6 year maturity rate
That's how long it has taken us from first hand packing seeds in our small living room apartment to now learning an industrious seed packing machine in our first brick and mortar store.
Along the way, we have received hours and hours of voluntary labor from a wide range of people who believe in us and want to be a part of the community that we build. Hospitality has always been a critical part of our journey. Whether it be home-made tamales or some other communal meal, we are true to the generous spirit of the seeds that we sow and aim to nourish those who support us. A deep thank you to all who have helped us to get here!
Fast forward to August 2025, our seed operations have their own home just down the road from us in historical Colerain - once the world's largest freshwater herring fishery. During the 1960s and 70s, a massive 100,000 square foot facility operated along the Chowan River shores and employed over 200 permanent and seasonal workers. There was a floating theater, a movie theater, grocery stores, Ford and Chevy dealerships, a bank, restaurants. Then declining water quality and fish populations in the 80s and 90s led to its demise with Hurricane Isabel delivering the final blow to all buildings in 2003. The fishery closed and town went silent, dead even, for over 20 years. Until now.
Photo credit, John Foley, published in Bertie-Ledger Advance, August 22, 2025
We are deeply grateful to be in a place so layered in history. Frank's Tuscarora ancestors stewarded the land for thousands of years: Elizabeth, Stephen, Josh and Aaron's Nottoway ancestors undoubtedly visited from Chowan River headwaters of the Nottoway and Blackwater Rivers.
Frank discusses Tuscarora corn local origins. Photo credit, John Foley, published in Bertie-Ledger Advance, August 22, 2025
Today, we all re-convene in a place aching to be alive again. Our recent soft opening proved that folks are ready, willing, and excited to be in community in Colerain! We were delighted to receive such great coverage in our local paper, Bertie Ledger Advance, thank you John Foley!
Introducing Coffee in Colerain, Wednesday, 8 am
While we have moved to a new place, we still want to offer the same feeling of welcoming and connecting. We also are very interested in meeting our neighbors and hearing more stories about Colerain's incredible history! So, every Wednesday around 8 am, we are brewing strong coffee and offering a wide varieties of teas.. all complimentary.. we may even break out the guitars for those who are so musically inclined. We are eager to hear about your gardens, what you are growing, what you want to grow.
Our first gathering was exactly what we were hoping for. A long time customer traveled to Colerain from up the road in Conway. We shared about our Tuscorara and Nottoway histories and in exchange learned about their successful effort to prevent a coal ash dump site landing in their community (and in our watershed!) which led to master gardening efforts and developing free seed libraries in Northampton and Halifax Counties.
Who will join us next? We hope it's the gentlemen who came in the store this weekend. Turns out, he has cancer and the doctor gave him about 6 months. He's on his 8th. Despite this, he seems quite energetic. He talked about this unusual long snap bean his relatives gave to him which he kept in a jar for about 25 years. He spoke about how delicious they were, and how he's never had anything else like them. He intends to plant them in the spring so he can taste them again, and he may bring them by this upcoming week to show us. We do hope he gets the chance to taste them again.
See yall on Wednesday mornings - 8 am until we gotta get back to work!
We have fancy espresso drinks, all sorts of teas, and a good ole pot of coffee that'll have ya smelling colors!
2025 SEED SALE STILL LIVE!!
$1 per packet while we get the 2026 stock in, packed, and on the shelves. Seeds are guaranteed for 1 year so please load up! We've had a few folks walk in the store specifically looking for cabbage varieties. We still got plenty of cold season options ready to make their way to your gardens.
Photo credit, John Foley, published in Bertie-Ledger Advance, August 22, 2025
Do we have starts, plugs, seedlings for things like collards, etc? Not yet.. Will we? Yes! This is the number 1 question that we get from locals and we are working on it for spring.
2026 plans are underway. We are building out the catalogue and massively increasing our options. We were forced to go lean last year with around 400 varieties offered - this year we are aiming for 1000-1200. Definitely doubling if not tripling your options at a price point accessible for all. Because we care!
In-store pick up hours will be figured out sometime soon. Meanwhile, drop in for coffee and browse what's left of the 2025 catalogue. And please - save the date for our GRAND OPENING in March!
