NORTHFIELD — In a state better known for maples than melons, one farmer is redefining what can grow in Vermont soil. Last August, Charlie Watt’s backyard contained 20-pound watermelons, tomatoes the size of two fists, an eight-foot wall of peas and many, many seeds.
Watt is the founder of Homecoming Seeds, a seed company that launched in January of 2026 devoted to crop varieties that are adapted to Vermont’s short growing season and unpredictable weather. The company offers plants that can germinate in cold soil, withstand fungal diseases, shrug off pests and tolerate temperature swings — while still managing to produce abundantly.
“You're going to have a better garden,” Watt said. “You’re going to have better luck growing seeds that have adapted to these conditions.”
Watt began his seed saving journey while pursuing his Ph.D. in agriculture and education at Montana State University. There, he met an older gentleman who introduced him to seed saving and spent hours teaching him the craft.
Over the years, Watt built a network of mentors who would provide him with seeds saved from their best-performing plants, some of which had been cultivated for 40 years.
Watts' work is the result of patient and meticulous plant breeding. Each season, Watt walks his fields and selects seeds only from the plants that perform best under stressful growing conditions.
The theory is simple: save seeds from the best plants. But in practice, it requires dedication. A single variety can take years of selection before it stabilizes. A flood, early frost or outbreak of disease could undo a season of work.
"He's been grinding nonstop since I've known him,” friend and customer Nina Galicki said. “He's had his nose to the grindstone making it work.”
And work it has. Galicki recalled a walk through Watt’s garden, where she saw “a sea of incredibly enormous squash plants” and tomatoes two pounds heavier than any she’d ever grown herself.
“It's just unreal how healthy and vigorous everything is,” she said.
Homecoming Seeds itself may be a one-man operation, but Watt is quick to acknowledge the many helping hands behind the scenes. Some, like those at Small Axe Farm in Barnet, helped him by growing seeds that he would later purchase, while others offered mentorship and guidance.
Among them is Sylvia Davatz, the retired founder of Solstice Seeds, a Hartland-based seed company. Davatz, who has been described as a “seed saving legend,” met Watt at an Upper Valley Food Co-Op meeting and over the years has offered him expertise. The two have been working very closely together since.
“It’s not glamorous work. We don't hear about farmers in the news every day. But it's work that has been secured by generations,” Davatz said. “That fills me with a sense of responsibility. I feel responsible for making sure that what's been entrusted to me is preserved.”
Crop diversity, championed by local seed varieties, is a cornerstone of resilient agricultural models. When farmers grow multiple species and multiple varieties within the species, they reduce the risk that a single pest, disease or extreme weather event would wipe out an entire harvest.
That’s why farmers like Davatz and Watt feel responsible for protecting and ensuring the existence of unique crop varieties.
“Seed saving is absolutely foundational. Without seeds, we don't have most of our food on earth,” Davatz said.
For Watt, seed saving is both practical and deeply personal. In the future, Watt wants to scale up his production and make the seeds accessible in bulk volume. But for now, his top priority is feeding his community.
“We care about the people who grow the seeds and eat them,” Watt said. “The greatest joy would be to hear that people are growing these seeds and eating them with friends and family.”
The Community News Service is a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost.
