Meet Our Team » Eli W.
Eli W.
Seed Production Manager
In early spring I am known as The Germinator, and can usually be found back in Seedville, which consists of the germination chamber and the seed room- -home to the seeding machine and a fridge full of tote boxes of neatly organized seed packets. It’s often freezing in the seed room, so I always have a cozy stocking cap on under my sound protector muffs and over my earbuds. Come shipping time, find me in and around the veggie houses, wearing my wide brimmed straw Amish hat and sun sleeves balancing three flats of kale and squinting at the tiny print on the tomato tags. High summer finds me sweating in the same sun protection gear, and taking breaks from outdoor work to swear at the production software program and the USDA website. More earbuds here because it’s easier for me to crunch numbers and fine tune formulas to the sound of loud music than the sound of three simultaneous co-worker conversations. Blessed autumn and it’s time to pull out the safety orange stocking cap for my breaktime walk down the road or around the back field. Winter brings snowshoeing season and I don a lightweight buff to tramp down the trail around the back field and do a lap every day at lunchtime, checking out all the animal tracks and getting in some big sky time.
Germinator- I start all the baby plants
Seed Queen - orderer and organizer of all things seed
Keeper of the most cluttered desk --animal bones, sparkly quartz crystals found in the driveway, lichen covered tree knots, wasp nest fragments, butterfly exoskeletons, napping cats… who needs room to work?
Creator of the most over the top spreadsheets - every color indicates something important. Really. Yes the headers DO need to be in bold and the column titles need to be centered.
Weather Girl- ask me what time the wind will shift to the west and how high the dew point will be this afternoon.
Ladder Lover - it’s roofing season. I’ll climb the tall one. Just let me find some wood scraps around here to level it first.
The prompt for the 2026 staff musings is to contribute a recipe. It can be for anything from food or beverage to your recipe for happiness! Here's Eli's response:
How to Create a Perfect Pollinator Buffet in your yard. Start with the 3 x 3 rule: at least three flowering natives that bloom in spring, three for summer and three for fall. Remember it’s easier for these insects to find your plants if you plant in clumps of three or more per item. Sprinkle in a few milkweed plants for the monarchs. Toss in some of our big specialty annual salvia because bees love blue and hummingbirds love red. Season with the herbs like dill or fennel because their flowers attract bees and beneficial wasps. By midsummer, you should be able to sit outside and get buzzed.