On Saturday, August 1st, as planned, we transferred our seed business, Seed Treasures, to our friends, Lynn and Jesse Frey, who own Life Root Farm in Wisconsin. Our friends, Dara, Mike, and Sherri came over on Friday and helped us pack up all the seed bins, getting them ready to travel. That sure simplified things as all we had to do on Saturday was to load them up in their rented, enclosed trailer.
Arriving early, about 9:30, we visited a while, then started loading. Lynn and Jesse had brought large boxes to contain the seed bins safely, as well as some packing tape to tape the boxes closed. With everyone on board, even our cat, Mittens, who can never be left out, things went well. (She always supervises, making sure we did things correctly.)
After our helpers had left, we took the new owners out to visit some of our gardens to look at some of the corn, squash, and tomatoes. As they helped us stock up seeds, our crops will help get them stocked up as well. We were all amazed at how huge the Hopi Pale Grey plants are. I’m talking about 4 feet high and over 20 feet wide! There are lots of squash in there. Somewhere!
As a reminder, folks who would like to order or would like a catalog, please order from them, not us. We don’t have the seeds anymore, only our own seed bank. Their email address is info@liferootfarm.com and their address is: Seed Treasures at Life Root Farm, E28784 County Road MM, Stanley, WI 54768. I would like to take this time to thank all of you who have been loyal customers of ours for years and let you know I will certainly be writing for the magazines and blogging just like before, as well as continuing homesteading. We’ll just have more time to devote to those endeavors. — Jackie
I think your decision to let the seed business go was wise. Now you can enjoy gardening for your own benefit without all the extra seed business work. A slower pace for senior years is good … work smarter not harder.
I agree that gardens are likely to become more and more necessary. My garden this year isn’t going to kept me fed as it is the worst garden I’ve had in 64 years of gardening. I dug my first potatoes today and they are looking good. Nothing else is!!
Hugs, This had to be a bittersweet moment. I suspect after you have had a few days to catch your breath, you will have a new project underway. That is what keeps life interesting. Sending prayers for a blessed week.
Right now, it’s just cleaning up the mess where the seeds and racks were and sorting out my personal seeds. We always have a dozen projects going at one time!! Thank you!
Thank you, Jackie for your seed business! Especially during lockdown when seed businesses were running out of their product because people were panic buying. Your business really was a little treasure and what a testimony to the homestead life. I hope you thoroughly enjoy your rest – you deserve it!
There probably won’t be much rest involved as we are still taking care of 5 acres of garden to help out Lynn and Jesse transition. But there is less pressure of packing and sending seeds every day, which helps us a lot.
Sniff. I was really sad when you announced that you were transferring Seed Treasures.
However, I realize you need to have a life!
Yes, I will still order from Seed Treasures at the new location. I also know you and Will will be growing enough extra stuff to not only keep your own personal seed bank going but to help the business keep going!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now…… Take a day……. enjoy your porch for an hour or two. Go bake that loaf of bread and keep going with all that you do. The two of you are AWESOME and I just don’t know where you get all of your energy.
Bless all.
Aww, thanks Tami! That’s so sweet. Will’s out cutting hay and I’m loafing, just doing clean-up after the “Oh-my-God, the refrigerator’s not working” and the seed storage areas.
THANK YOU JACKIE AND WILL FOR ALL YOUR WORK AND TIME Congratulations Lynn and Jessie Maybe Will and Jackie you can find some leisure time for more blogging writing farming and FAMILY Take care all
And thank you, Mary. When homesteading and writing, there’s not much leisure time. But we definitely will have more time.
Wow, where did you have all those bins and yay, now the empty space can hold more canned food, ha!
So happy for you all in this business transfer, congrats!
We had the bins on racks, in our enclosed, heated porch. Now we have a little more room to extend the living room, so when family comes, we all have decent seating. Naw, the canned food goes in the basement. Ta da! Thanks so much!
I am so proud of your dedication to make sure people have good food to eat. I’m thankful that you have partnered with people who share your vision and work ethic. I’m so glad you will continue this writing and sharing your lives with us. Your legacy will live on in each seed that comes from your babies.
Did you get some nice rain out of the crazy storm last night? We got about 3/4 of an inch!
We did get a nice rain. We, also, got 3/4 of an inch and it sure helped, not only with the gardens but also the wildfires. We really did enjoy helping folks raise good food to eat. The store-bought stuff is not only tasteless but unhealthy with all the chemicals and now, parasites!
