The Newest Pumpkin on the Vine!
The Homestead Seeds (THS) is the brainchild of Mac Condill, keeping up the family tradition of selling heirloom cucurbit seeds that began in earlier days by older brother Kit. Since growing the finest pumpkins, squash and gourds has been the legacy of the entire Condill family for more than two decades now, garnering the finest seeds from these exceptional crops is merely one of the natural steps of the self-sustaining cycle. The global custom of seed saving is practical, is cost-effective, and most importantly, is critical for ensuring purity of any crop. One can see where there is actually a “relationship” that develops between the grower and the pedigree of a plant.
Mac leads his crew in taking very specific measures to ensure not only the purity, but also the continuity of both the common and the rare cucurbit varieties offered by The Homestead Seeds. Being a cucurbit farmer and seed developer has been a lifelong passion of Mac’s. Perhaps this passion is driven by the reality that the general populace has a pretty limited awareness of the extreme versatility and the astonishing diversity of pumpkins, squash and gourds. Mac takes great pleasure in gleaning all there is to know of this phenomenal plant family from various corners of the globe, and sharing that knowledge with all who are interested.
Another passion that Mac has incorporated into The Homestead Seeds is the supporting of the efforts of a Kenyan charity – the Sumerian Foundation. This is a Scottish-led Kenyan rural social enterprise project that promotes self-sustaining business. The business channels all profits back into community development programs, trying to achieve self-sustainability. As Mac states, “I have traveled firsthand to see the accomplishments of this very successful and exciting project in the spring of 2006 and again in 2007. I know the founder, the liaisons and the folks on the ground making this happen, and cannot recommend a better organization to support. So, by supporting our farm and seed business, you will also be supporting farmers and children in rural Kenya.”
The Great Pumpkin Patch, with its unbroken history of providing good, old-fashioned family fun and exposure to the day-to-day dynamics within the harvest season of a working farm, is a remarkable platform for launching The Homestead Seeds. It is this rock-solid foundation that The Homestead Seeds has the good fortune upon which to stand. And it is from this reputable foundation that The Homestead Seeds forges forward toward a future that merges its exceptional business practices with avant-garde thinking and global affiliations.