In 1978, Illinois machinist Russ Crow planted a garden because groceries cost too much; decades later, about 100 varieties he saved were still being kept alive

In 1978, Russ Crow worked as a machinist at Chrysler Corporation's Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois when rising food prices pushed him to start a vegetable garden. His goal was to grow some of his own food and reduce the family’s grocery bill. This intention eventually made him one of the country’s most dedicated bean collectors. According to the Seed Savers Exchange stewardship, Crow cultivated and collected about 375 bean varieties, which the organization's seed bank keeps for future generations.

His father, who suffered from diabetes, often preferred beans because of their nutritional value, low price, and easy storage and cultivation. Crow, therefore, decided to use these plants as the basis for his new garden. Not long after planting his garden, Crow, in an issue of Organic Gardening magazine, read about Wanigan Associates, a network founded by bean collector John Withee that connected gardeners interested in preserving rare bean varieties. Fascinated by the hundreds of beans Withee had collected, Crow ordered 35 different varieties. For the following several years, Crow was an active member of the network, steadily adding more types of heirloom beans to his growing collection. That same year, Crow learned about what was known as True Seed Exchange (currently called the Seed Savers Exchange). He listed 35 bean varieties. In 1981, Crow became the first visitor of the organization’s summer campout and conference, which marked the beginning of his long-lasting relationship with the group.

One bean at a time


Crow’s collection grew slowly. Each new growing season brought another opportunity to preserve a new variety that only a few gardeners were cultivating. His knowledge became as invaluable as the rare bean seeds. He listed more than 375 bean varieties through Seed Savers Exchange, making rare beans available to those gardeners who would otherwise not hear of them.

He even published a book called Hill of Beans, where he described other plants with amazing details to help other collectors know better what they were dealing with. Despite its modest size, the book proved useful to collectors and researchers. According to the Seed Savers Exchange stewardship story, a doctor at the National Seed Storage Lab in Fort Collins, Colorado, used his copy of Hill of Beans so extensively that it wore out, prompting him to request another copy.

As his collection kept growing, Crow found himself in a practical dilemma. He lacked enough garden space to grow hundreds of bean varieties every year while keeping their seeds intact. Therefore, instead of limiting his collection, he sought help from his fellow gardeners. Inspired by the cooperative model of Wanigan Associates, Crow later started The Little Easy Bean Network, according to the Seed Savers Exchange stewardship story. The network relied on home gardeners who each grew a small number of bean varieties and returned renewed seed to Crow for conservation. In return, for every two bean varieties a participant grew, Crow sent one variety for the gardener to keep and grow in their own garden.

The network helped more bean varieties survive than Crow could have managed alone. It also introduced a number of new gardeners to the world of heirloom beans and the importance of seed preservation. Crow’s work extended beyond his own backyard. Decades had passed since he first planted beans to save on his groceries, and the Seed Savers Exchange was still preserving approximately 100 kinds of seed that Crow had created himself in its Heritage Farm seed bank. Other gardeners in the US and Canada cultivated some of the varieties that Crow either discovered or created himself, such as the famous Blue Jay bean.