Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Planting Festival
MANSFIELD, MO. – Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is the brainchild of Jere Gettle. Jere was born near Boise Valley, Idaho and moved with his family to the Missouri Ozarks when he was 12 years old. His passion for seeds, plants, gardening and growing, was inspired by his two grandmothers, Bertha and Opal. In 1998, at 17 years old, Jere requested his parents’ permission to publish a short seed catalog. Permission granted, Jere set to work on a hobby that would later become a seed phenomenon the state of Missouri, and the country, never saw coming. The typical clientele of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds caters to backyard gardeners, hobby farmers, and homesteaders.
Michelle Johnson, of Baker Creek’s media team enjoyed sharing the interesting story of how Jere came to create such a popular and innovative atmosphere for local growers. Jere’s first issue of the seed catalog was a 12-page collective list of 70 heirloom varieties he grew on his farm. He sent the magazine to 500 friends and family members and made $1000. Due to the popularity of his first publication, young Jere decided to continue with the catalog. The result was that his homegrown company grew exponentially to the international outreach his seed business boasts today.
Just like Jere’s business, his family has grown by leaps and bounds. Jere and his wife, Emilee, have five children – Ella, Sasha, Malia, Cyan, and Levi. Their family runs, manages, and continues to bring sustenance, innovation, and love to the seed business just outside of Mansfield, Missouri.
“We have a retail store in Petaluma, California and a trial farm in Jamaica. We work with seed producers and seed hunters all over the world, including Kenya, India, Japan, Chile, and Ghana.”, says Johnson. “This global reach helps us expand our offerings and discover new, resilient heirloom varieties that thrive in different countries.”
The company also boasts a 105,000 square-foot warehouse in Seymour, MO, where the seeds are packed, shipped, and housed for distribution.
Not only did Mr. Gettle learn to read by perusing seed catalogs as a child, but when he was 12 years old, he noticed several heirloom varieties appearing in the magazines he enjoyed. According to Johnson, “Jere joined Seed Savers Exchange, a Decorah-based nonprofit that connects seed savers through an annual yearbook.” The Seed Savers Exchange allowed interested parties to swap seeds. Jere collected so many seeds from the exchange that he started selling the seeds at local swap meets. Along with his first catalog and the start of his hobby-farm/seed sharing business, he simply wanted to make money to travel, save, and share rare seeds from all over the world.
When Y2K hit, at the turn of the century, many folks concerned about the food supply and business chain decided to start gardening, homesteading, and actively searching for innovative ways to sustain their land, gardens, hobby farms, and families. Baker Creek quickly became the largest collection of heirloom varieties in the state, and very likely, the whole country.
Not only does Jere Gettle produce a letter to his loyal customers and readers, but his company publishes The Whole Seed Catalog each year. The catalog consists of seed and ordering information, recipes, gardening interest stories, and a vast array of all things seed, growing, gardening, and healthy lifestyle related.
Gettle’s initial festival Spring Planting Festival was in 2000, before the historic-looking Ozark Style Village was built in 2006. The festivals were weekly, mostly on Sundays, resembling a present small-town farmer’s market. During the growing season, the monthly markets matured in size and now the company offers three major festivals – The Flower Festival in April, The Spring Planting Festival in May, and The Harvest Festival in October. The Village is open year-round with daily hours for tours and smaller weekend festivals mixed in.
The seeds offered are incredibly diverse and The Village hosts a welcome locale for guests to explore, take a guided tour, ask questions about planting, and truly indulge in the addictive hobby of heirloom farming. There is a live plant division, offering seasonal bulbs, such as garlic, tulips, and daffodils.
“Baker Creek is the most biodiverse heirloom farm in Missouri, and perhaps the U.S.”, Johnson said.
“The mission of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is to provide a diverse variety of seeds that can be shared, saved, and grown freely. We believe people have the inherent right to save and share seeds. We believe that seeds should not be patented and cannot be owned. By stewarding such a diverse genetic pool, helping to create sustainable ways of gardening, feeding, and living healthy lifestyles, we daily strive to achieve that goal.”, Johnson said.
