Cindy Barlowe, Seed-Saving Heirloom Gardener
Occupation: Heirloom Seed Saver, Organic Gardener, Freelance Writer
Residence: Caldwell County, North Carolina
Background: As a child, Cindy Barlowe’s maternal grandmother trained her to be a garden helper and shared family stories, traditions and wisdom while they worked. Shortly before retiring from her high school librarian role, Cindy rediscovered the joy of growing a large organic garden. When her parents gave her heirloom seeds saved by both her grandmothers, Cindy was impressed with the plants’ productivity and flavor and she found the seeds opened portals to the past, eliciting memories of life lessons and experiences shared with loved ones.
In 2008, Cindy and her husband, Richard, established Heart & Sole Gardens and planted 8 acres of rich soil that has sustained Richard’s family for five generations. After a 30-year public school career, Cindy’s workdays now include birdsong, rather than clanging bells, original recipes created with farm-fresh foods rather than cafeteria lunches, and freelance writing, covering the “seedy” side of gardening at Seed Tales. Now a passionate, Farmer’s Almanac-thumping, evangelistic seed-saver, Cindy encourages others to grow and save heirloom seeds. She believes gardening keeps one humble and proves there is no age limit on learning life lessons.
Connect with Cindy at Seed Tales and on Instagram.
Read all of Cindy’s MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.