Terroir Seeds, Home of Underwood Gardens
Name: Cindy andStephen Scott
Company Name: Terroir Seeds | Underwood Gardens
Occupation: Stephen is an heirloom seedsman, educator, speaker, soil building advocate, locavore, amateur chef, artist and co-owner of Terroir Seeds with his wife Cindy.
Location: Chino Valley, Arizona
About Terroir Seeds: Terroir Seeds was born from both Cindy and Stephen Scott’s involvement for almost 20 years in environmental education, habitat restoration, holistic resource management in both grassland and rangeland improvements with several local ranches, as well as studying the impact of development and loss of agriculture on the health of soils and how to restore their biological activity and vitality. The Scotts’ personal home garden continues to serve as a test bed in learning to adapt the lessons learned in rangeland management and soil restoration to the home garden.
Terroir Seeds not only provides quality heirloom garden seeds but also helps customers improve their gardens and skills with a wealth of information rarely found elsewhere. It’s not just about the seeds — the highest quality seeds are great, but there is room and need for more, much more.
There is a cycle to gardening that is not being addressed much today: soil education and awareness of its role and importance; the role of quality seed and how they interact with the soil; the critical importance of micro-organisms that feed all of us; how to prepare the food grown from your garden; and how it can all tie in together to markedly increase your health.
The 600 plant varieties Terroir Seeds offer are grown through a network of experienced, dedicated and passionate growers who understand the importance of genetic purity, identifying and correcting genetic drift and continue to select for the best possible qualities in the plants that have made them valuable heirlooms to begin with.
Cindy and Stephen have made keynote speeches, given presentations and hosted workshops for Master Gardener conferences, spoken at several state organic grower conferences and on gardening radio shows tp present quality, actionable information that helps attendees gain skills and knowledge. Their articles on composting, seed saving and home-scale agriculture have appeared in Acres USA, Small Farmer’s Journal, Organic Gardens Today, along with numerous local garden and flower club newsletters.
Company Specialties: Rare and unusual heirloom vegetable, herb and flower seeds, proven holistic gardening techniques and great recipes to enjoy your garden’s bounty.
Other Fun Facts about Terroir Seeds: The company’s motto is “From the soil to the seed to the food you eat,” encompassing the holistic view of home-scale agriculture and how soil, seeds, and food are interrelated. Terroir Seeds believe in a world of healthy soil, seed, food and people. Everyone has a fundamental need for vibrant food and health, which are also interrelated. Their business follows Cindy’s and Stephen’s daily cooking life, brewing their own beer and mead, baking bread and raising geese, ducks, chickens, and Navajo Churro sheep.
The Membership program has helped support numerous local community gardens, school gardens, food bank gardens, seed-saving projects and fresh-food initiatives across the USA.
Terroir Seeds was the first heirloom seed company to be selected as delegates to represent the United States at Slow Food’s Terra Madre conference in Turin, Italy, in October 2012.
More Places to Find Terroir Seeds on the Web:
