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Nick and Leah Hoop HouseFoundroot is a small family business owned and operated by husband and wife team, Nick and Leah in Haines, Alaska. We only sell very high quality open-pollinated seeds proven for northern gardens. No gmo's, no hybrids, and most of our catalog is heirlooms but there are new breeds of open-pollinated seeds being developed all the time.

Any seeds that are not grown by us are sourced from other farms and ethical companies in the USA that align with our values. Due to the loss of our main farm field in 2021, we are growing a very small portion of our catalog at this time. We rigorously test our seeds and guarantee high germination standards. We have operated as a seasonal online retailer for 10 years, sending seeds to over 70 different Alaskan communities and throughout the Lower 48. 

It is important to us that our customers know they can rely on us to help feed themselves and their families. Our goal is to empower more people to grow their own food, no matter the scale, and support systems of self-reliance and food sovereignty for northern communities. 

Farm Rows

In 2015 we moved to Haines, AK from Southcentral Alaska due to its favorable microclimate. We purchased a small plot of land and camped out for two summers while we cleared trees, cut a 1/4 acre garden, built a yurt as our year-round residence and began cutting ground on a farm field at on old homestead a block down the road. In 2018, we got our farm operational and were able to start growing seeds on a commercial scale. This is a slow and challenging process in our climate.  We are focused on breeding out the more rare and difficult to grow vegetables for our region such as early ripening tomatoes, mold resistant beans, and slow bolting spinach.

In addition to growing seeds, our one acre market garden filled a dire need for more fresh food in our community. We grew vegetables, flowers, fruit, and herbs that we retailed locally in Haines, feeding 50+ families per week and we partnered with like-minded restaurants and retailers in Haines and with weekly shipments to Juneau. 

Nick at market

Unfortunately in 2021, our landlords wouldn't allow us to grow on the land that we had spent the last five years developing our farm on. It was clear that this was not a safe and stable situation to build our business on and we had to abandon years of work and the land that we had poured hundred of hours of sweat equity into. After years of failed attempts, we have finally purchased 1.25 acres adjacent to the 1.25 acres of land we currently own to restart our farm and continue this work. 

When you shop with us, you are supporting these efforts: the restarting of our farm, the future of a more localized northern food system, and the deep food security of regional seed banking. 

We are just getting started and are so very grateful for your support.