting seed to the wild, wild, west, these are excellent seed sources for those growing in extreme climates. Support small scale farmers, locally grown seeds and bio-regional seed companies!
Seed Vendors I Like:
Vibrant Earth Seeds
Ross and Avalon are growing seed in Cortez, Colorado. Check them out! Another small seed company providing the intermountain west with regionally-adapted seed. Ross and I studied seeds together in Idaho and he is a seed brother!
High Desert Seeds
Here is wonderful Colorado seed farm out of Paonia. Half of Colorado is high desert, the other half, high mountains, both high-altitude. This seed is adapting to the extremities of both. Another well-rounded catalog, please check out Laura Parkers good work.
Farm Direct
Dan Hobbs of Cortez, Colorado has been growing seed for a looooong time. Along with his own seed farm, Dan has farmer partners, all from Colorado or northern New Mexico. Besides a full catalog, he also provides garlic, fresh produce, fruit, and adapting seeds! Two names: Farm Direct Organic Seeds and Pueblo Seed and Food Company.
Western Native Seed
I've been a huge fan of Alex Tonnesen long before I started selling seeds. He's the boss of Native seed. I bow down. Although I carry a lot of native-to-Colorado seed, this company from Coaldale, Co has stood the test of time and is highly regarded in the industry. Wild seed for the wild, wild, west.
Some Other Cool Stuff....
Westcliffe Seed Lending Library
We have a Seed Lending Library in Westcliffe! It is located upstairs in the Custer County Courthouse. You can check out seed any time the courthouse is open. Grow it out to seed again - and return more than you take! The seed movement in ON!
Denver Botanic Gardens DBG is on the map - what a place of learning! This is the horticultural hub of Colorado and famous worldwide - go take a class or just spend the day wandering through the gardens. I'm not kidding.
Native Seed/SEARCH - Check them out - their mission to save native southwestern seeds is inspirational, not to mention the awesome selection of seeds available.
Organic Seed Alliance - saving the world - get to know their work. Also find free downloadable seed saving instructions!
Panayoti Kaleidis - Heart and Soul of the Denver Botanic Gardens - totally cool. Officially cool. He discovered us and brought us out of the garden and into teaching. He is our friend. Panayoti is one of the leading rock garden experts in the world. He also hunts down mountain-to-prairie plant varieties from all over the world and brings them home for us all to grow. Check out his Blog: Prairie Break
Desert Canyon Farm Canon City, Co Tammi Hartung - Author of Growing 101 Herbs That Heal and Homegrown Herbs Wholesale Herb Nursery - Awesome People - Free Summer Classes and workshops. Beautiful organically grown herb plants. Farm Stand Open to the Public on certain dates in summer.
Colorado Gardener This free Colorado publication is so excellent - you need to get your hands on it - either order it from the website for home delivery (for the cost of shipping) - order a box-full to distribute to your group or community, or find it in stands along the front range and beyond. There are 3 issues a year. (Oh yeah, I get to write for it too...)
Seed Vendors I Like:
Vibrant Earth Seeds
Ross and Avalon are growing seed in Cortez, Colorado. Check them out! Another small seed company providing the intermountain west with regionally-adapted seed. Ross and I studied seeds together in Idaho and he is a seed brother!
High Desert Seeds
Here is wonderful Colorado seed farm out of Paonia. Half of Colorado is high desert, the other half, high mountains, both high-altitude. This seed is adapting to the extremities of both. Another well-rounded catalog, please check out Laura Parkers good work.
Farm Direct
Dan Hobbs of Cortez, Colorado has been growing seed for a looooong time. Along with his own seed farm, Dan has farmer partners, all from Colorado or northern New Mexico. Besides a full catalog, he also provides garlic, fresh produce, fruit, and adapting seeds! Two names: Farm Direct Organic Seeds and Pueblo Seed and Food Company.
Western Native Seed
I've been a huge fan of Alex Tonnesen long before I started selling seeds. He's the boss of Native seed. I bow down. Although I carry a lot of native-to-Colorado seed, this company from Coaldale, Co has stood the test of time and is highly regarded in the industry. Wild seed for the wild, wild, west.
Some Other Cool Stuff....
Westcliffe Seed Lending Library
We have a Seed Lending Library in Westcliffe! It is located upstairs in the Custer County Courthouse. You can check out seed any time the courthouse is open. Grow it out to seed again - and return more than you take! The seed movement in ON!
Denver Botanic Gardens DBG is on the map - what a place of learning! This is the horticultural hub of Colorado and famous worldwide - go take a class or just spend the day wandering through the gardens. I'm not kidding.
Native Seed/SEARCH - Check them out - their mission to save native southwestern seeds is inspirational, not to mention the awesome selection of seeds available.
Organic Seed Alliance - saving the world - get to know their work. Also find free downloadable seed saving instructions!
Panayoti Kaleidis - Heart and Soul of the Denver Botanic Gardens - totally cool. Officially cool. He discovered us and brought us out of the garden and into teaching. He is our friend. Panayoti is one of the leading rock garden experts in the world. He also hunts down mountain-to-prairie plant varieties from all over the world and brings them home for us all to grow. Check out his Blog: Prairie Break
Desert Canyon Farm Canon City, Co Tammi Hartung - Author of Growing 101 Herbs That Heal and Homegrown Herbs Wholesale Herb Nursery - Awesome People - Free Summer Classes and workshops. Beautiful organically grown herb plants. Farm Stand Open to the Public on certain dates in summer.
Colorado Gardener This free Colorado publication is so excellent - you need to get your hands on it - either order it from the website for home delivery (for the cost of shipping) - order a box-full to distribute to your group or community, or find it in stands along the front range and beyond. There are 3 issues a year. (Oh yeah, I get to write for it too...)