We have lots of unusual things (that aren’t books) that you can borrow at our library: cake pans, traffic cone kits, museum passes, board games and more. But something new and a little different is coming to the library this Spring – seeds! We’ve planned and prepared throughout the winter and soon we will launch the seed library at RML.

What is a seed library?

Seed libraries are a centralized place for anyone in a community to get free seeds, raise a crop from them, and (hopefully) return some seeds to restock the library. A seed library doesn’t have to be in a library and there is no “typical” type of seed library. A seed library can be started by anyone, anywhere in a community. All it takes to begin is some passion for growing, a little know-how, and some seeds.

How do I use it?

Our seed library will be housed in a cabinet on the first floor. When we put it out in March, you will be able to look through a catalog of available seeds, choose what you want for your home garden, and check them out on the write-in ledger. You don’t need to stop at the checkout desk. All the seeds are free and you don’t even need a library card to use the seed library.

With your seed library “checkout,” we’ll give you planting and growing information and instructions for how to successfully save your seed. You will also get paper packets for returning your harvested seed to the seed library. You are not required to return seeds from your crops to the library, but if you are able, the seed library will grow (and more people can plant the following year).

We can show you how

If you’ve never saved seed from your garden before, plan to attend the Seed Saving 101 event at the library on Tuesday, March 19^th. We’ll share the basics and best practices for successfully saving seeds from your crops.

Reed Seed officially launches at our event on Saturday, February 24: Make Your Backyard a Wildlife Habitat. Jill Halligan from the Ohio State University’s Portage County Extension Office will join us with native seeds to give away.  If you can’t make it to these events, remember to take a look at the seed library on your next visit. Let’s get our community growing together!