You Should Find (and Use) a Seed Library Near You.
It’s a natural progression: you enjoy gardening, so you decide to level up and start growing your own garden. This means buying seeds, so seed catalogs start flooding your inbox, and you’ll soon realize that buying seeds is as addictive as any other shopping habit. At scale, seeds aren’t cheap either. They range from $3 a bag at the grocery store to absurd prices like $20 a bag at specialty seed stores. Most home gardeners don’t need a whole bag of seeds, unless you’re talking carrots or radishes—which is why you should take an interest in seed libraries that can save you money, give you access to locally vetted seeds, and help you find others people who share your love of gardening.
What is a seed library?
A seed library is different from a book library only in that no one expects you to return the seeds. Simply put, someone decides to make their seed bank available to others in an easily accessible form, and you can take a few seeds of any type that suit you and leave behind any seeds you want to share. You can find source libraries in institutions such as actual libraries, tool lending libraries, or other public places. Often people place them in their yard in the same way they place Little Free Libraries .
The main benefit of using the source library is saving money, but it’s certainly not the only one. Many people who leave seeds at the library are seed savers, meaning the seeds came from their own backyards and not from a seed warehouse. This means you’re getting seeds that have been tested in your specific growing environment, so they have a better chance of surviving and doing well. You may well have access to native plants that are not available in seed farms, part of a nationwide movement to reduce invasive species and return to plant species that are native to the area. Finally, you’ll likely meet other people who are gardeners and can become part of the community. In fact, one of the best ways to become a better gardener is to be close to other gardeners.
How to Find a Seed Library Near You
There are several ways to find a seed library near you. First, ask your local library: librarians are full of local knowledge that often goes unused. You can also Google “seed library near you” and there are entire sites dedicated to mapping seed libraries around the world.
As with all libraries, etiquette must be observed when using the source library. Since these aren’t really reusable resources, you should only take what you need for the season. If possible, bring seed envelopes and a marker with you, but the library may have them. Under no circumstances should you take the entire envelope of seeds, because then the library will not know that they are out of seeds. Additionally, you want to make sure that you are part of the process by sharing your seeds. Even if you don’t have your own seeds, you can take a packet of radish seeds with you.
While browsing through the seeds, you can take a few of the ones you need and put them in an envelope on which you label; you should include the name of the seed and any other important information on the packaging. I usually include days until harvest, plant height, and any seasonal notes (good for winter, slow grower). Make sure you carefully place each seed packet back and seal it well to prevent the seeds from spilling out.
How to Start a Seed Library in Your Area
If you don’t have a seed library near you, you may want to consider starting one . It’s as simple as collecting seeds from yourself and a few others and giving them away to other people. You can partner with a library or simply build a small seed library near your home. You can also arrange a seed exchange if these options are not available to you.