With your support, Seed Savers Exchange can ensure heirloom seeds are kept in our gardens and on our tables, today and for generations to come. This work takes many hands and actions, and we are grateful for our members. Scroll down for a list of benefits you will receive when you become a member, and click one of the buttons below to view some very special benefits for joining today!
Interested in a business membership? Learn more.
Membership Perks
Quarterly Member Magazine
The Heritage Farm Companion membership magazine is filled with stories from the Seed Savers Exchange community, gardening and seed-saving advice, news, and more.
Take Part—Become a Community Scientist!
Members are invited to participate in our Community Science program and grow out and evaluate varieties from our collection in collaboration with our Preservation team. This valuable contribution from members helps us better understand and care for the varieties in our collection.
Reciprocal Admissions Program
Enjoy free or reduced admission to gardens, arboreta, and conservatories through the American Horticultural Society with your Seed Savers Exchange membership card. Learn more
Virtual Membership Meet-Ups
Grow your network with virtual member meet-ups! Connect with gardeners across North America and share the good, the bad, and the funny from your garden. Each meet-up will feature a Seed Savers Exchange expert, plus a chance to meet other active members in your region and beyond.
Swap Seeds via the Exchange and Yearbook
Share seeds with other gardeners and access more than 5,000 varieties from the Seed Savers Exchange seed bank on the Exchange. The Exchange is open to everyone. The Yearbook, the annual print edition of the Exchange, is available to $50+ members upon request. Additionally, a PDF of the annual Yearbook will be shared with members. Learn more about the Exchange and Yearbook in the FAQ below.
Member-Exclusive Seeds
New and returning members can choose to participate in SSE's Member Growing Club and receive free exclusive variety seeds from our seed bank to grow at home.
Member Discounts
As our thanks for joining, members receive a special welcome discount, plus other coupons and offers throughout the year and 10% off at our Visitors Center.
As a Member, You Are:
Supporting a Movement
With your membership, you are saying “this work matters”. Through your membership donation and dedicating time and talent to saving and sharing seeds, you move our mission forward.
Joining In Our Work
Your garden can be part of our conservation work through the Citizen Science Corps—a program that helps us grow and evaluate varieties from our collection. Learn more.
Part of a Community
When you join Seed Savers Exchange, you are partnering with thousands of other members who grow, save, share, and advocate within their own communities.
Membership FAQs
Nope! You do not need to be a member to shop with us. Everyone is welcome.
The Seed Exchange is our community seed swap. Gardeners list seeds they’ve grown, making them available to other Exchange participants. The Exchange facilitates the sharing of heirloom seeds so that they may be grown and stewarded by more and more people. The Exchange is at the heart of our mission and story.
Go to the Exchange website and log in or create an account. First-time users will need to create a separate login from the one they created on seedsavers.org. (It’s acceptable to create a login setup that matches your account.) Those who joined prior to August 2017 and previously used the Exchange will need to update their password only. You will need to create an account to request or list seeds, or view an Exchange participant's contact information. For questions about the exchange, please contact us online.
The Yearbook is an annual print directory of the Exchange, first published in 1975. The Exchange is publicly available and active throughout the year.
The Yearbook is available in digital format to all members of Seed Savers Exchange. Download the PDF. The link is updated each January with the new edition.
Members at the $50 level and above are eligible to receive the print Yearbook but must request it. Watch for an email in fall to request your Yearbook.
Yearbook Timeline: The Yearbook is developed in December each year and distributed January-March. Members who join or request a Yearbook after March will be added to a mailing list to receive the following year’s edition of the Yearbook. For example, if you join in April 2021, the first Yearbook you will receive will be the 2022 Yearbook in January 2022.
The Heritage Farm Companion is our membership magazine. It’s delivered quarterly in approximately March, June, September, and December. If you joined at the $30 level, you will receive a digital edition delivered via e-mail. If you joined at the $50 level or above, you’ll receive the digital edition and a paper copy via mail.
Please contact us online and we can update your preferences. (Please note that depending on where we are in our publishing cycle, you may yet receive a print copy.)
When you join or renew, you may indicate that you wish to receive Member Growing Club seeds—varieties from our seed bank made available exclusively to members, for free. Once you join or renew, we will send you a Member Growing Club package with a bundle of seed packets and information. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
If you are a current or past MGC participant, please fill out the post-growing survey.
When you join or renew, you will receive a welcome/welcome back discount code in your welcome email/letter. Members will also receive exclusive discounts throughout the year (sent via email).