In 1975 Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy accepted seeds of her grandfather’s morning glory, appropriately named “Grandpa Ott’s” morning glory, and “German Pink” tomato seeds. Thus the Seed Savers Exchange was begun. It was Diane and Kent’s intention to form a network of gardeners who would take these seeds, and thousands of others, sharing them and keeping them growing. The Seed Savers Exchange began in Missouri, but the Heritage Farm and Orchard now exists on 890 acres…

When we returned from our trip to Texas we found that all of a sudden the garden had bloomed. The shy primroses were glowing, there were elegant white bloodroots, dainty yellow Fairy Bells, and sunny wood poppies lighting up the shade. The winter had been long and now the beginning of a season filled with blooms and fragrance had arrived. In The Garden in Every Sense and Season by Tovah Martin sings about the perfumes in a spring…

Recently Amy Donovan, Program Director of the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District (FCSWMD), invited me to a Compost Tour at the Academy of Early Learning where three, four and five year old children begin their academic studies. The Compost Tour began with Donovan’s power point presentation about recycling. I was impressed by the children’s attentive engagement. The children were familiar with the idea of recycling. They were already using the recycling system Donovan had set up in…

Jeff Budine, Manager of the Greenfield Farmers Cooperative Exchange, now celebrating its Centennial Anniversary, told me that the plant nursery with its current offerings of everything from trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, vegetables and herbs began about 50 years ago in the open space where the warehouse now stands. In those days there were fewer nursery plants, and they were all sold out by Memorial Day, he said. Nowadays, the plant nursery is a big operation and includes a…

Greenfield’s Energy Park is a gem in the center of town. Main Street is all bustle and work, but a short stroll down Miles Street takes you to the peaceful gardens and shade of a town park created in 1999. Sandy Thomas was the director of the Northeast Sustainability Energy Association (NESEA) housed in the former railroad switch house building in the blighted area left by the demolition of the railroad station. In 1999 the town had a…