It’s a natural progression: You enjoy gardening, so you decide to level up and grow your own garden starts. That means buying seeds, so seed catalogs begin to inundate your mailbox, and you’ll soon realize that buying seeds is just as addictive as any other shopping habit. At scale, seeds aren’t cheap, either. They range from $3 a packet in the grocery store to absurd prices like $20 a packet from niche seed supply houses. For most home gardeners, you don’t need a whole packet of seeds unless you’re talking about carrots or radishes—that's why you should get excited about seed libraries, which can save you money, give you access to locally tested seeds, and help you find other people who share your love of gardening.
What is a seed library?
A seed library is only different from a book library in that no one expects you to return the seeds. Simply, someone decides to make their seed bank available to others in an easily accessible way, and you can take a few seeds of any kind that suit you, and leave behind any seeds you have to share. You can find seed libraries in institutions like actual libraries, tool-lending libraries or other community spaces. Often, people host them in their front yard the same way they host Little Free Libraries.
The primary benefit of using a seed library is saving money, but it's certainly not the only one. A lot of people who leave seeds at the library are seed savers, meaning the seeds have come from their own yards, not a seed house. This means you’re getting seeds that have been tested in your specific growing environment, so they’re more likely to survive and do well. You may well get access to native plants that seed houses don’t carry, which is part of a nationwide movement to reduce invasive species and return to the kinds of plants that are native to an area. Lastly, you are likely to run into other people who are gardeners, and can become part of a community. In fact, one of the best ways to become a better gardener is proximity to other gardeners.
How to find a seed library near you
There are a few ways to find a seed library near you. The first is to ask your local library—librarians are full of local knowledge that often doesn’t get utilized. You can also google for a “seed library near me,” and there are entire sites dedicated to helping map the seed libraries around the world.
Like all libraries, there’s an etiquette to honor when using a seed library. Since these aren’t really reusable resources, you should only take what you need this season. If possible, bring your own seed envelopes and a marker, but the library might have some. Under no condition should you take the whole envelope of seeds, because then the library won’t know they’re out of a kind of seed. Also, you want to be sure you’re partaking in the process by sharing your own seeds. Even if you don’t have your own seeds, kicking in a packet of radish seeds is welcome.
As you go through the seeds, you can take a few of whatever you need and put them in an envelope you label; you should include the name of the seed and any other information on the package that's important. I usually include days to harvest, height of plant, and any seasonal notes (good for winter, slow bolting). Make sure you put each seed packet back neatly and well-sealed so seeds don't spill out.
How to start a seed library in your area
If you don’t have a seed library near you, you might consider starting one. It’s as simple as gathering seeds from yourself and a few others and putting them out for people to take. You can partner with a library, or simply build a little seed library outside your home. You can organize seed swaps, as well, if these options aren’t available to you.