Sierra Kruger tends Diane’s Garden at Seed Savers Exchange’s Heritage Farm.

This summer I had the wonderful opportunity to create community, strengthen my gardening abilities, grow connections with knowledgeable individuals—and share what I have learned in the process of it all—here at Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa.

Growing up in the Decorah area, I first learned to garden with my mom, who had a small garden. But whenever I visited my grandma, I would help her tend to a much larger garden plot filled with raspberries, strawberries, sweet corn, popcorn, sweet peas, broccoli, tomatoes, kale, lettuce, green beans, pumpkins, and much more. I always had the fondest memories gardening with her, and that is what sparked my deep interest in gardening.

I’ve also always enjoyed being outdoors, close to nature, and one of my favorite pastimes includes hiking. Seeking out hiking trails in the Decorah area, I discovered Seed Savers Exchange’s Heritage Farm while in high school. Later, a friend of mine gave me a packet of SSE seeds, and I became interested in the organization’s mission too. Fast forward to finishing my first year studying graphic design and marketing at Iowa State University, when an ad for a graphic design internship at Seed Savers Exchange (funded, in part, by Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area) caught my eye. I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to learn as well as pursue my interests in design and gardening.

Sierra Kruger (left) conducts a mic check with Brad Crawford before filming a video for Seed Savers Exchange’s virtual conference.

This internship offered lots of incredible opportunities to grow my tech abilities, including learning multiple programs of Adobe editing software, working with camera equipment, and editing film. Thanks to the guidance of Brad Crawford, a local video editor, I was able to edit my own video for this year’s SSE Virtual Annual Conference as well as edit other videos I helped film for the conference.

Three of the conference videos were a part of the community seed stories project. Through this project, I had the opportunity to travel to the homes of longtime seed savers to document and interview individuals sharing their amazing seed stories. Neil Lockhart of Oblong, Illinois, an avid tomato collector and trader, told us about how growing tomatoes is a passion for him and how the connections he has made through SSE are a big part of his life. We interviewed John Swenson, SSE’s garlic advisor, and Mason Welter at John’s house in Glenview, Illinois. They shared their fascination with garlic and stories of how their friendship began through SSE. John recounted the thrill of finding garlic in dry creek beds on a trip to Central Asia, and Mason shared his knowledge of growing certain plants, such as strawberries and sweet potatoes, with garlic.

Each of these individuals had an abundance of knowledge to offer, and I could not have asked for a better experience with them as interviewees. Beyond that, the bond I created with my travel crew was nothing short of unforgettable; there was never a dull moment, and we had the best time working together, bouncing ideas off of each other, and making the community seed stories project a success. After uploading the videos to the conference webpage, we received comments from viewers saying how incredible it was to hear these individuals’ stories.

Jeanine Scheffert (far left), SSE education and engagement manager, joined interns Evan Wisdom-Dawson and Sierra Kruger during a visit to the farm of Neil Lockhart, a longtime seed saver profiled for the community seed stories project.

Diving more into the design aspect of my internship, I worked with Meredith Burks, Seed Savers Exchange’s marketing and communications director, to create a webpage and templates for garden-inspired recipe and artwork submissions, displayed on the conference webpage. This was a wonderful opportunity for me to both learn more about what a marketing team does and fulfill my interest in graphic design.

In addition to exploring my graphic design interests, I also was able to pursue my enthusiasm for gardening and being outdoors. Each Tuesday morning this summer, I had the opportunity to garden alongside Diane Ott Whealy, SSE’s co-founder; listen to her stories of Heritage Farm; and learn about different varieties of plants and what growing conditions they may need. I was able to see our progress in Diane’s Garden throughout the summer; gardening with her became a very educational experience for me, and something to look forward to every Tuesday morning.

Helping in the garlic fields was another one of my favorite tasks at Heritage Farm. I was able to help Kate Rowe and Brennan Allsworth, field ops team members, tend to and harvest the garlic a few different times. I had never worked with garlic before, and I learned a lot about this crop.

Over the nine weeks I worked and learned at Seed Savers Exchange’s Heritage Farm, I learned about seeds, as well as how to create community around seeds and the importance of keeping that community alive. I will be able to carry all of this with me to my next journey.

I feel fortunate to have worked with the kind and compassionate individuals here at SSE, and to have created lasting friendships, connections, and memories. Working with another summer intern, Evan Wisdom-Dawson, has been such a wonderful experience, and I am so grateful for the friendship we forged. I am also grateful for Jeanine Scheffert, SSE’s education and engagement manager, for being a wonderful mentor and guiding me through the internship with kindness. I am disappointed that my time here has ended, but I am truly thankful for the experiences I had at Heritage Farm. Thank you, Seed Savers Exchange!