Vibrant Earth SeedsAbout Our Seed Company
We are a grassroots, small-scale family seed company focused on seed stewardship and regenerative agriculture. We grow the majority of our seeds on our 4-acre seed farm in the Four Corners region (the intersection of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona) outside of Cortez, CO. We source the rest of our seeds from trusted, regional family seed farmers using chemical-free practices. Our main partner grower Groundwork in Paonia, CO provides short-season seeds adapted to the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
All of our seeds are suitable for Zones 6 and above. Our short-season seeds are suitable for Zones 3 and above.
Indigenous Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge and respect the land we live on as the current and ancestral homeland of Hopi, Pueblo, Dineh (Navajo), Zuni and Ute Peoples. We recognize the ongoing importance of this Four Corners bioregion to these Tribes as well as the rich ancestral heritage of their seeds. We grow native Southwestern seeds with an open heart and in a spirit of reciprocity with the land and people. We share a generous portion of the seeds we grow with people with ancestral connections to them, and with anyone with enthusiasm to steward and share them (see details below).
Why Ancestral Seed?
We grow ancestral seeds from the Southwest and beyond, and heirloom seeds from the wider US and around the world. We select seeds for their resilience-- which means a wide genetic variability and adaptability to differing climatic and soil conditions. We especially focus on native Southwestern seeds, which have been tended, selected and bred for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years (like the corn, beans, squash, amaranth and sunflowers) by indigenous peoples. These seeds enjoy the longest adaptation to the climates, soils and ecosystems of the Southwest.
Ancestral seeds give us the best chance for adapting to a changing climate and successfully growing a sufficient amount of food for our future generations without the dangers of GMOs and chemicals. Seeds -- like the people who tend them -- carry a complex history full of vital, interwoven stories. Seed stewards exist in every culture around the globe, and we acknowledge the long lineages of people who have tended these seeds over millenia to bring them into our hands today. We work (and play!) to continue this legacy and pass these seeds on to our future generations.
Socially Responsible
Vibrant Earth Seeds is a socially responsible company: we donate 20% of our seeds!
Recipients of our seeds include:
- Native Southwestern gardeners & farmers (Hopi, Dineh, Pueblo, Ute & other tribes)
- Schools and school groups for educational gardens
- Church groups & other organizations to grow food for their community
- Community gardens
- Food pantries
- Seed libraries
- Seed swaps
If you are dedicated to seed growing & sharing, please contact us to learn how to receive free seeds for your garden, farm, event or organization. If you are indigenous to the Southwest and recognize any of the seeds we carry as your people's traditional seeds, please contact us for free seeds. We aim to distribute seeds to everyone with enthusiasm for tending and sharing them, regardless of financial or access limitations.
Seed Learning
Growing seeds is a constant learning process embedded within dynamic natural and cultural processes. We are always learning from the plants and people who tend them! We pass along the wisdom we've gleaned through workshops on seed cultivation, harvesting, processing, saving & sharing. We also host seed swaps and other seed-related events.
Our YouTube channel @VibrantEarthSeeds
offers free content for learning about the world of seeds.
Let us know if you'd like to attend a workshop or would like information about how to host a seed swap in your community!
Who We Are
Ross Rodgers
Ross is co-founder of Vibrant Earth Seeds LLC. He grew up in Colorado and started saving seeds at age 8, when he collected the Morning Glories growing up his family’s fence. As a young man he traveled abroad in Mexico and Southeast Asia for 2 years, and then landed back in the US to obtain a BS in Agricultural Ecology from Prescott College in 2009, along with a Permaculture Design Certification (PDC). At Prescott he mentored extensively with seed breeder John Navazio of Organic Seed Alliance, Tim Crews of The Land Institute, and international permaculturalist Andrew Millison. There he also created his native plant nursery. In 2010 he became Assistant Seedsman at Turtle Tree Biodynamic Seed Initiative in Copake, NY, where he met Avalon. After returning to Colorado, Ross initiated seed libraries along the Front Range through his 501(c)(3) nonprofit Restore Colorado: Seeds for the People including the Boulder Public Seed Library. He then completed Seed School Teacher Training with the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance and was inspired by Bill McDorman's deep love of seeds. From 2018-2019, Ross helped Rich Pecoraro clean his large collection of old seed lots to help found MASA Seed Foundation in Boulder, Colorado; as well as participated in Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance's Grain Trials Project. Equally as foundational to Ross' life has been his time spent with Hopi and Pueblo farmers in the Southwest, sharing seeds and learning dryland farming practices. Ross’ other passions are beekeeping, watershed restoration, rocket stove design, snuggling his kitten and chasing his dogs.
Avalon Gulley
Avalon is co-founder of Vibrant Earth Seeds LLC. She fell in love with farming and seed cultivation in 2009 post-college, when she became disillusioned by her career prospects as a Chemistry BA, and spontaneously flew to Puerto Rico with nothing more than a backpack. She ended up living with a wonderful Puerto Rican homesteading family in the rainforest who grew most of their own food and seeds (Desde mi Huerto). From there she continued building her farming experience by volunteering and interning on various farms in Wisconsin, New York and Colorado. In 2010 she met Ross at Turtle Tree Biodynamic Seed Initiative in Copake, NY. After that she traveled throughout the Southwest where she learned about Traditional agricultural practices from Hopi and Pueblo Peoples. She also attended and helped organize Spiritual Unity of Tribes Gatherings in Nambé Pueblo, South Dakota and Aboriginal Australia. Then she teamed up with Ross to develop his 501(c)(3) nonprofit Restore Colorado: Seeds for the People and start seed libraries. In 2019 she worked as the administrative assistant to launch MASA Seed Foundation. In 2021 she started Vibrant Earth Seeds out of a one-room studio in Durango, Colorado. Avalon is passionate about learning Irish flute and her ancestral roots, somatic healing practices and hiking with her pups.