About Us

Hello,
Nice to meet y'all!

We are a small, dedicated employee-owned cooperative committed to making gardening approachable for everyone. We provide high quality, open-pollinated seeds in support of sustainable food production and regenerative agriculture. We strive to help our customers cultivate a sense of empowerment and connection in an era of disengagement from nature, food, and community. We’re proud to call Asheville, North Carolina home. 

Sow. Germinate. Grow. Pollinate. Save.

Our Intentions

Sow True Seed operates with social and environmental consciousness to the best of our ability by taking our beliefs and convictions and putting them into action. We provide gardeners with open-pollinated seed varieties and we actively work to create better access to healthy food in a regenerative, sustainable, and inclusive environment. We operate as a non-hierarchical “all voices heard and equal” organization.

We became a worker-owned cooperative in January 2022.

Grow

Invest in our future.

To plant seeds is an investment in our future. As signatories of the Safe Seed Pledge put out by the Council of Responsible Genetics, Sow True Seed does not and never will knowingly sell GMO-seed. Sow True Seed is committed to supplying seed from known and trusted seed farmers, and to support organic seed over conventional seed whenever possible. 

Sow

Sowing community. 

We work with many local and regional organizations all over the country every year to support their work to increase access to fresh food and educate their communities. We support these organizations through our Annual Donation Program as well as our year long Sponsorship Program. We also offer a 20% discount to non-profit organizations and public school gardens.

 

Pollinate

The unsung heroes.

The unsung heroes (bees, butterflies, and other pollinators) of our gardens are constantly at risk. Reduced habitats and increased pesticide use are killing our pollinators and threatening food security. One of every three bites of food relies on bees for pollination. No pollinators = no food. Sow True Seed offers a wide range of pollinator-friendly flower and vegetable seed to create year round habitats and we support education from a perspective of organic and regenerative gardening. 

Germinate

Grow your own.

We believe that growing your own food is the most powerful way to support yourself, your environment, and your community. We work so that everyone has the opportunity and skills to grow their own. Sow True Seed is committed to accessible low or no-cost educational resources through our blog, catalog, and classes. Our helpful staff can answer any of your gardening questions or support you along the way to finding the answer you need. 

Save

Secure our seed system.

A secure food system requires a secure seed system. Home gardeners and farmers can use open-pollinated seed that can be saved and grown “true” year after year. The slow spreading of this practice will ultimately lead to a shift in culture that decreases the dependence on “Big Ag” both in seed and also crop. Grow open-pollinated varieties and save your seed. Sow True Seed is committed to supplying only open-pollinated seed. We carry rare and threatened varieties and actively seek out new varieties. Over the last century, the United States has lost approximately 93% of its seed varieties due to hybridization and the industrialization of agriculture. We believe that genetic diversity in seed is a huge part of the solution to ensuring food security as our climate changes. Sow True Seed offers seed saving products for sale and teaches workshops encouraging every gardener to collect and save varieties that might otherwise become extinct.

Our Roots

Founded in 2009 by lifelong gardener and food activist, Carol Koury, Sow True Seed was created to preserve our shared botanical heritage and grow a new era of ecological wisdom. Her vision was to support independent and regional agricultural initiatives that foster a vibrant, sustainable economy, and true food sovereignty. We remain committed to growing our awareness and actions to honor the heritage of our seeds, and the diverse people and places that have contributed to our collective abundance, just as Carol intended. 

Sow True Seed operates with a social and environmental consciousness to the best of our ability by taking our beliefs and convictions and putting them into action. We provide gardeners with open-pollinated seed varieties and we actively work to create better access to healthy food in a regenerative, sustainable, and inclusive environment.

Sow True Seed acknowledges that our business resides and operates on the stolen ancestral lands of the Cherokee people. As a company that specializes in Southern seed varieties (many of which continue to be stewarded by the Cherokee and have been for thousands of years), we acknowledge that as an organization we have benefited from the occupation of this land. The subjugation and violence that has resulted from colonization continues to affect and disenfranchise Indigenous people. With that understanding, Sow True Seed is committed to doing our part to accurately represent the agricultural history of the Cherokee people, accept critique and invite dialogue regarding the changing landscape of regenerative agriculture, and continue to explore ways to support and uplift Indigenous-led organizations.