The Plowboy Interview Kent Whealy

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WHEALY: Well, there's an old fellow named Ben Quisenberry who's been selling tomato seeds from his home in Ohio for some 40 years now. Ben shut down his business in 1980—at the age of 93!—because he had to go into the hospital for a while. When he came home, he was able to salvage only nine of his 30 tomato varieties . . . but, through listings in the SSE yearbook, we've been able to locate all the others except one, a Florida cultivar called "Indian River".

Ted Telsch in Texas is another man with an extensive tomato collection . . . he grows 150 varieties gathered from all over the world. I've also been working with Gary Nabhan, an ethnobotanist in Arizona who travels through the desert regions of Mexico and the southwestern U.S., searching for seeds of traditional native American foods.

PLOWBOY: You've said that your quest for rare seeds often takes you among such groups as various Indian tribes, Mennonites and Amish, and Cajuns. Why do those particular peoples often have access to rare seeds?

WHEALY: It seems to me that such men and women, who are—for the most part—living traditional lifestyles and who honor the ways of their ancestors, are more likely to save seeds than are most folks. I've also found that whenever I visit very isolated rural areas—especially those in rough, hilly country—I'm likely to find a gold mine of heirloom vegetable crops.

PLOWBOY: But isn't it sometimes difficult to penetrate a tightly knit, clannish community and convince the people to part with some of their cherished heirloom seeds?

WHEALY: Occasionally, yes. Many native Americans, for example, are reluctant to share their seeds . . . unless they're really afraid a particular variety might be lost. They feel—and rightly so—that seed is a sacred gift from the Mother Earth . . . but I believe that one of our most important tasks as stewards of the earth is saving seed. Of course, several Indians are members of the exchange . . . including Carl Barnes in Oklahoma, who hand-pollinates 50 different varieties of corn every year. And two Cherokees recently sent me seed of corn and beans that their grandparents carried over the Trail of Tears in the 1830's.

A few Amish and other Mennonite people are also participating in the exchange . . . and I feel really encouraged that traditionally private people and ethnic groups have enough trust in the organization to be willing to join. At the same time, though, I know that an overuse of the exchange system by other individuals may very well drive away some of these more cautious members.

PLOWBOY: What do you mean by overuse of the system?

WHEALY: Well, I guess it's quite normal for an avid gardener to see our yearbook as the ultimate seed catalog, because it probably contains the largest collection of unusual vegetable varieties to be found anywhere. But many people, unfortunately, just want to grow heirloom crops out of curiosity or as novelties to show off to their friends . . . and don't take seriously the responsibility of saving seed. Such abuse, of course, is a drain on the exchange system—which depends on a constant flow of seeds among the members—and can really hurt the organization in the long run. Too many people, I think, just get the catalog and go nuts . . . ordering all the varieties they'd like to grow before they've become proficient seed-savers themselves. That's the kind of overuse I'd like to prevent.

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