Brown County is Planting a Seed Library
By Vicki Medland
Seeds are alive! Each one contains a tiny embryo that will survive only as long as its stored nutrients last. In order to preserve different plant varieties, the seeds must be grown out while still viable. Saving and sharing seeds keeps rare and locally adapted varieties alive and brings people together.
That is where seed libraries comes in. Libraries are in the business of sharing items like books through borrowing. Books are borrowed, used, and returned for someone else can borrow them. So it is a great fit to add seeds to the list of library resources. But borrowing seeds—how does that work and why call it a library? And why do we need them?
In our urban landscapes we have lost touch with saving and sharing seeds and we rely on commercial hybrid seeds that cannot be saved and are not culturally relevant or bred for local conditions. Seed libraries are a curated collection of locally relevant seed varieties that are made available to the public for free. Some libraries are dedicated to food seeds, others to local or cultural heirlooms, or even to native plants, but they have these three things in common:
The seeds are free to check out.
The seeds are open-pollinated or heirloom varieties that can be grown, collected, and saved from year to year.
There is an expectation that the patron will give back to the seed library in some way, either by donating seeds they have harvested or by sharing the harvest grown from library seeds with family, friends, or pantries to make themselves and the community more food secure.
Seed saving is an easy skill to learn and most seed libraries provide training. The ultimate goal is that some people with the time and ability save seeds and return those to the library so they can be borrowed out the next year. Saving seeds allows the program to continue and grow, opening new branches across communities. Not everyone needs to save seeds. Sharing homegrown produce with friends and family, or donating to the local pantry also helps the community. And just like libraries that are about more than books, the seed library is about more than seeds. Most libraries offer workshops, hand-outs, and community connections to learn more about gardening and seed saving.
Seed libraries work because people can try local varieties that might not be available from sellers. They allow those who might otherwise not be able afford seeds to plant gardens. Growing and sharing food strengthens community relationships and improves health and food security. Libraries are are a simple but important way to preserve important cultural plants and make them available to younger generations in urban areas. Self sufficiency, preservation of culture and heritage, food security, and local need are big goals that can be reached in some measure by something as simple as sharing saving seeds.
Brown County Seed Library
The Brown County Seed Library houses a curated collection of seeds – primarily edible plants – that are suited for success in our Northeastern Wisconsin growing region. These seeds will be available free of charge to anyone interested in planting vegetables, fruits and pollinator-friendly plants. Each packet contains seeds and growing instructions.
The library is hosting a launch party for the seed library on Saturday, 4 March 2023 from 1-3:30 pm. Drop in for fun and educational activities and to be among the first to get seeds from the new Brown County Seed Library!
Hands-on activities: harvest seeds from dried seed heads; plant seeds in paper cores to take home; more!
Learn from local experts: seed starting; seed saving; “best bet” veggie varieties; local gardening resources; the One Seed One Community program featuring Dragon Tongue Beans; more!
Bring your kids: meet Mother Nature; create seed art; enjoy stories; fold paper “helicopter seeds” to launch from the library balcony; more!
For more information on the library and the seed list visit: https://www.browncountylibrary.org/seed-library/
