Gardening enthusiasts are invited to “check out” seeds from The Seed Library of the Kent Free Library this spring. Community members may select up to 20 packets of seeds, which are arranged by type and variety in a repurposed old card catalog near the library’s Information Desk.
If gardeners have a successful crop from the seeds they “borrow,” they are encouraged to return seeds to restock the Seed Library for next year.
Community and Special Services Manager Kristen Pool notes that this is the second year the Seed Library has been open. “About 1,100 seed packets were checked out last spring,” says Pool. “11 community members returned 44 bags of seed, and High Mowing Organic Seed donated about 200 more packets.”
Volunteers from Kent Food Not Lawns, Portage County Master Gardeners, and a local 4-H group helped repackage the donations into smaller packets, which were then labled. “We have about 1,200 packets of seeds to check out this year, including 19 different kinds of heirloom tomatoes and 3 kinds of sunflowers” says Pool.
“There are plenty of vegetables and flowers that are easy to grow and to save seeds from, even for newer gardeners or those with small spaces,” says Pool. “Anyone is welcome to take any of the seeds to grow, but only experienced seed savers are encouraged to return seeds from the varieties that are more difficult to save, like turnips, kale, and cabbage.”
Stop in any time the library is open to browse the Seed Library. To borrow seeds, just complete a Check Out form. For more information, visit www.kentfreelibrary.org or call the Information Desk at 330.673.4414.
