WE LOVE SEED LIBRARIES!
Many libraries are starting to offer Seed Libraries, which is a wonderful trend! A seed library is a place where the community can get seeds for free (or sometimes with a nominal fee). Many seed libraries are now opening up in public libraries and community centers, and we love the idea of sharing seeds! Seed Libraries encourage everyone to try to grow their own food, even if their budget is limited. What's also great about a seed library is that you can donate your seeds to share with your community. Afterall, seeds need to be grown, right?
Often times, seed packets have too many seeds to grow for many gardeners, so donating your extra seeds to a seed library allows other people to grow them before they are no longer viable.
Pepper Seed Growing Tip:
Prevent dampening off by giving freshly sprouted pepper seedlings a gentle breeze from a fan to strengthen their stems, and/or gently brush the seedlings daily with your hands.
View more Growing Tips »
Save and share your own Seeds:
You can also collect seeds from your vegetables, herbs and flowers each season to share with your neighbors. Keep in mind that some vegetable seeds can cross pollinate with other related varieties, so if you save seeds, make sure to isolate your plants that are prone to cross-pollination to ensure that the seeds are stable and grow into what you're expecting. Heirloom and open-pollinated vegetables are best for seed-saving purposes, as gardeners can save true-to-type seed from open-pollinated and heirloom varieties, but not hybrids. Hybrid vegetables are created using a controlled method of pollination in which the pollen of two different species or varieties is crossed by hand. The first generation of hybrids grow well, however any seeds produced by the plants are genetically unstable and cannot be saved for use in following years because the plants will not be true-to-type, and they will be considerably less vigorous.
If your local Library doesn't yet have a seed library, ask them if they can work on adding one! Here's a great article on how to Start a Seed library from: publiclibrariesonline.org.
We just recently donated seeds to the Park Hill Library in Denver, Colorado. They have quite a wonderful collection of seeds from around the world.
Seed libraries are a wonderful service that encourages seed saving and sharing.
Go seeds!
Seed libraries are a wonderful service that encourages seed saving and sharing.
Go seeds!
