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Victory Seeds
Some of Mike Dunton ’s earliest childhood memories are of being out in the garden with his female parent or grandparents . He was mold in San Francisco at a gamey - tech job when Mike learned that his granny had placed their multi - generation family farm on the market . “ Upon hear the news show , I call my grandmother , told her to take it off the market , and within a few month had sell our house in California , quit my job , found a new job , and move to the farm in Oregon . ”
In a letter of the alphabet to Seed Savers Exchange co - beginner Kent Whealy from 2000 , Mike described how he and his wife Denise founded their source society , Victory Seeds . “ Two years ago , we called a little seed company that we had purchase from for the past few years , only to witness they had determine to come together shop . It seemed perfect . We started a dialog and assay to put to work out how we could take it over . We did not come to terms with them , but by this metre , I was hooked on the mind . They were a received catalog company selling New hybrids and open - cross-pollinate seeds . We decided that with my computing equipment scope , we would focus our efforts heavy on the Internet and only offer heirloom and OP source . ”
Livingston Tomatoes
“I am an amateur historian and genealogist which is probably why I am so interested in preserving our gardening past. As I walk this land, I trod on the tall fescue hay fields that my grandfather planted before I was born, I eat fruit from trees that my great-grandparents planted, and enjoy flowers that my grandmother planted.” -Mike Dunton
After learning how seedman Alexander W. Livingston popularized tomato in the 19th one C , Mike dedicated himself to track down and/or restoring Livingston ’s varieties . As of 2017 , Mike has successfully preserved 19 historic Livingston tomato plant that had otherwise disappeared from the seed trade .
Seed Savers Exchange has led the heirloom seed campaign since 1975 , inspiring a generation of seed companies to specialize in rare , regionally adapted , toothsome , and unreplaceable open - cross-pollinate potpourri . Many of these companies were found by our own Seed Savers Exchange members . Rather than allowing heirloom and historic varieties to disappear or go unnoticed , these member launched an uncoordinated , constitutive , and persistent resistance to the fade of heirloom seeded player . This first wave of heirloom cum company did not offer seed catalogs in response to consumer requirement . alternatively , they created it .
This is the story of one of nine small seed company and a few of the mixture they have preserved . While each and every one of their background is as unique and bold as the varieties they share , they all have one thing in mutual : the passion for share seeds .
Bios written , interviews , and symmetry by Kelly Loud with help from Sara Straate .
Special thanks to the following citizenry : Alan and Linda Kapuler , Suzanne Ashworth , Craig Dremann , Steve Sando , Mike and Denise Dunton , Tom Wagner , Joanne Ranck - Dirks , Sue Ellen Majer , Bill McDorman , andGlenn Drowns .
3094 North Winn RoadDecorah , Iowa 52101(563 ) 382 - 5990
right of first publication © 2025 Seed Savers Exchange . Images on this site are protect by right of first publication — wildcat purpose is not allow .
Seed Savers Exchange is a taxation - nontaxable 501(c)3 non-profit-making organization give to the conservation of heirloom seeds .
