DECORAH - Singer-songwriter Greg Brown has played a lot of venues.

The Iowa native got his start running New York hootenannies in the '60s, and has shared his unique brand of folk at clubs and coffee houses across the nation.

But Seed Saver's Heritage Farm in Decorah has found a special place in the musician's heart. On July 11, Brown returns to the 800-acre plot of land for his eighth concert to benefit the seed preservation project.

"It's a beautiful site," he said. "Being a gardener myself, it's kind of like I'm sitting in paradise, singing a few songs."

Brown's Seed Savers concerts traditionally have attracted crowds of about 1,800. This year's show also will feature the artist's daughter Pieta Brown and fellow Iowan Bo Ramsey.

"It's a magical evening," said Shirley Vermace, event organizer. "You bring a picnic basket with your favorite foods and watch the sun go down as you listen to this mesmerizing music."

Brown has long used his compositions - laced with environmental messages - to support pet projects. Seed Savers, which maintains thousands of rare and heirloom fruits and vegetables species, is one of his favorite organizations.

"We're losing the diversity in our state," he said. "This is a way to save it."

Brown, who now lives in Iowa City, tends his own organic produce during the summer months. Potatoes, tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, greens and sweet corn grow in the artist's circular garden, which measures 120 feet in diameter.

Simple chores, like sowing seeds, spur the artist's creative process. As a child, Brown was first attracted to regional forms of music, like Mississippi blues and Montana cowboy songs. Today his own tunes boast a distinctive Midwestern flavor.

"I grew up with the feeling that music was coming out of a place, and I feel that with my own songs," said Brown, a regular on Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion." "In this global, digital age we've lost that. Most music comes out, to me, very bland."

That's why an evening with Brown is such a treat, said Vermace. Tickets for the outdoor concert are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.

"It's not to be missed," she said. "It really moves your soul to listen to the music and look around at the rest of the people and know that's why we're saving the seeds - it's for the future."

Go & do

What: Seed Savers benefit concert with Greg Brown

WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, July 11

Where: 3074 North Winn Road, Decorah

TICKETS: $20 in advance, $25 at the door; visit www.seedsavers.org or call (563)-382-5990