NORTHFIELD, Vt. (WCAX) – While snow still covers his fields, Northfield farmer Charlie Watt is already preparing for the spring gardening rush through his new seed business, Homecoming Seeds.
Watt opened Homecoming Seeds in January 2026. His catalog currently features 23 seed varieties, with most grown on his own farm. Some are sourced from other Vermont farms.
Watt said his path to farming began as a seasonal pursuit.
“I started to work on vegetable farms in the summertime as a nice seasonal complement to my skiing habit. And then I decided I wanted to go to grad school for agriculture,” Watt said.
His agricultural education took him to Montana, where skiing and farmland are both plentiful. While there, he met a farmer who introduced him to the practice of seed keeping.
“And I fell in love with that type of farming and decided to start a business using his collection as a foundation,” Watt explained.
The current catalog includes a range of crops. Watt said the plants are bio-regionally adapted for Vermont’s climate.
“That means that they’re fast maturing and they are cold-hardy. So, they grow really well in the Vermont climate when you have short growing seasons, cooler temperatures,” Watt said.
The seeds are grown, cleaned and packed on Watt’s Northfield property. Each packet is hand-measured by weight, with quantity varying by crop type.
Watt also says seed keeping deepens a grower’s connection to the plants themselves.
“I think that, you know, through seed keeping, you get to learn about the story behind the varieties, the people who stewarded them in the past, and you get more intimate with the plants that way,” Watt said.
“And my biggest ask for anyone who grows my seeds is to get to know the plants, have a nice relationship with them, and then to eat the food that they provide you and share it with your family and friends,” Watt shared with a smile.
Homecoming Seeds are available online.
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