Seed Co. Closure Statement 2023

It is with a heavy heart that we share our decision to close our beloved seed company for the foreseeable future. We will be liquidating the last of our vegetable and flower seeds through the end of the year. Please visit our website, our farm stand, or Argus Farm Stop to stock up and share in this closing chapter of local farming history and the legacy of our seeds.

In 2020, Eric Kampe joined the Green Things Farm Collective, and with him came the Ann Arbor Seed Company; a project fueled by Eric’s love for all things seedy, local, and community centered. As an addition to the collective’s diverse offerings, a shelf-stable product that could be shipped nationally and sold during the off-season, and an important piece of moving towards a closed-loop farming system, we embraced the tenured enterprise and for the last four years, have worked to incorporate it into our larger business plan in hopes of seeing the seed business flourish into profitability within the support system of the collective. When Eric Kampe moved on from GTFC in 2022 we were grateful to have his long-standing employee and assistant Stacy Mates take the reins of the seed operation but felt the true loss of a passionate seed champion on our ownership team to provide guidance and steer the seed ship. The complexity of running a small-scale seed company that strives to maintain a diverse seed catalog for direct sale has only been exacerbated by shifting weather patterns due to climate change, and we have become less and less confident in our ability to consistently produce seed varieties that once felt straightforward, much less hone our systems and skills for producing more finicky varieties. 

 By all accounts, 2023 has been a year of challenging and illuminating growth for GTFC. We took a leap of faith and invested in equipment, a larger and more experienced team of farmers, and cultural and organizational development, in hopes of strengthening our resilience, ensuring adequate staffing, and building our capacity to feed our community. We have been blown away by the organizational improvements that have taken place this season, and after a decade of building this business, and five years of developing our regenerative farming practices, we are finally coming to a place where our standing in the community and quality of our produce are matched and consistently improving. But as we begin to wind down from the height of this season, and start to see the trends of a year’s worth of business, we’ve had to make some hard decisions about the future of our farm in order to capitalize on our investments, take care of ourselves and our amazing team of farmers, hold true to our mission and values, and keep doing what we do best: producing gorgeous organic vegetables for our community. 

 The value of sustainability can be a tricky one. What is sustainable for one piece of our operation is not always sustainable for the farm as a whole. We do not wish to let this important tradition and skillset fade. Looking forward, we’re excited about leaving space to explore how seed saving could be reimagined to meet the needs of our business as well as our community of growers.  

 Thank you to Eric for sharing his passion with us, and to Stacy for taking on the seed project when we needed her most, and for her unwavering commitment to community seed work. Thank you to Andy Sell for designing our beautiful seed packs and to Steve and Madeline Thiry, who provided a home for the Ann Arbor Seed Company from 2012-2019. Thank you to all the gardeners and growers who have supported our seed company through the years and made us a small part of the conversation around food and seed sovereignty. We hope these seeds continue to bring joy and nourishment for seasons to come.

Seedlings for your garden

In 2024 we will have a wide variety of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and native plants available from our self serve farmstand (starting in April) and our Plant Sale//Open House Mid May.

Expected Seedling Varieties:

FLOWERS:

Alyssum, Royal Carpet
Alyssum, White

Bachelor's Button

Borage
Calendula, Pacific Beauty

Cosmos, Afternoon White
Cosmos, Diablo
Cosmos, Rubenza

Dahlias, Giant Hybrid Mix

Lavender, Elegance Purple

Marigold, African Marigold
Marigold, Tangerine Gem

Nasturtium, Alaska Mix
Snapdragons, Rocket Mix
Strawflower, Monstrosum Tall Mix

Viola, Sorbet Formula Mix
Zinnia, Benary's Giant Mix
Zinnia, Queeny Red Lime 

HERBS:
Basil, Rutgers Devotion

Cilantro, Cruiser
Dill, Bouquet

Oregano, Greek
Parsley, Giant Italian
Parsley, Krausa

Rosemary
Sage, Fanni Common
Thyme