[4] The mission of SSE is to preserve the world’s diverse but endangered garden heritage for future generations by building a network of people committed to collecting, conserving, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants, and educating people about the value of genetic and cultural diversity.

[2] The SSE was founded by Kent Whealy and Diane Ott Whealy in 1975, inspired to protect and preserve heirloom varieties after they were given the seeds of two heirloom plants (a German tomato and a morning glory vine) that her great-grandfather had brought to the U.S. from Bavaria in 1870.

[citation needed] At Heritage Farm, more than 25,000 rare fruit, vegetable, and plant varieties are regenerated, refrigerated and preserved in a central collection.

[6] It was the only citizen-led group in the United States to contribute to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault for opening day.

[7] SSE also has seeds at the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation located in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.