Thank you for so lovingly caring for seed treasures all these years. You have done us a great service. It will be a pleasure to buy them now from Lynn and Jesse. Thanks to them for taking over. They will be great custodians of your legacy.
You’re welcome! We love it so much and will definitely miss connecting with so many nice folks.
Thank you Jackie and Will for your years of providing seeds to all of us. Looking forward to continuing to follow your blog and writings
You’re welcome, Jo. We sure enjoyed helping gardeners all over the country grow some new and wonderful veggies.
Congratulations! What a mighty legacy you have created.
Thanks Sandy! We sure had fun discovering and trialing new, old seeds and passing them around.
How many years did you run Seed Treasures?
I agree with Everett – you built your business from infancy – most small businesses in the first/second year. You nurtured it and it blossomed into not only a net positive income but an extended family of gardeners. Gardeners of all skill levels of whom you encouraged. You shared in their successful harvest and provided life experience when the the weather/insects were not favorable.
Now you have even more time to share your knowledge and experiences. During WWII, people had victory gardens. I fear now people will have survival gardens.
Mittens is more than aware her presence is needed – even if just the off chance a rodent dares show his face!
most small businesses fail in the first/second year.
I also failed to note you always told people to not give up. And never denied you’ve also had less than stellar harvests over the years.
We had Seed Treasures for 14 years, including the two years we passed out free Hopi Pale Grey squash seeds so they wouldn’t go extinct. We totally enjoyed every day of the business, even those hectic days.
I’m thinking survival gardens may, unfortunately, become a real thing.
Mittens is THE boss of everything we do. She climbed up 30 feet in the air and walked up and down the barn’s roof rafters while Will was up there, making sure he did everything correctly.
Yep, we feel when you give up, you never learn what might have been, if you would have persevered. We’re real real, here and have bad weather, weeds and bad crops, just like everybody else. Not like the AI “gardeners” online with perfect everything.
Thank you Jackie and GOD Bless you!!!!!!!!
God has and does bless us. He’s been and still is, our gardening partner. With HIM, we have always had a good harvest, even in horrible growing years. Fortunately, He is also Lynn and Jesse’s gardening partner too.
Wow you had a lot of small tubs of seeds!
I bet it was bittersweet.
But you and Will will have more time for yourself!
Maybe that bread 🍞 you was talking about!
Mittens had to check things out!
Good luck with your free time 😄!
Take care ❤️
Yes, we did. Every variety of bean, corn, squash, pumpkin, cucumber, etc. was in those tubs and bins. Right now, we’re trying to clean up where the seed room used to be. Shew, what a mess we had left|!
I know you must have a little sadness at this change in life but I am sure you will find other fun things to do. After all look at all the new space you have in your house now!!!
Yes, there is a little sadness as our seeds left. Just like when your child becomes a young adult and leaves home to be on their own. We certainly are appreciating all the space and light we’ve found we have now.
Good luck to your new owners!!
And sincere best wishes to you and Will as you learn to live with less pressure and have fun as you enjoy your life!
Yes, we wanted to transfer the seed business while we were still doing a good job with it, not to wait until it began failing due to our health and/or ability. The pressure was always trying to make sure folks could get the seed varieties they wanted, despite a bad growing year. That’s a relief to have gone.
Jackie, so glad to hear you have such wonderful friends to help with the transfer and found good people to carry on with Seed Treasures! May God Bless you all with good health and happiness!
Thanks Vicki, we are blessed to have such good friends, both in those who have helped us here and Lynn and Jesse, who will carry on Seed Treasures.
It sounds like a smooth transfer. As you say more time to do the things you have on the homestead to do.
It will be fun to start doing regular homestead things again, which had to be pushed aside to make time for the seed business. We loved doing it but will certainly enjoy slowing down just a bit.
It’s like watching a baby become a child then adult who moves on. You have the pride of starting your seed business. I’m sure you picked great “new parents”. Now for a “slower” easier time for you. We received a much needed 2 inches of rain. Now tomato canning begins for us. I’m hoping to try to make your Jalepeno cowboy candy. We have loads of jalapeños. Best wishes.
Yep, Everett, you hit the nail on the head. Our slow would be killing to someone else, I’ll wager. But we love what we do.
Our tomatoes are just getting ripe now, enough for that BLT soon. I’m excited that your jalapenos are kicking off. You’ll love Cowboy Candy!!