My GARDEN GURUS
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Renee Shepherd
Renee’s Garden Seeds
I first met Renee Shepherd in (I believe) 1996 at the Northwest Flower Show in Seattle. I was there doing a shoot for HGTV, and she was there doing what she does best, namely selling seeds. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her step outside the venue, apparently in need of some fresh air, and I decided to seize the moment to meet the woman I regarded as a true rock star of gardening. I clumsily introduced myself, we chatted briefly about seeds, and that was about it. Truth is, Renee doesn’t even recall the meeting, so I obviously didn’t leave much of an impression, good or bad.
Renee Shepherd
But no matter, because Renee and I are now well acquainted. She’s graciously agreed to be a guest on my show several times, and I’ve had the good fortune to visit her beautiful gardens in Santa Cruz, California. During our last encounter, we sat on a blanket in her lawn and talked about a dozen different topics within the world of gardening. Then we had an awesome lunch made from all sorts of goodies straight out of her garden.
Renee’s first foray into the seed business was in 1985, when she started Shepherd’s Seeds, a catalog company that specialized in European vegetable seeds. And it had its humble beginnings in, of all places, a pasture.
“When I was in graduate school at the University of California/Santa Cruz, we used to play soccer in my pasture. One day a woman brought her husband, who not only played a great game of soccer, but was also a seed salesman for a Dutch seed company. He introduced me to several great varieties of vegetables I’d never tasted before, and that’s pretty much how I got started in the seed business,” Renee explained.
Years late, Renee sold the Shepherd’s Seeds to White Flower Farm. She continued to run the business, and the business continued to grow, but ultimately it didn’t survive. So she regrouped, and started Renee’s Garden Seeds.
I asked Renee what distinguishes her seed company from others, and she was quick to respond. “I don’t sell anything that I don’t really love,” she said. “We also trial every seed we offer in four test gardens scattered across the U.S. for at least two years before we release them.”
Renee’s Garden Seeds also has a full-time horticultural advisor on hand to answer customers’ questions, and she and her staff pay close attention to what customer say. “I just changed the instructions on one of our seed packets based on customer feedback,” she said.
“When I was in graduate school at the University of California/Santa Cruz, we used to play soccer in my pasture. One day a woman brought her husband, who not only played a great game of soccer, but was also a seed salesman for a Dutch seed company. He introduced me to several great varieties of vegetables I’d never tasted before, and that’s pretty much how I got started in the seed business,” Renee explained.
Years late, Renee sold the Shepherd’s Seeds to White Flower Farm. She continued to run the business, and the business continued to grow, but ultimately it didn’t survive. So she regrouped, and started Renee’s Garden Seeds.
I also asked Renee about what’s hot in the world of seeds these days, and she identified several trends, including container gardening and vertical gardening. “Container gardening is really big, and there are lots of new seeds coming from European
countries from plants that have been specifically bred for growing in containers, in particular those that produce compact plants with full-size fruits.”
Finally, I asked Renee about the goals of her business. “I’m trying to get more people to grow from seed,” she explained. “It’s not that mysterious or complicated. Basically, we’re trying to get our customers to realize the joy and satisfaction of gardening.”
Before saying goodbye, I couldn’t resist asking Renee how much time she spends in her garden these days, and her response was familiar to me. “Nowhere near as much as I’d like. I sit in front of a computer most of the day.”
To see the full line of seeds available from Renee Garden Seeds, go to www.reneesgarden.com.
Peppers - Padron
Morning Glory - Dawn Star
Lettuce - Sweetie Baby Romaine
