On Wednesday, I got an email from Seed Savers Exchange—turns out, they have tomato and pepper plants left over from their spring sale, and while they’re too tall to ship anywhere, they’re perfectly healthy.
And they’re available, for free. Free. All you have to do is drive to Decorah, Iowa.
I realize this is a stretch of a drive for some folks, but I have to tell you…if I was one of those folks in a floodplain, and I needed to make sure I got my tomato fix before the end of the season, I’d be getting in my car, gas prices be damned. These are good, heirloom plants, you people of Iowa. For free.
Go and get ‘em. But call first, in case all the other people who got the email already beat you to it.
You can pick up the transplants at the Lillian Goldman Visitors Center at 3074 North Winn Road, Decorah, Iowa. Call (563) 382-5990 before you go, just to make sure the trip is still worth it.
And another reminder. Small family farms. They need your help.
on Jun 21st, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Wish I could get my hands on some of those.
on Jun 22nd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Great post, Genie! How fabulous of Seed Savers to make them available. I hope gardeners within a drive of Decorah take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!
on Jun 23rd, 2008 at 6:31 am
I just made a donation.
Okay, can I change the subject? My partner (we’re hetero) and I will be taking a “Eastbay culinary supply” trip this weekend. The trip will start from somewhere-near-the-Fruitvale-Bart-station, maybe stopping at the Wholesale Restaurant Warehouse in Jack London Square, hitting our favorite coffee-and-tea factory (Peerless), to Sur La Table at the bottom of University, and then probably some place that has herbs because I’ve an empty pot and how can it stay that way huh huh huh?! There is this fantastic little nursery up in the Piedmont hills….
You can see that there’s a bit of wiggle room in our schedule. There’s also a bit of wiggle room in our car. You are welcome, O favorite blogger, to occupy the Seat Of Honor in our (quite spacious) car and allow us to buy you a cuppa and ferry you about. Feel free to accept or decline as you wish, offer changes in the itinerary, and/or requests for us to shut up already about local points of interest.
And, again, welcome. :)
on Jun 23rd, 2008 at 6:32 am
Oh, and we’ll likely hit Scharffenberger. Have you taken the Scharffenberger Chocolate Factory tour yet? It’s FASCINATING!
on Jun 23rd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Wish I lived nearby – great that you are advertising this … no doubt the tomatoes will find a good garden.
on Jun 24th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Deb, me too!
Ben, I hope so, as well.
Plot_Thickens, that sounds like quite a day! I’ll email you about this.
Kate, I hope they do…as well as the peppers!
on Jun 28th, 2008 at 3:44 am
This doesn’t surprise me. Seed Savers are great folks.
on Jun 28th, 2008 at 8:21 am
That’s so cool of Seed Savers Exchange! We are lucky in Michigan that even though it’s been raining a LOT, it hasn’t flooded.
on Jun 28th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Sally, they are not just great folks, they’re so committed to the good things they do — it’s terrific.
Monica, you are definitely lucky. Is your season this year really late?
on Jun 28th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Thanks for the reminder about Seed Savers. I keep meaning to join… and now I have!
on Jun 28th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Eva, good news! It’s a terrific organization.