Heirloom Seed Library Opens Feb. 1 at Three Branches
January 24, 2022 — The Heirloom Seed Library opens Tuesday, Feb. 1, at the Library Station, Midtown Carnegie Branch Library, and now, the Schweitzer Brentwood Branch Library.
Look for the dedicated stacks inside the three libraries, and use your library card to check out up to four packets of heirloom seeds for a variety of vegetables, herbs and flowers. Native plants have been added to the collection for the first time this year. Planting instructions are included with all packets.
Get more helpful planting and harvesting tips by visiting thelibrary.org/seedlibrary.
To kick off the season, adults are invited to the Heirloom Seed Library Grand Opening Feb. 1 at the Library Station. At 10 a.m. in the Santa Fe Room, hear from a panel of gardening groups about the work they do in the community. Gather useful gardening information on tables in the lobby, then check out the 2022 Heirloom Seed Library to pick up some seeds for spring planting.
Novice and experienced gardeners can enjoy trying their hand at growing new-to-you plants with little risk by borrowing the seeds. While “returns” aren’t required, gardeners are invited to grow the plants, enjoy the harvest, and save these heirloom seeds for next year or return them to the seed library for others to plant next season.
These are “open-pollinated,” heirloom seeds. They have been pollinated by natural means such as insects, birds or wind; not manipulated to become hybrid varieties. And like your family heirlooms, they have been saved after the harvest and passed along to other gardeners.
The Heirloom Seed Library collection is generously funded or donated by Farmers Gastropub, Central High School Botanical Society, Springfield Community Gardens, Watershed Committee of the Ozarks and Walmart.
Visit thelibrary.org/seedcatalog to see all the varieties available in the Heirloom Seed Library. Learn details about the seed library at thelibrary.org/seedlibrary.
Why is seed saving important? Today’s gardeners are returning to the seed-saving tradition, when harvesting and protecting the previous year’s seeds was essential to providing the next crop. 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 helps create a culture of sharing and community, too!