In late 2011, Charles and I began the construction of a timber-framed straw bale structure that we call the Seed House that sits next to a hoop house, which greatly increased our capacity to grow vegetables and medicinal plants. The project is an experiment in alternative building styles.

We started by gathering tires that washed up on the beach in Conneaut Harbor to build the foundation the Seed House. Thousands of new and used tires were illegally dumped in Lake Erie and are slowly surfacing on the beach, so the story goes.

The Seed House combines a timber frame with straw bale walls but the tires add a twist. The foundation is constructed with tires that are filled with dirt. The dirt is hand-pounded into the tires for stability. The straw bales sit on top of the tires to shape and insulate the walls. They are coated with a mixture of local clay, lime, cement and locally-sourced straw.

The frame stands on a concrete slab left over from a small-scale dairy farm. The frame is made of wood sourced from BLD farm. The roof is made of metal roofing that was left over from a house job. It is a lovely place to escape the winter blues.

A grant from the Pollination Project (thepollinationproject.org) made it possible for the Trillium Center to complete this project.

The Seed House is used for drying and processing seeds, starting seeds, and propagating roots. The Trillium Center is a member of the United Plant Savers (unitedplantsavers.org) botanical sanctuary network. One of the goals is to preserve plants that are at-risk of becoming extinct, such as Goldenseal and Black Cohosh. The Trillium Center’s botanical sanctuary includes flower gardens, a spring ephemerals garden, and a developing medicinal plants garden and food forest. Herbalist Leah Wolfe, MPH offers online education, in-person workshops, guided walks, and consultations.

The Trillium Center is in Conneaut, Ohio. Learn more at http://www.trilliumcenter.org