Borrow, Grow and Share with the New Heirloom Seed Library
March 5, 2015 — If you’re itching to start your spring garden, or you hate paying for a single sprig of mint at the grocery store, the new Heirloom Seed Library can lift you from your winter doldrums.
The Midtown Carnegie Branch Library and the Library Station now feature a large selection of heirloom seeds that you can check out and take home to plant. Many can be started indoors right now. You can check out up to four seed packets with your library card. Visit thelibrary.org/seedcatalog to see the list of vegetable, herb and flower seeds available, or drop by either branch.
After you grow and harvest your plants, let them go to seed, save some for yourself and return the rest to either of the Heirloom Seed Libraries. Staff will prepare them so others can plant them next season. Our “starter sets” of seeds were generously donated by a variety of local and national seed companies.
The seed packet labels and the librarians can provide planting and seed-saving tips, and the library also has an upcoming series of gardening programs. But don’t stress if your plants fail. Our goal is to help you learn about and enjoy gardening with seeds that have been passed down through seed “generations,” not engineered as hybrids.
Why is a seed library important? Seed saving creates a seed stock well-suited to the Ozarks climate, the plants are more pest-resistant and growers save money on their seeds and plants. Seed saving also helps create a culture of sharing and community.
Some plants require more complex steps to save the seeds. So each seed packet indicates whether the gardener should have beginner, intermediate or advanced seed-saving skills to successfully pass on the next generation of seeds.
The gardening series begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 7, at the Republic Branch with Introduction to Growing Herbs Outdoors. At 6 p.m. March 12 at the Midtown Carnegie Branch, hear Start Your Own Community Garden. See the full schedule in the spring Bookends magazine.