Maggie Queisser’s season usually starts in February. While others are counting the days until the final snow falls, Maggie is busy in her greenhouse in Elkhorn counting her seeds as she carefully plants them, thousands of them. Right now, she’s in the middle of her season.

The seeds have grown into seedlings and Maggie’s main job now is keeping them watered and healthy. Maggie owns Maggie’s Herbs & Heirlooms, the company she started after she left the business world where she worked in IT.

When she isn’t working with her husband on projects around their 10-acre farm in rural Walworth County, Maggie is busy working on her mission to get more home gardeners interested in heirloom herbs and vegetables.

Maggie isn’t growing the typical varieties of herbs and vegetables that you’re likely to find at the average garden store. There are seedlings for Amish Pie Winter Squash, True Lemon Cucumber and Pingtung Long Eggplant. In addition to squash, cucumbers and herbs, Maggie grows peppers and about 30 varieties of tomato.

“Tomatoes are the big one. A lot of people who don’t have a garden will grow a tomato or two in containers,” Maggie said. You’ll find Maggie’s seedlings at your favorite Outpost through mid-June.