We are back in business!

Thank you Gary Ibsen

When you connect locally that is a good thing but when you connect with people on a one to one, people whom you share a common idea but have never met, that is a connection to us is the purest essence of human relations. Small businesses exist primarily as the result of relationships and nothing illustrates this better then when one business reaches out to another from across the country to lend a hand. Small is beautiful, local is great, compassion and help priceless.

Schoolhouse Farms has definitely felt an out pouring of support during our recent wind driven spring storm event that obliterated our cherished heirloom tomato seedlings. The offers to lend a hand were from folks of all different localities, connections and diversity. It validated what we are doing as something of substance and worthy of communal help, pretty cool and we want to express our sincerest of thanks.

Schoolhouse Farms discovered an heirloom tomato seed source 8 or 9 years ago that not only intrigued us but fulfilled our wildest tomato growing fancy with its over 600 varieties to pick from. As a direct result of the amazing Tomato fest story we really began to focus our efforts on becoming a true heirloom tomato farm. Tomato Fest is located in Little River California and is a venture of Gary Ibsen and Dagma Lacey. You need to visit the Tomato fest site to learn more about these amazing people and the unbelievable tomatoes they grow as well as the Carmel Tomato fest that they present each September!

When our plants were wiped out we new time was precious as the length of time from seeding to harvest is a trick based on when the last frost of the season and the first of the fall. With this in mind we contacted our seed sources to see if they still had seeds in stock and if they could expedite our reorder. Gary Ibsen contacted us almost immediately and offered assistance and not only expedited the order personally he added some additional seeds, sent them priority mail at no charge. We were floored, excited, thankful, grateful, warmed and generally humbled.

Take some time to look at the Tomato fest website, because Gary Ibsen has done something else that is extraordinary from our point of view. When you check out the Tomato seed store section you will find a video featuring the artistry of our friend Hetty Easter doing a watercolor portrait of a Schoolhouse Farm’s heirloom tomato that was  grown with seeds from Gary Ibsen. Local is great, but great people with generous spirit, warm soul and passion are unbeatable!