Two Cabins in the Woods
Quail Seeds operates out of our tiny home here on the Eel River. You can see the river in summer above and in winter below.
We are a family who has worked and homesteaded together since 1977, when Bob and Jamie Chevalier first started living in the Alaska wilderness. We raised 3 boys in a small log cabin 15 miles from Sitka, Alaska. Access was only by boat or float plane, so we went long periods without going to town. Gathering and growing seasonal foods was one of the joys of that life. During the summers, the whole family lived and fished on our small boat. A small native plant nursery started as a homeschool project.
Fifteen years ago, Bob, Jamie, son Will, and his partner Julie, moved to Northern California. Still working together as a family, we were the seed-packing and quality control crew at Bountiful Gardens Seeds for many years. Jamie wrote the Bountiful Gardens catalog, and helped customers with garden questions. We grew seeds for the catalog. In 2013, we bought this land on the river and started our own gardens. In 2018, we started Quail Seeds hoping to build community and spread knowledge, not just sell seeds.
Once again we are living in a tiny cabin in the woods.
On our tiny piece of land, we grow a diversified garden--food, herbs, flowers, and seeds. We try many varieties under home garden conditions, looking for those that are reliable, resilient under stress, and really, really delicious. The varieties that work best become part of our offerings here on the website. Some we grow ourselves; most we source from farmers who offer quality seed.
Since we don't have enough land to grow large amounts of seed, we concentrate on trialing and curating varieties, learning and teaching new methods, and interacting with other gardeners as friends and fellow explorers. Most people don't have access to a lot of land or money, but everyone can learn, grow, and share in some way.
Our goal is a simple and effective local medicine kit, a varied and delicious local diet, and neighborhoods people like to live in. Homes for pollinators, birds, bees, and us.
We are a family who has worked and homesteaded together since 1977, when Bob and Jamie Chevalier first started living in the Alaska wilderness. We raised 3 boys in a small log cabin 15 miles from Sitka, Alaska. Access was only by boat or float plane, so we went long periods without going to town. Gathering and growing seasonal foods was one of the joys of that life. During the summers, the whole family lived and fished on our small boat. A small native plant nursery started as a homeschool project.
Fifteen years ago, Bob, Jamie, son Will, and his partner Julie, moved to Northern California. Still working together as a family, we were the seed-packing and quality control crew at Bountiful Gardens Seeds for many years. Jamie wrote the Bountiful Gardens catalog, and helped customers with garden questions. We grew seeds for the catalog. In 2013, we bought this land on the river and started our own gardens. In 2018, we started Quail Seeds hoping to build community and spread knowledge, not just sell seeds.
Once again we are living in a tiny cabin in the woods.
On our tiny piece of land, we grow a diversified garden--food, herbs, flowers, and seeds. We try many varieties under home garden conditions, looking for those that are reliable, resilient under stress, and really, really delicious. The varieties that work best become part of our offerings here on the website. Some we grow ourselves; most we source from farmers who offer quality seed.
Since we don't have enough land to grow large amounts of seed, we concentrate on trialing and curating varieties, learning and teaching new methods, and interacting with other gardeners as friends and fellow explorers. Most people don't have access to a lot of land or money, but everyone can learn, grow, and share in some way.
Our goal is a simple and effective local medicine kit, a varied and delicious local diet, and neighborhoods people like to live in. Homes for pollinators, birds, bees, and us.
